LL-L "Language varieties" 2005.03.22 (04) [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: Ingmar Roerdinkholder <ingmar.roerdinkholder at WORLDONLINE.NL>
Subject: LL-L "Language varieties" 2005.03.22 (03) [E]

I think Old Saxon and Old Franconian were pretty close together already.
Without doubt the two were intelligible, at least when we talk about Old
Low Franconian, as spoken in the Netherlands, without the High German sound
shifts. But the Saxons were neighbours of the Low Franconians mostly, not
of the High Franconians. In the later Middle Ages the Franconian influence
on Saxon has been massive, making it loose most of its Ingweonic character.
That is exactly why Dutch and Low Saxon are so closely related nowadays.

Btw, Frisian is often claimed (by Frisians) to be the most closely related
cognate of English. Through one of your links I came to a study that
pointed out that this isn't true at all, anymore.
Friesland Frisian's closest cognate is Dutch, rhen Afrikaans, then Low
Saxon, then German, then the Continental Scandinavian languages, only then
English and finally Faroese and Icelandic.

If Low Saxon's relation to English was investigated, it would show to be
even further off from English than Frisian is, no doubt. This shows that
old kinship can easily drift apart, no matter what people think or want to
believe

Ingmar

>R.F. Hahn:
>If anything, shouldn't Frankish subjugation of the Saxons by Charlemagne
>not have resulted in Frankish influences on Saxon and thus to have brought
>Old Saxon and Old Franconian closer together?
>
>Had Charlemagne not eventually defeated the Saxons by hook or by
>crook, my guess is that Saxon may have developed more independently,
>possibly in its own country.  Of course, its proximity to English and Scots
>would have suffered in any event, on account of the French-speaking Norman
>conquest of Britain.

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