LL-L "Language survival" 2004.04.01 (02) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 01.APR.2004 (02) * 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: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Language survival

Hi again, Roger, Frédéric, Lowlanders!

I'm practising speaking on both sides of my mouth this April Fool's morning.
:)

I wrote:

> Although I very much hope that Flemish is still doing that "well" in
> Northern France as the survey claims, I must caution you against
> wholeheartedly believing such survey results.  Survey results are only as
> good as the questionnaires that were used, and they are only as
trustworthy
> as the subjects.  Oftentimes, "should," "did" and "wish" figure into the
> equation.  ("Do you speak Flemish?" - "Well, yes (though I wish I spoke it
> well, as my grandma did when she spoke to me as a child." etc.)
>
> Most of the time, people don't really know how to answer questions like
"Do
> you know Flemish," or even "Do you speak/understand/read/write Flemish?"
Do
> I know Scots because I can sort of understand and certainly read it, even
> write it and pronounce it (in weird sort of a manner)?  I would have to
say
> "no," unless the questions were more specific and dealt with levels of
> proficiency.  But, if I were, say, of Scottish background, very proud of
my
> Lowlands heritage and *wanted* to be able to know Scots (as a symbol of my
> Scottishness), I might feel much more inclined to say "yes" (keeping the
> "but badly" part to myself).
>
> You need to bear this sort of thing in mind when dealing with the French
> survey, or with any other language survey for that matter.  Many Westhoek
> residents may still associate with being Flemish, and they may know
Flemish
> on some level or other, but they may also overestimate their proficiency
> because of wishful thinking.   I think that a lot of this went on when
they
> tried to figure out how many people still knew Lowlands Saxon (Low German)
> in Germany and in the Netherlands.  Estimates are all over the place.
Some
> people in Germany think they can speak "Platt" when what they really know
is
> "broad" Missingsch (German with LS substrates) and can say a few stock
> phrases in LS.  This is not "knowing" the language.  Such general(ized)
> surveys must be taken with a huge grain of salt in my opinion.

Here comes the other side of the mouth ...

Let's assume that the survey results are fairly reliable.  In that case, I
would suggest that the higher-than-expected figure for Flemish speakers in
France should not come as a huge surprise either.

I am saying this because minority languages tend to go underground when the
climate is considered hostile or even just unsupportive.  This is most
definitely the case with Lowlands Saxon (Low German) in Northern Germany,
though lately its public use has become acceptable, if not even prestigeous,
in certain, smaller circles.  Before the 1990s, the language went
underground in most areas, certainly in the larger cities.  We as city kids
were discouraged to use it, sometimes adults were admonished if they used it
around children in a "serious" manner (though interspersing it for comical
effect was acceptable in certain contexts).  The language was by many seen
as a detriment, something that would hold children's German back and thus
negatively affect their economic futures.  The utopian ideal of "one
country - one ethnicity - one language" was less challenged or even thought
about at the time.  This was and is by no means unique to Germany.  In fact,
there is hardly any European country that is the exception, and if one is,
it is mostly because of small size and/or lack of diversity.

As I have related on a couple of occasions earlier, during my last couple of
visits to Germany I was quite astonished to find out that certain, mostly
older neighbors and acquaintances were proficient in Lowlands Saxon.  I had
known them for decades, and it took my public "coming out" as a user,
activist and writer of the language for those good folks to reveal
themselves privately to me as LS speakers and as virtually secrets lovers of
the language.  Older Germans have learned from experience that it is prudent
to wait a while before you hang your mantle in the politically shifted wind.
So they are cautious even now that the language has made a comeback on
paper.  They may be afraid of jeopardizing their carefully cultivated public
"German" image for what may turn out to be just a flash-in-the-pan fad.
Mind you, this is different in other areas, foremost in Eastern Friesland,
Emsland and parts of the Oldenburg district of Lower Saxony, where the
language enjoys far more acceptance, and the local, if not ethnic,
self-image is proudly "different."  This might account for much higher
speaker numbers in those areas.

Do you think it is possible that there are considerable numbers of "closet"
Flemish speakers in Westerhoek that revealed themselves under the protection
of anonymity?  If so, you should not be too surprised to hardly ever hear
the language used during your visits when you rarely get a chance to look
behind the public façades.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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