LL-L "Language varieties" 2005.07.26 (04) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 26.JUL.2005 (04) * 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: Paul Finlow-Bates <wolf_thunder51 at yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: LL-L "Language varieties" 2005.07.25 (10) [E/LS]


I have always understood the High German group to have emerged due to later 
sound shifts ("Werner's Law") that the LG group never underwent: p -f as in 
"hoffen" v. "hope"; t - s as in "besser" (I can't do that German double-S 
thing) v. "better" and many more.  So LG is the more conservative in that 
respect.  But HG largely retains more of the older inflections that most LG 
languages have abandoned to various degrees. Afrikaans has taken this even 
further than English.

Paul

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From: heather rendall <HeatherRendall at compuserve.com>
Subject: LL-L "Language varieties" 2005.07.25 (10) [E/LS]

If the Lowland languages didn't take part in the great High German Sound
Shift, then doesn't that indicate their languages must be purer , more
original than HG??

Heather

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

Heather (above):

> , then doesn't that indicate their languages must be purer , more
> original than HG??

I don't know about "purer," but I dare speak of "phonologically more 
conservative."

By the way, several decades ago, speakers of Missingsch and 
Missingsch-derived German dialects, had difficulties pronouncing initial 
affricates.  They would say things like _Ferd_ for _Pferd_ (LS _peyrd_ 
<Peerd>) 'horse' and _Ssunge_ for _Zunge_ (["tsUN@], LS _tung_ <Tung>) 
'tongue'.

Heather, Paul, Karl-Heinz, and the rest of you, what do you think of the 
minority view that German, Yiddish, etc., are "South Germanic" rather than 
"West Germanic"?  If adopted, this would be consistent with some branches of 
folklore studies.  However, it would be confusing in that some people mean 
by "South Germanic" everything that is not Scandinavian ("North Germanic").

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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