LL-L "Language contacts" 2003.09.22 (11) [E/S]

Tue Sep 23 22:44:56 UTC 2003

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L O W L A N D S - L * 22.SEP.2003 (11) * 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: John Duckworth <jcduckworth2003 at yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: Language Contacts

Dear Lowlanders,

I asked:

"Can anyone tell me whether the Frisian language of Heligoland (=Frisian
Halund, German Helgoland) has any English loanwords dating from the
period > of the British occupation (1807-1890)? And are their many Danish
loanwords > from their earlier rule of the islands? "

Hanno wrote:

"Quoting Siebs (Helgoland und seine Sprache, 1909, p.170 and 171):
"es ist am nächsten mit dem Syltischen verwandt und unterscheidet sich von
diesem hauptsächlich dadurch, daß in Lautgebung und Wortschatz auf Sylt das
Dänische starken Einfluß geübt hat, auf Helgoland nur das Deutsche"......".

Many thanks for the comprehensive reply. I remember that Priebsch in his
book 'The German Language' mentions the word 'blackhole' ['blEkho:l] as an
English loanword in Heligoland Friesian. It is interesting because I have
never come across the word in English (not even slang or dialect) as a word
for 'prison'. it probably comes from the incident known as the black hole of
Calcutta.[tErn@],[törne] is interesting because, wasn't someone (Ron?)
writing the other day about a similar expression in Hamburg, borrowed from
English 'turn'?

I wonder though, Siebs was writing in 1909 and towards the end of the Second
World War the British destroyed every building on the island and the whole
population was evacuated the next night. Presumably a lot of those people
eventually returned, but I have an idea that they didn't do so for quite a
while because the British seemed to have wrecked the main island
considerably and it too time to repair and rebuild. When the population
returned was their Frisian language and local dialect intact? I wonder how
much damage might have been done by linguistic 'contamination' when staying
with non-Heligilanders and non-Frisians.

Regards,

John
Preston, UK.

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

John (above):

> [tErn@],[törne] is interesting because, wasn't someone (Ron?) writing the
other day
>  about a similar expression in Hamburg, borrowed from English 'turn'?

That's right (Sept. 17):

> Borrowing also went the other way.  LS has borrowed numerous terms, in the
> early days especially nautical ones, from English.  In port cities, such
as
> Hamburg, many of these filtered out into the general local dialects.  For
> instance, I say _törn_ (< English "turn") to mean 'short (round-)trip',
> '(pleasure) walk', 'drive', and this is used in Hamburg Missingsch (German
> on LS substrate) as well.

I forgot to mention that in certain jargons it can also be used in the sense
of "go" or "shift," e.g., _Nu bün ik an d'n törn_ (or _Düt is myn törn_
"This is my turn")  'It's my turn now', _Myn törn vangt klok halvig veyr an_
'My shift starts at (clock half-y four =) half past three'.  Using different
words, these can be rendered as _Nu bün ik an dey reyg'_ and _Myn schicht
vangt klok halvig veyr an_ respectively -- (_reyge_ >) _reyg'_ 'row',
'line', and _schicht_ 'shift'.

Precontemporary English loans tend to be found particularly in coastal
dialects, specifically in those of port cities, Hamburg being foremost among
them.  Many of these are nautical terms or were originally derived from
nautical and/or sea trade milieus, and some of them eventually reached
Standard German.  _Boy(s)_ [bO(.)I(s)] can also be used in Hamburg Lowlands
Saxon (Low German), usually referring to sailors or members of port worker
crews.  _Kru_ [kru:] for 'crew' is another such term, supposedly having
begun in nautical contexts, later occasionally used in other contexts (much
like in English).  _Kep'n_ (<Käp(p)'n> ['k_hEp=m] may be heard for '(ship's)
captain', while others say _Kaptayn_ (<Kaptein>) [k_hap'ta.In].  (I suppose
the former is a direct loan from English.)  A landing net (one with which
one scoops up fish, etc.) is a _kescher_ (> German _Kescher_), assumedly
from English "catcher."  I know there are tons more, but that's all I can
think of off the top of my head.

It is not always direct (phonologically adapted) loans but also
terminological references to countries or nations of origin that seems
interesting.  For example -- as mentioned quite a few moons ago -- the
Lowlands Saxon (and Missingsch) name for a barrow with two large wheels (the
sort used to transport goods in cities and markets in the olden days) is
_Schotsche kar_ ['SOtSe 'k_ha:] (<schottsche Karr>) "Scottish car(t)."  I
wonder what the story behind this one is, if perhaps it is a calque (i.e.,
translated loan) from English or Dutch.  People tell me it's specifically
Hamburg dialect.  Any idea, anyone?  (This or a similar type of cart is
called _steyrtpog_ (<Steertpogg>) ['ste.IrtpOx] "tail(ed) frog/toad" ...)

There is also a verb called _schotschen_ (<schottschen>) meaning 'to dance a
Schottisch', or 'to dance in a (assumedly) Scottish manner'.  The name of
the dance is called _Schotsch_ (<Schottsch>).

Oh, and then there is _manschester_ [ma.n'SEst3`] (German _Manchester_) for
'corduroy' (which at one time must have been associated with the
textile-producing English city).

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

P.S.: Of course I'm particularly partial to Scottish references in LS,
Scotophile that I am (among a thousand other ...philes).  Whit fer?  Ah
dinna ken.  Twa-three o ma pals 's Scottish, ma pet tango pairtner an aw.
;)

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