LL-L "Language varieties" 2005.01.04 (03) [E]

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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: denis dujardin <dujardin at pandora.be>
Subject: LL-L "Language varieties" 2005.01.04 (02) [E]

Hé Marco,

Nice to hear that you are so enthusiastic about my link. Unfortunately, I
do not share your enthousiasm about the survival of South-Flemish. In this
forum we allready dealt several times with it. In all modesty, I think I
have read all information about the French Flanders as far as the language
evolution is concerned, and - I am sorry - but the language WILL without
doubt be extinct in the next generation. Of course there is a reversal,
leading young people to refind their roots. Everybody over there, - they
allmost all have Flemish names. A large part of the streets in the
villages have been renamed in their old Flemish names, based on old
documents, which date from before the period around WWII - the period
around which (and earlier on- speaking Flemish in schools was punished!!!
(Egalité, Fraternité and so on....) The French government "killed" the
language in a slow but efficient manner. Survival was for this area the
most important thing, so you HAD to learn French to climb the social
ladder.

About the Dunkirk-dialect. There are several evidences that it definitely
had disappeared in the beginning of the 20th century. In a town like
Saint-Omer (Sint-Omaars) it really did go on in the beginning of the 20th
century in the faubourgs of Den Iezel (L'Izel) and Hooghe Brigge
(Hautpont). That was very remarkable, because the language in the town
itself had allready disappeared in the 17th century , whereas it must have
been going on in Dunkirk during the 19th century. But all written
testimonies about the Dunkirk-dialect talk about its extinction somewhere
half 19th century. Fisherman apparently, were the last to speak it.
Allthough I would like to be optimistic about the language, I am
definitely NOT. I visit the area quite frequently and allthough buildings
and farms are ornamented with their old Flemish name, the language itself
is slowly dying out. I wish it would it be otherwise. I am passionately
attracted to that beautifull dialect which is for me "archeology real
live". It is 17th century dutch live spoken. As if an archeologist would
find the corpses of his investigation "alive and well....". I heard superb
conversations of the Clairmarais, Ebblingem (with a.o. the mayor speaking
Flemish!!!) and Steenbeke on tape, which were registered in the 1960-ties.
In Ebblingem and Clairmarais (which are on the language border and the far
west part of South Flanders) it IS allready extinct. In fourty years time,
the language died out there. Of course our dear Frederic lives in
Boeschepe, which is the Eastern part of South Flanders, next to the
Belgian border. It will certainly survive longer over there, but still
then and there, I remain very pessimistic. There is this lost generation
of people between 40 and 60 years who will not be able to transmit a
language which they weren't thought.

Thanks a lot anyhow for the Dunkirk-links. The actual Dunkirk-language is
definitely Picard with a lot a Flemish vocabulary mixed in it.

For those who are interested in the maps of villages and their old
streetnames, go and fly virtually via "www.map24.be" over the North of
France, between Morbecque (Moerbeke), Brouckkerque (Broekkerke), Ghyvelde
and Bailleul (Belle) and you will discover all those beautifull old street
names. Especially Buysscheure, which is in the west near the marsches of
Clairmarais, is allmost completely Flemish. The language itself is still
heard over there as well.

Greetings,

Denis Dujardin Westflanders.

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