LL-L "Language Varieties" 2003.07.04 [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 15.JUN.2003 (06) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) N=Northumbrian
S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic V=(West)Flemish Z=Zeelandic (Zeuws)
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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Language varieties

Dear Lowlanders,

Greetings from Florida, more specifically from the area in which Florida's
Panhandle meets Southern Alabama and Georgia, not far from Southern
Mississippi and Louisiana!  Like last time I visited here, I am enjoying
the people (and the food), but while last time I met with record low
temperatures, this time I am "enjoying" 85 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees
Celsius), 80% humidity and a 60% chance of showers (which come in enormous
downpours, accompanied by electric storms).  It's like living in a
tropical plant conservatory.  It is supposed to get hotter when I visit
Alabama and leave the coastal area.

Since I am meeting lots of local relatives and friends, many of whom are
older and even more gregarious and talkative than I am, I am in the
fortunate position of listening to lots of local gossip as well as customs
and stories of the olden days here in the Deep South.  Of course, the
linguist in me is always taking mental notes.  Most of the unsuspecting
informants are of part African, Seminole, Choctaw and Creek descent,
besides European descent.

Here at the western extreme of the Florida Panhandle I have been noticing
two interesting linguistic features, and I wonder how widely spread they
are.  The first is a semantic feature and the second a phonological one.
If you respond, please try to separate them so we can divide your
responses into the threads "Semantics" and "Phonology" respectively.

(1) Semantics:

Where genitives are used, several of the local speakers put into
adjectival place phrases that
otherwise would be relative; for example,

That('s) the ole-guy-who-I-do-his-tax(es)-('s) house.
(That's the house of the old guy whose taxes I do.)

He('s) the cousin-I-grew-up-with-in-Pushmataha('s) son.
(He's the son of the cousin with whom I grew up in Pushmataha.)

How widespread is this feature in American and other English and Lowlands
dialects?

(2) Phonology:

I noticed that final consonants are frequently deleted, but I have not yet
figured out the exact patterns.  Most frequently, final /s/ is deleted,
including genitive "'s" and plural "s", also in proper names, e.g.,
"Denee" ([d@'ni:] for "Denise").  Occasionally, final stops are delete
too, as in "brie" ([braI] for "bright") and "bi boy" ([bIbO.I] for "big
boy").  Not only do I wonder how widespread this features is, but also if
this may be due to French influence from nearby Louisiana.

Voiced stop assimilation to preceding liquids and nasals is quite common;
e.g., "chillen" (['tSIl at n] for "children"), "thunner" (['TVn3`] for
"thunder") and "nummer" (['nVm3`] for "number").  This rule is virtually
identical in North Saxon dialects of Lowlands Saxon (Low
German); e.g. _ünner_ ('under'), _holen_ ('to hold') and _Hammorg_ (~
_Hamborg_ 'Hamburg').

Your responses would be much appreciated.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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Reinhard "Ron" F. Hahn
Seattle, USA
==========
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