LL-L "Language varieties" 2004.03.24 (01) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 24.MAR.2004 (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: Steven Hanson <hanayatori at sbcglobal.net>
Subject: Language Varieties


I agree, the entire language-dialect-issue has everything to do with
politics,
hasn't it?

regards!
Mathieu

It seems to me that the idea of there being a difference between language
and dialect is worthless from a linguistic viewpoint.  I like to keep in
mind that 1) every language is a dialect, and every dialect is a language;
2) a language is a dialect with an army (as has been mentioned before); and
3) Norwegian is Danish spoken in Swedish.  All of this serves to show how
un-linguistically oriented the idea of dialect and language division is.

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From: Pyt Berg <pytbergy at yahoo.com>
Subject: LL-L "Language varieties" 2004.03.23 (01) [E]


Dear all,

I have to wonder how many of you anglo-saxons truly speak another language
such as
Dutch?  Before "lowering" a language like Dutch to a set of "mechanistic
parts".  I suggest you go and read some books on the human side of
interaction between countries, one's that cover Culture and History.

The last contributor who I beleive is German has a far better understanding
of the
Dutch who have an rather exceptional record for TOLERANCE and understanding
of others than many countries.  I suggest you read the book entitled " The
Island at the centre of the World", and then The Rise and Fall of the Dutch
Republic by J Israel.

Good luck en Lees Smakelik!
Pieter.

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From: Helge Tietz <helgetietz at yahoo.com>
Subject: LL-L "Language varieties" 2004.03.23 (01) [E]

I can only agree to those comments about nationl
borders and languages. In 1989 I sent an article to
various local and national German newspapers with the
aim to provoke a discussion about
"(German-)Reunification - of course?". I moderately
mentioned the fact that I am well understood when
speaking Low Saxon in the Netherlands and even as far
as Flanders while hardly anyone will understand me in
Munich or Dresden; there the local people probably
believed me to be a foreigner. I asked provokingly
"Where is my home then? I am understood in my
mother-tongue in Brugge but not in Dresden". The only
newspapers to print it were our local Danish newspaper
in Flensborg and the local German newspaper. The
national newspapers weren't interested in the issue at
all, at a time when they themselves were full of
united-fatherland romanticism. Many local people
supported my idea of cultural borders running
conversely to national borders, but the national
newspapers and organizations obviously found the idea
inconceivable. To doubt the hitherto national cultural
identity of the German National State was obviously
unbearable to people who should have known better
incl. those politicians from the Green party who had
the promotion of multi-culturalism as one of their
flag-ships. The consequence was that I felt even more
alienated from the German State as a whole and could
only revert to our Danish-minded family tradition and
see myself since then truely and only as a
"Sydslesviger".

Regards

Helge

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