LL-L "Etymology" 2005.08.04 (05) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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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: Paul Finlow-Bates <wolf_thunder51 at yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2005.08.03 (07) [E]


And there was I, hoping for some long -lost word from the mists of 
Indo-European migration...Oh well, thanks for clearing it up anyway!

Paul

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From: Paul Finlow-Bates
Subject: LL-L "Idiomatica" 2005.08.03 (06) [E]

Not sure if this is the right section for this question, but anyway...
Tonight in our German conversation group the subject of allotments (little
food gardens) came up, and we discovered that the German word is "der
Schrebergarten". The "Schreber" bit had me perplexed; the German half of my
dictionary doesn't have the word, or a verb "schreben", nor anything like
it. I tried a reverse Wern! er's Law trick to come up with a Lowlands word
and got something like *skreven or *skreeven, and possibly an Old English
*screofan - none of which make the blindest bit of sense to me!

Can anybody fill in the etymology?

Paul

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From: R. F. Hahn
Subject: Etymology

Hi, Paul!

It's also _Schrebergaarn_ in Low Saxon.

I used to feel as perplexed about these words when I was a kid, and I made
up all sorts of scenarios about it in my head.

Turns out it's named after a person: Daniel Gottlieb Moritz Schreber
(1808-1861), a physician in Leipzig.

Apparently he was a _Reformarzt_ ("reform physician"), a member of a
movement that during the age fast growing capitalism and industrialization
searched for ways of restoring some balance to working people's lives by
advocating natural medicine, nature hikes, allotted green spaces in which to
rest, potter around and thus have ! periods of contact with the earth and 
with
fresh air. Schreber was not the originator of this idea, though, but he
became famous enough for the idea to get his name.

It's what in Britain is called "allotments" and up here in the Seattle area
"P-Patch" (though at least the latter is far less elaborate than a
_Schrebergarten_).

Another mystery down the drain ...

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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