LL-L "Anniversary" 2005.02.26 (03) [E]

Sat Feb 26 23:37:56 UTC 2005

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L O W L A N D S - L * 26.FEB.2005 (03) * 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:  R. F. Hahn <lowlands-l at lowlands-l.net>
Subject: Anniversary

Hi, Lowlanders!

Thanks to those of you who have submitted story translations and personal
intros for our 1oth anniversary web presentation!

We now have a whopping 15 personal intros, my own included ...  I'm sure we
can do better than that.  If you are unsure about what and how to write,
please bear in mind that there is no prescribed content or format.  Just use
your own words (and your own languages if you wish) to say something about
yourself -- where you live, what your interests are, what brought you to
LL-L, and what your experiences have been.  Yes, and it's an opportunity to
advertise your websites (if you have any) and any non-commercial enterprise
you're involved in, preferably something at least vaguely relevant to the
List.

To my delight, some of my off-List outreach efforts have begun to pay off.
This morning I received a Maori translation of the story (using a grey
warbler instead of a wren and a dog instead of a lion) from a lady whose
heart is obviously in the right place. It's great! OK, you Kiwis, what we
now need is a New Zealand English translation of the story, preferably with
a recording. Kia tere, hoa Māori me hoa Pākehā! Don't pike out on us now!

Regards,
Reinhard "Ron" F. Hahn
Founder & Administrator, Lowlands-L
lowlands-l at lowlands-l.net
http://www.lowlands-l.net

P.S.: I have stopped updating the old story site, and I will reroute
visitors to the new site as soon as it is ready for unveiling in 3-5 weeks.

P.P.S.: For those of you who are new to the List or who have been asleep
there is a copy of a part of a previous posting below.

***

Before I get to normal List business, let me remind you of our upcoming 10th
anniversary (April/May 2005) and the anniversary project we are putting
together: a collection of translations of a Lowlands Saxon (Low German)
folktale in various Lowlands language varieties (*any* varieties) and other
languages, both reading and for listening. You will find the raw material
here: http://www.sassisch.net/rhahn/low-saxon/ls-story.html . But we will
present this elsewhere, jazzed up, and with sound. I'ts going to be really
terrific.

Some subscribers have already contributed to this. Thanks to all of them.
Contribution recognition awards will be handed out later.

More is needed, folks! Besides translations and sound recordings, we need
subscribers' brief (1-3 paragraph) introductions, preferably with pictures,
but contributions without pictures will be gladly received too. Just
introduce yourselves, say where (in general) you live and originally come
from, what sorts of interests you have, and what your experiences and/or
first impressions you have as relates to Lowlands-L. We want to show folks
out there the diversity of membership. We do not want to impress them with
great names and achievements, just show them that virtually anyone at any
level of knowledge and experience and from any part of the world is welcome
to join us and is likely to gain something from it. If you are new to the
List, by all means, introduce yourselves and tell us what you hope to get
out of it and what your experiences have been so far. You may do so in any
language you like, do not need to write in English or in another Lowlands
language. If you do it bilingually, that would be great.

If you want to contribute introductions or translations, please send them to
me (sassisch at yahoo.com), and I will pass them on to Mathieu van Woerkom, our
webmaster who is designing a very nice new site for the occasion. We are not
concerned about duplication. If there is already a translation in your
language, please send us yours anyway. No two people tell a story exactly
alike, nor do they have exactly the same pronunciation. The main thing is
that your write and speak in a *natural* way. If you want to contribute
sound recordings, please get in touch with Henry Pijffers
(henry.pijffers at saxnot.com) who will also be happy to give you technical
advice and instructions.

***

No, you do not have to be among the translators or among the usual talkers
to introduce yourselves.  No, you do not have to be a show-off, a superstar,
a
Nobel-Prize-winning author, a linguist, anthropologist, folklorist,
contortionist, somnambulist, exhibitionist or any other -ist type.  It's
particularly those of you who have next to no background in any of
the -istics that are the real asset to the List, that make it relevant and
are (wittingly or unwittingly) the liaison between the List and the rest of
the world.  Don't underestimate yourselves, and don't hide your lights under
a bushel!  Yes, you and your personal introductions matter, matter a lot!

So, please tell us about yourselves (whatever you feel comfortable to

reveal -- no pressure), about what brought you to the List and what you

think of it.  Please send your intros to me (with pictures if possible).

(Yes, I *am* willing to help if you are unsure or stuck, and no one else

will be the wiser.)  No, you do *not* have to write in English.

***

If by any chance you would have liked to contribute a translation or sound
file to the project but found that someone else had already done so, please
don't let that stand in your way!  I do not think that there can be any true
duplication.  Chances are virtually zero that two people tell and pronounce
a given story alike, even if both versions are considered belonging to the
same dialect.

We'd be happy to display your alternative versions, and this would not in
any way be a competition.  It would not only be fine but in fact great to
have multiple versions, especially multiple sound files of the same text.
In fact, it would be enriching the project a great deal, would be very
beneficial for those that access these resources for learning and research
purposes, and that includes all of us to begin with.

So, as you can see, little by little I am chipping away at the remaining
convenient excuses to which the reluctant ones amongst you are still
clinging ... ;-)

So, you might as well snap to it before I continue in this vein.  (Did I
hear someone say _ad nauseam_ out there?)

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