LL-L "Language varieties" 2004.06.08 (07) [E]

Tue Jun 8 22:43:27 UTC 2004

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L O W L A N D S - L * 08.JUN.2004 (07) * 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: Global Moose Translations <globalmoose at t-online.de>
Subject: LL-L "Platt sample"

Dear Lowlanders,

I have mentioned before that I was born in the Harz/Solling region in
Southern Lower Saxony; my mother hailed from Mecklenburg, and my father's
parents came from the Harz and the Lüneburger Heide northeast of Hannover,
respectively. So, as a child, I was exposed to different varieties of Lower
Saxon. Also, I had seen the language written in three varieties, namely by
Fritz Reuter, "the" poet from Mecklenburg, Wilhelm Busch, "the" poet from
Lower Saxony, and the Brothers Grimm (a number of their fairy tales were
originally written in Platt, including the famous race between the hedgehog
and the hare).

When I was almost 14, we moved to the city of Hameln on the Weser river
(i.e. Hamelin of Pied Piper fame), some 50 km to the north-east, and I was
amazed to find how much their flavour of "Platt" was different from what I
was used to (and certainly very different from the Lower Saxon spoken on the
German coast); it is probably quite heavily influenced by Westphalian Platt
(just a guess). This was also reflected in the spelling. "Dewezet", the
local newspaper, used to run a humourous column every day called "Die
plattdeutsche Ecke". They discontinued it around twenty years ago, and
although I had been trying to get my hands on a sample for this forum, I had
no luck. Last weekend, while going through the last of my late stepfather's
papers, I finally found a booklet called "Dat Hamelnsche ABC", which
contains a collection of little essays and anecdotes, possibly by the same
author who ran the column.

So here's a little story as a sample. Please forgive me if, at the moment, I
am too busy to provide a translation. maybe I'll have time later this week,
or maybe someone else would like to try his hand. Enjoy!

Erinnerungen, Stükker drai!

Minsche, secht miene Fruu, dien Gedächtnis weert aberst jümmer slechter, as
se öhren Braif an Schenettentante naa veer Dagen ut miener Manteltasche
fische. "Dien Gedächtnis is jaa as'n Rathuus: luter lege Stoben! Getze
nümmste den Braif we'er mee." Un se bunt mek uppe Seele: "Vergett dat aberst
nich nochmaal! Et gaiht düttmaal umme Geld. Verspräkeste mek dat?" - Ek
hebbe et hoch un hailich versproken un doch we'er vergäten. Doch wat
passeere allet an düssen Daage:

Gaiht doch ne Fruu an mek vorbi, kiekt mek an un secht mee so'n Plinkern
ümme de Ogen: "Na, dütmaal vergätet Sai den Braif aberst bestimmt nich!"
"Wat", segge ek, "wat schall ek nich vergäten?" De fremde Fruu lache un säe:
"Den Braif, den Braif!" Ek wolle se fraagen, woher weetet Sai denne, dat ek
en Bräif instäken mott, da was se al weege. En bet'n laater tippe mek so'n
Keerl uppe Schuller: "Junge, vergett den Braif nich, is'n wichtigen Braif,
gah naa'n Braifkasten, süss weerste tohuus we'er anefratset!"

Ek wusste nu gaanich mehr, wat ek darup seggen scholle. Denne ook düsse
Slaumaier griene kort un weege was hai.

Annen Braifkasten lache mek denne so'n drallet Mäken an un secht: "Dat is
aberst fain, dat Sai den Braif hüte instäket!" Ek segge: "Het miene Fruu Sai
uppekregen oder kennet Sai mek?" "Nee", gnikkere dat Mäken, "ek kenne öhre
Fruu nich un de kennt mek ook nich. Aberst öhre Fruu maaket sek doch Sorgen
ümme Sai un ümme den Braif!"

"So", segge ek, "nu rekket et mek aberst, verklaart Sai mek mal akkeraat,
wat is dat for dummet Tügs mee düssen Braif?" Da kamm dat Mäken ganss dichte
an mek ran, packe mek anne Schuller, harre upstunns en Zeetel inner Hand un
säe: "Öhre Fruu hett Sai düssen Zeetel annen Mantel espendelt!" "Wat staiht
denn da upp'n Pupaier?" fraage ek hibbelich.

Dat Mäken prusche los un hett mek denne voreläsen, wat miene Fruu
uppeschreeben hett:
"Bitte erinnern Sai öhne. Hai schall en wichtigen Braif instäken. Hai
vergett jümmerst allet. Un veelen Dank in voruut!"

