LL-L "Language loyalty" 2003.03.21 (01) [LS]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 21.MAR.2003 (01) * 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 (Zeêuws)
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From: Dan Prohaska <daniel at ryan-prohaska.com>
Subject: LL-L "observations in Lowland Germany" [LS]

Leve Leeglänner,

   Ik mut nu maal en bäeten wat looswarrn. Jüst arbaaid ik in Schweriin un
wul bloots en paar observatjonen, de ik hiir so maak, to papiir, or
veelmeer, up`n bildscheerm bringen. Ik bün ja nich vun hiir, un so schal ik
dat man ut de sicht vun`n "butensider" vertellen.

   In`t Schweriner Staatstheater, woneem ik in de gangen bün, gift dat welke
lü de plat köönt, un dat ook mid`n waarhaftigen, schoonst en versteken,
stolt an`n dag leggen daait, wat se in eer Heimaatspraak snakken köönt.
Spraken höört een se avers ni öftins, un vun lü unner dörtig gaar nich.

   Likers höegt sik de Fritz-Reuter-Büün öever`n krägel toloop. In`t
Repertoir sünd good un geern twölf stükken up`n hogen niveau. Vun avend hef
ik mi "Totale Mattschiew" rintrokken, en kumedii vun Kirsten Akanho, dat
Nedderdüütsch wöör vun Manfred Brümmer in`e maak namen.

   Ik mut seggen, wat ik mid miin dörtig jaaren dat dörsnitliche öller vun`t
publikum en bäeten dükert hef. Wat snaaksch kun ik den ook bekiken. Eer dat
theater angüng snakken alle lü in`t publikum Hoog. In`e paus weer dat en
bäeten anners. En paar fungen an un snakken Plat, un achterheer weern dat
nomeer. Dat heet dochen, je meer de lü Nedderdüütsch höört, je lever snakt
se`t dun. Als den, heer mid Nedderdüütsch in`t radio un veernseen.

   Algemeen bekent sik de meesten lü to de traditjoon vun Platdüütsch,
likers gift dat keen bäed de spraak an de jungen lü wider to gäeven.
Kumpetens in, un intress vöör de taal warrt, fakens, togäeven, bina as`n
endschulligen.

   Daarwäegen denk ik, wat sik de situatjoon in`t Oosten gaar ni so anners
is, as de in`t Westen. Snaaksch is ja, de lü hiir glöövt, wat dat in`t
Westen mid`n traditjoonsbewustsin vöör Nedderdüütsch bäeter utsüüt as in`t
Oosten. Wonäemheer kümt dat den?

Grötens un Kumpelmenten,
Dan

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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Language loyalty

Wees' bedankt vör Dyn vermaaklichen bericht, leyve Dan!

> Daarwäegen denk ik, wat sik de situatjoon in`t Oosten
> gaar ni so anners is, as de in`t Westen. Snaaksch is ja,
> de lü hiir glöövt, wat dat in`t Westen mid`n
> traditjoonsbewustsin vöör Nedderdüütsch bäeter utsüüt
> as in`t Oosten. Wonäemheer kümt dat den?

Myn theory is, dat dey lüyd' in 't oost weten dout, dat dey mang jüm, dey nu
so üm un by sösstig jaar or jünger sünd, in jüm eer Oostdüytsche
staatsbildung byböögd wöyrd', dat sey allens wat "tradytschoon" is afwysen
möött, un daar höyr tou mindst indirekt dey spraak mit tou, un dey kultuur,
dey daarmit tousamenhangt. Sey neemt sachs an, dat dat in 't west anners rüm
was, un jüm is noch nich heyl un deyl wys worden, dat dat nich stimmen dout,
dat dat afwysen in 't west liek so asig was. Dey verscheel was, dat 't in 't
west toulaten was sik up düt flag intousetten. Verbaden was 't in 't oost
ook nich, so veel ik daar wat vun afweet, man mit dey aard angaaschmang val
'n up un kreyg' de Stasi up dey hakken. Man dat is jak as büks: oost un west
harren sik vör dat bruken vun dey spraak nich afreten, un dey minschen in't
heyle Noorddüytschland kregen d'n indruk, dat "Plat" nich koscher ist, dat
'n daar beter dey vingers vun aflett.

Dan noticed during his current stay in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania that
the level of maintenance of Lowlands Saxon (Low German) in Eastern Germany
does not seem to differ greatly from that in Western Germany, and that
people in the East tend to assume that it is better in the West. He wonders
why this is so. I ventured the guess that it is based on the awareness that
in the East anyone now 60 years old or younger had been subjected to state
education indoctrination according to which everything traditional is to be
rejected, and this language and the culture it is assumed to carry were at
least indirectly part of this. It is very well possible that at the same
time to they assume that things were the other way around in the West, and
they are unaware that this is not the case at all. The difference is that in
the West it was quite legal to promote the language. As far as I am aware,
it was not illegal in the East either, but this type of promotion would have
aroused the attention of the Stasi and its spies. However, it all boils down
to the same thing: authorities East and West did anything but promote the
use of the language, and people throughout Northern Germany used to be under
the impression that "Platt" was not quite kosher, was something to be
avoided in any case.

Dan also made the interesting observation that before a LS theater
performance he just attended the audience spoke predominantly ("High")
German before the play but that many audience members had switched to
"Platt" during intermission, that this seems to indicate that exposure will
rekindle interest and encouragement. This is certainly consistent with my
own experiences. I have noticed that when I use the language (written or
spoken) many people will feel encouraged to use it too. This way I learned
during my stays in Northern Germany that several people could and would
speak the language, and this included people whose ability to use it I had
not known about when I grew up when at least in urban settings its use
around young people was anything but encouraged.

Thanks, Dan!

Gröytens/Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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