LL-L "Proposal" 2005.08.17 (10) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 17.AUG.2005 (10) * 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: Mark Dreyer <mrdreyer at lantic.net>
Subject: LL-L "Proposal" 2005.08.17 (05) [E]

Dear All,

Subject: Phonology-Ortography-Interpretation-Game-Idea-Anniversary

Whew!

But I like it.

And I'm not afraid of idiolectic orthographies either, bearing in mind how
much sheer information each of these reward close study. Think how much we
have picked up on Old English, for example, from the efforts of their
scribes to adopt Latin, or from Norman-French monks trying to transcribe
Anglo-Saxon terms, or even from those matter-of-fact secular writers in the
days before Doctor Samuel Johnson & his Dictionary.

I fear we will lose something to future generations if certain kinds of
orthographic reform become adopted as standard for the Lowlands languages,
for that very reason. I refer not merely to language matters, but minutea of
economics & demographic drift as well, among other things.

But there is 'capability' in another direction too, but I couldn't say if it
is good or not though Ron would know with his Chinese. The ideoglyphs of
that language took no note of sound values, or even of some aspects of
language, so although it originally served speakers of one tongue, as they
spread out & changed into dialects that at this point many of them are
mutually unintelligable, the script still serves matchlessly for sheer
communication clear across the dialect divide, & even into some other
unrelated languages.

If, for example, before the sound-shifts, the same symbol for the terminal
't' came to be equally acceptible for its successor sound, terminal 's' in
High German, & so for all the sound changes, then a Low Saxon might use the
same orthography as the High German, each in his own language, & at the same
time be to a large extent mutually intelligible from Bremen to Mittenwald.
Is it, Ron, that you would look favourably on such an orthographic system
being developed today?

Yrs
Mark

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

Hi, Mark!

> Is it, Ron, that you would look favourably on such an orthographic system
> being developed today?

But why stop there?  Then you'd have to include the others as well, 
definitely Dutch and Afrikaans.  After all, let's not perpetuate the myth 
that the difference of "High" and "Low" is merely one of the presence vs 
absence of sound shifts.  There are far more lexical, idiomatic, syntactic 
and morphological difference.  They would be as numerous as between, say, 
Dutch and "High" German, but _Eindeutschung_ of LS on the German side of the 
border has taken its toll, resulting in a reduction (but by no means 
elimination!) of lexical and morphological differences.  So,  ... pas op, 
nefie!

> But there is 'capability' in another direction too, but I couldn't say if 
> it
> is good or not though Ron would know with his Chinese. The ideoglyphs of
> that language took no note of sound values, or even of some aspects of
> language, so although it originally served speakers of one tongue, as they
> spread out & changed into dialects that at this point many of them are
> mutually unintelligable, the script still serves matchlessly for sheer
> communication clear across the dialect divide, & even into some other
> unrelated languages.

Or sign language with a written version?

Cheerio!
Reinhard/Ron

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