LL-L "Semantics" 2004.01.26 (06) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 26.JAN.2004 (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 (Zeêuws)
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From: Liza du Plooy <lizaduplooy at yahoo.com>
Subject: LL-L "Semantics" 2004.01.25 (03) [E]

Goeie middag laaglanders

Ron wrote:
The best example I can come up with right now is _middag_ in Lowlands Saxon
(Low German) and (> ?) in Danish, Norwegian and Swedish (also _Middag_
[middax] in Missingsch and _Mittag_ in other North German dialects).
Literally it means "midday," hence 'noon'. It is also used (assumedly
derived from LS _middageten_ "midday eating/food" = "midday meal") to mean
'lunch' and, in extension, 'dinner'. Thus, _middag_ ("midday") can refer to
any major meal, including a festive dinner, irrespective of the time of day.
To a learner of one of these languages it must at first seem quite curious
to come across a sentence literally translatable as "That evening we met for
#midday# at her house." This must seem all the more peculiar to people in
whose cultures the main meal is eaten in the evening rather than at noon.
***
In Afrikaans we use the word 'middag' to mean any time after noon until it
gets dark. Late afternoon is often called 'laat middag'. Lunch is called
'middag ete' and supper is called 'aand ete'. It would be very confusing for
me if someone refered to 'middag ete' as just 'middag'! Interestingly,
breakfast do not follow this pattern. Instead of 'oggend ete' it is called
'ontbyt'. Is it similar in Dutch?

Liza du Plooy

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From: R. F. Hahn lowlands-l at lowlands-l.net
Subject: Semantics

Liza:

> In Afrikaans we use the word 'middag' to mean any time after noon
> until it gets dark.

That's _namiddag_ ("after midday" = "afternoon") in Lowlands Saxon (Low
German).

The times of day:

Ucht: early morning, time of dusk (lost in many dialects; cf. Dutch
_ochtend_, Afrikaans _oggend_)

Morgen: morning (cf. Dutch _morgen_, Afrikaans _môre_, W.Friesian _moarn_,
English "morning," Scots _mornin_)

Middag [we've discussed it]

Namiddag [this one too]

Avend: evening (cf. Dutch _avond_, Afrikaans _aand_, W.Frisian _jûn_,
English "even(ing)," Scots _een(in)_)

> Interestingly, breakfast do not follow this pattern. Instead of 'oggend
ete' it is
> called 'ontbyt'. Is it similar in Dutch?

_Ontbijt_.

My guess is that this word is derived from *_ochtendbijt_ *"morning bite".

Sandy wrote:

> In the past the church used to have trained people called
> "missioners" who went out into the community to help people
> with special needs, such as the deaf or blind. In BSL (British
> Sign Language) the sign for "missioner" indicated church
> vestments. There are no longer any missioners but the sign is
> still used for "social worker" even though they have no vocation
> in the church.

And I wrote:

> I suppose your example is something along the lines of German for 'nurse':
> _Krankenschwester_ ("sick folk's sister") or just _Schwester_ ("sister"),
> also still referred to as "sister" by some (older?)English speakers.
> Obviously this goes back to times when (hospital) nurses were Roman
Catholic
> nuns or Protestant lay sisters by default.
>
> English (_nur(i)sh_ >) "nurse" and Scots _nourice_, on the other hand,
> etymologically still connote the act of nourishing, going back to the
> breastfeeding wetnurses performed.  This is just not as obvious to today's
> speakers as the sign for "social worker" in BSL.

It looks like Scots _dominie_ for 'schoolmaster' is another example.  It
comes from a time when "clergyman" ("priest," "minister," "parson," etc.)
and "schoolmaster" where synonymous.  Note Dutch and Afrikaans _dominee_
'clergyman' (< Latin _domine_, vocative of _dominus_ 'lord', 'sir').

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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