LL-L 'Language maintenance' 2006.07.03 (01) [E/LS]

[Lowlands-L]

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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 (Zeeuws)
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L O W L A N D S - L * 03 July 2006 * Volume 01
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From: Helge Tietz <helgetietz at yahoo.com>
Subject: LL-L 'Sports' 2006.07.02 (02) [E/German]

Leve Lowlanders,
 
Nu muech ik duesse Diskussion doch gern wedher naa linguistic truechdreien denn,
mit blick op de footballers Klose un Podolski un de histroie vun Schlesien so
heff ik tolets leest dat dat in de polnischen provinzen Elblag un Olsztyn no een
luette "duetsche" Minnerheet giff. Sodenni ok in Bartoszyce wat voern kreeg
"Bartenstein" heeten het un in duessen deel vun dat voermailge Ostpreussen liggt,
wodenni se neddersassisch snackt hebb. Interessant waer, of dat no familien giff
twueschen duesse luet de in eer familie ostpreussisch-nedersassisch snack, denn
sodenni leeft de ostpreussisch-nedersassisch dialekt doch no laenger wieter as wi
vlich all dachen. Darto kuemmt dat duesse luet ok no de "heritage" vun de olen
baltischen Prus besitten in de "Stammesheimat" as ik dat so seggen doerf. Weet
een vun ju dar wat oever?
 
Groeten
 
Helge

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

Wees' vun harten bedankt, leyve Helge.  Dat is my ook 'n heyl intressante Saak.

Folks, Helge tells us above that there are still German-speaking minorities in
Poland, namely in ElbiÄ
g (German: Elbing), Olsztyn (German: Allenstein) and
Bartoszyce (Bartenstein).  Personally I believe that there are others, some of
which may still be hesitant to go public.  Like, Helge, I wonder if there are any
remaining Low Saxon (Low German) speakers in Poland (and I haven't completely
given up hope to locate some in Denmark).

This sort of information is difficult to obtain.  Let's not forget that "the
Wall" came down and Poland joined the European Community only recently, after
decades of policies and atmospheres that were not exactly "ethno-friendly" --
though not necessarily less so than in other European countries, not conducive to
cultural and linguistic survival of minorities nevertheless.  As far as I know,
Poland has yet to get on board as far as official protection of minority
languages is concerned.

Things are of course particularly touchy with regard to the "German" minority of
Poland, given centuries of direct and indirect German rule culminating in
Nazi-ruled occupation of Poland and the phasing-in of enslaving Poles (and other
people of Slavonic "blood"), this adding to anti-German sentiments and perceived
needs to "cleanse" the country of the "scourge."  In theory, the "cleansing"
happened when "Germans," many of them after centuries of settlement, fled from
Poland, Russia, the Czech Republic and other parts to Germany (or perished while
trying to do so) at the end of World War II.  But we have always known, and this
has now been confirmed, that a number of ethnic Germans remained and had to do
what you might call "go underground," since remaining Germans or part-Germans
were expected to be officially Polish not only by nationality but also ethnically
and linguistically.  For minority languages to survive under such circumstances
is quite miraculous, and this goes at least doubly for Low Saxon which has always
lived in the shadows of German outside Germany as well (not considering its
status under Dutch in the Netherlands).

I would be extremely interested to know if there are still some speakers of Low
Saxon in Poland (and Kaliningrad, also the Baltic countries).  German minority
communities of Poland are now beginning to "come out" and to assert themselves,
not a mean feat even now.  I have approached some of them with regard to Low
Saxon, so far without success.  Perhaps some of you could help, also with a
Polish blurb on "Nu is de Welt platt!"
(http://www.sassisch.net/rhahn/low-saxon/plattewelt.htm), since my Polish is
questionable, to say the least.

Here are some links to German associations in Poland:

Association of German Youth in Poland
http://www.bjdm.vdg.pl/

German Community Versoehnung & Zukunft
http://www.deutschegem.omi.pl/

Society of Germans in Opole Region
http://www.tskn.vdg.pl/

Society of Germans in Silesia
http://www.dfkschlesien.vdg.pl/

Union of German Associations in Poland
http://www.vdg.pl/

Union of German Students in Polen in Racibórz
http://www.vdh-ratibor.vdg.pl/

Union of Silesian Farmers
http://www.silesia.agro.pl/

Youth Forum in Opole
http://www.jfm.opole.pl/

In our contacts we must be very careful and diplomatic, mindful of and
sympathetic to the average Poles' understandable wariness in this respect.  It is
important to make them understand that this is a new day with sincere wishes for
neighborly relations and no territorial claims, no chauvinist attitudes, no
hidden agenda.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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