Gabriele Kahn

---------

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

Thanks for the interesting language sample (above), Gabriele!

The Hamlin variety seems to me to be transitional between the Westphalian
and Eastphalian groups of Lowlands Saxon (Low German) dialects.  Certainly,
past participial _e-_ for _ge-_ (Eastern _je-_, Northern zero; Dutch _ge-_,
Old English _ge-_ ~ _(y)e-_) in conjunction with the diphthong [a.I]
(Northern [e.I] ~ [a.I], e.g., _Braif_ 'letter', Northern _breyv_ (<Breef> ~
<Breif>)) seems rather Eastphalian, also 2nd personal familiar verbal suffix
_-est du_ > _-este_ (e.g., _verspräkeste_ 'you promise').

Most definitely Eastphalian is _mek_ for 'me' (~ _mik_, also _dek_ ~ _dik_
'thee', consistent with reflexive _sek_ ~ _sik_), where other dialect groups
have _mi_ (and _di_, but _sik_) respectively.  So, this striking
characteristic would put this dialect into the Eastphalian category in a
world in which everything is neatly and clearly categorized.

However, it seems to me to be farwestern Eastphalian transitioning to
Westphalian in the west and North Saxon in the north.  It is rather
conservative, preserving many _-e_ suffixes (e.g., _ek segge_ [Ek 'zEg@],
cf. Northern _ik segg_ [Ik zEC] 'I say'), including the old 3rd person
preterite _-e_ (e.g., _hai tippe_ 'he tapped', cf. Northern _hey tip an_).

Unlike "hardcore" Eastphalian dialects, it has long _ü_ [y:] (like North
Saxon) rather than Eastphalian-type _iu_ ~ _ui_ (e.g., _hüte_ 'today', cf.
E. _hiute_ ~ _huite_, N. _hüte_ ~ _hüüt_).

Isn't Hamlin in the area of Engria (German _Engern_) of the Old Saxons
times?  That region was indeed wedged between Westphalia and Eastphalia, all
of them situated south of Northern Albingia (which was north of the Elbe
river, pretty much today's Holstein, south of Anglia).  Engria ceased to
exist and came to be disregarded.  However, perhaps transitional dialects
like this one could still be considered remnants of its heritage.

The dialect of Hanover (_Hannover_) is definitely Eastphalian, albeit
Western Eastphalian, I think.  Hamlin isn't far from there.

The Harz Mountains region is linguistically highly complex, because it was
at one time a mining area and attracted people from far and wide, not only
Saxon speakers.  As far as I know, it is only along its northern foothills
that sizeable Saxon language communities are found, but I am not sure about
this.

I am curious to know what others think about this.

Thanks again!

The translation of the piece is below.

Reinhard/Ron

***

Memories, Three Times!

"Goodness," said my wife as she pulled her letter to Auntie Jean out of my
coat pocket, "you memory keeps getting worse all the time! Why, your memory
is like a town-hall: full of bad steps (? empty rooms?). You go and take the
letter with you again." And she insisted, "But don't you forget it yet
again! This time it's about money. Will you promise me that?" – I promised
by my honor, and yet I forgot it again. Well, you know ... all those things
going on these days ...

A woman passes me, looks at me and says with some sort of twinkle in her
eyes, "Well, make sure you don't forget the letter this time!" "What," said
I, "what am I not supposed to forget?" The stranger laughed and said, "The
letter! The letter!" I wanted to ask how she knew I was supposed to mail the
letter, but by that time she had gone. A little later, some guy tapped me on
the shoulder, "Buddy, don't forget the letter; it's an important letter.
Head for the mailbox, or else you'll get yelled at back home."

I was lost for words. And that wise guy grins at me, and off he goes.

At the mailbox, a strapping girl smiles at me and says, "Now that's nice of
you to mail the letter!" I say, "Has my wife gotten hold of you, and do you
know me?" "No," the girl giggles, "I don't know your wife, and she doesn't
know me either. But your wife is worried about you and that letter!"

"All right," I said, "I've had enough of this. Please, exactly explain to me
what all this nonsense with the letter is about." The girl came up to me
really closely, got hold of my shoulder, then held a piece of paper in her
hand and said, "Your wife has pinned this note to your coat!" "What does it
say?" I asked impatiently.

The girl burst out laughing and read to me what my wife had written:
"Please remind him. He is supposed to mail an important letter. He keeps
forgetting things. And many thanks in beforehand!"

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