LL-L "Language varieties" 2003.11.24 (01) [D/E]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 24.NOV.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: Jenny Kool <j.kool at reginacoeli.nl>
Subject: resources

Dear Ron,
I don't know whether this falls within the scope of the Lowlands-list, but I
came across an article about  'Low Dutch' and to me it was pretty
interesting. Maybe some lowlanders know more about 'Low Dutch' and can help
out??? See link.

Jenny Huijben-Kool
's-Hertogenbosch - The Netherlands
p.s. I also don't know this was the right way of posting something, I only
replied so far...

LINK:
Toen cowboys en indianen Nederlands spraken...
Lang nadat Peter Stuyvesant zijn Nieuw Nederland prijs heeft gegeven aan de
Engelsen blijven bewoners van de Amerikaanse Oostkust nog Nederlands praten.
De roots van dit zeventiende eeuwse 'Low Dutch' opsporen heeft iets weg van
een avonturenroman. Bea Ros volgt taalkundige Jaap van Marle tijdens zijn
speurtocht. Voor sprekende bewijzen komt hij te laat, maar een historische
vervalsing ontsnapt hem niet. - Bea Ros. Lees verder op:
http://taalschrift.org/reportage/000303.html

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

You did just fine, Jenny.  Thanks a lot for the interesting posting
pertaining to a Dutch publication about the last Nieuw Holland "Dutch"
speakers  of African descent.

I find the use of the name "Low Dutch" very intriguing, too.  Perhaps it
comes from a time when "German" and "Dutch" were considered synonymous in
North America and "Low Dutch" was therefore the same as "Low German," a term
then frequently applied to Dutch also.  Alternatively, "Low" might be the
same as "non-standard"here, much as Dutch _plat ..._ and German _Platt..._
are used in such contexts, German _Platt..._ (often connoting
"sub-standard," versus _Hoch..._ for "standard" and "good") being used not
only for varieties of the Lowlands but of other areas as well
(_Plattdänisch_, _Hochchinesisch_, etc.).

What I find particularly fascinating is the language sample at the site:

<quote>
Yy frawgd oft ek kan aynse deng erendere van de tyt van de stryd met de
Bretse in 1812. Ek moot bekänne dat ek waz nen kleyn yunge too dut geng
beure, wäl ya, yunge waz ek, end oak kleyn van lyf voar dat zo te zägge,
mawr ek waz viertien yawr aut toon end ieven oft ek kleynlyvig waz, stärck
genoog voar myn vawder te helpe mät aul 'em plantawgie wärck. Wäl die twiede
stryd mät Groat Bretanye hay ons nowleks gerawkt, ieven oft myn auste
brooder geng wäg uls suldut, ya daar crayg mooder nen ceneppie van, mawr hy
geng niet värdwäg, Nieu Jersey dank ek end van ächte; zeyt hy hämsellef - de
aullaynste waz wat hullie dayn dar in dat cämp, mät de cooks die schynber
west'n awllayn koakend wawter te verbrande. Anyhow William - dut waz myn
brooder waz spoodig terug - nen plawtslik klookert, gloaf my. Mawr myn
vawder west'n genoog te verträcke van de oarloch in 1776 toon de welde hem
vawders hauis genge verwooste end 'em auste brooder doat mawkte. Dut waz nen
tyt. Ey Yey. In yow koy legge slawpe oft ergez rustig doone de plontawgie
wärck end dan plokseng 'et gegell hoare van die dauivelse welde die ayste
klos woostlenge were, wannier hullie were up zook naw wat slawfers in de
oarlochs tyt. Awngawnd wat myn Päp zei, end, het were zäcklie naw de bayste
hullies manier van stryde - zonder ayn gelauit oft gerauis te mawke doar de
kreppel bos gawne, end wat ez mayr blong - zonder dat iemelt kan nen
oambliklik oag up doone!
</quote>

This seems to me to be non-standard Dutch (perhaps Zeelandic?).  I wonder if
<oo> is an English device denoting [u] here, thus the same as Dutch <oe>,
and <aw> appears to stand for [ɔ] or [ɒ] for which <oa> or <ao> are used in
today's non-standard variety writing in the Netherlands.  Interesting also
is the use of <aui> for what in Standard Dutch is written <ui>.  All of this
seems to point toward someone (a certain Walter Hill) without formal Dutch
education having recorded a Dutch language sample by writing it mostly on
the basis of English spelling, "mostly" because use of devices such as <y>
seem to indicate some familiarity with Dutch orthography of the time (i.e.,
mid-19th century).

Very interesting indeed, Jenny.  Thanks.  This is a great contribution
toward the study of non-European Lowlands varieties.  We could do with a lot
more of those, given that it is a vast and fascinating topic.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

P.S.:  For the benefit of those among you who are interested in the
historical aspects and do not understand the text, here is my draft
translation.  It needs some help.

"You asked if I could remember anything of the time of the conflict with the
British in 1812. I must confess that I was a small boy when that was
happening.  Well, yes, I was young and small of stature too, so to speak,
but I was fourteen years [old], and although I was short I was strong enough
to help my father with all the plantation work. Well, the second conflict
with Great Britain had barely reached us, and my oldest brother had just
gone away as a soldier, yes, Mother got a [ceneppie?] of it, but he did not
go [far?] away. New Jersey, I think and [really?]; he said himself -- they
were all by themselves there in that camp, with the cooks that were
apparently likely to burn even water.  Anyhow, William -- that was my
brother -- was soon back -- a local daredevil. Believe you me. But my father
[had had enough of?] moving from the war in 1776, when they were going to
wreck his father’s house and kill his oldest brother. Some time that was!
Oh, yeah! And you could be lying down to sleep or could be doing the
plantation work in peace and suddenly hear the screaming of those bands of
devilish ruffians [?], when they were searching for some slaves [slavers?]
in the time of war. According to what my dad said -- indeed, that was the
way those brutes fought -- without making a single sound they would make
their way through the undergrowth, and, more importantly, without anyone
being able to get a chance to open their eyes."

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