LL-L "Language varieties" 2007.12.30 (01) [E]

[Lowlands-L List]

L O W L A N D S - L  -  30 December 2007 - Volume 01
Song Contest: lowlands-l.net/contest/ (- 31 Dec. 2007)
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From: Ben J. Bloomgren <ben.j.bloomgren at gmail.com>
Subject: LL-L "Language varieties" 2007.12.29 (05) [E]

 What's the matter with you, son?! Anything that happened in Mexico? You're
scaring me.

Weyyal, nothing really happened down there. I still wish that I was there.
My mom bought me that CD way, and I do mean way! back in like 1994 or 5 for
a summer program in which I participated wherein we were doing little bits
about our heritage. I said to my mom while we were in Borders or somewhere:
"Mom? Do you see anything here that's German?" She said yes and that's what
I have. Why does it scare you? Scary stuff or something?
Ben

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From: M.-L. Lessing <marless at gmx.de>
Subject: LL-L "Language varieties" 2007.12.29 (05) [E]

Talking 'bout Nazis, guess they didn't talk so much Platt (I could be
wrong)...
I have often heard Platt given the stigma of a nazi language. Has anyone
information about a role of Plattdeutsch in nazi ideology? Was Plattdeutsch
supported by the nazis? Or was it just a language as languages are, medium
of communication for good and bad ideas? I heard there was a slogan "Ein
deutscher Jung snackt Platt", a slogan that is said to have done much harm
to the language after the nazis were done with. But an old friend has told
me that his father, a country lawyer, was forbidden to talk Platt with his
clients because none of the local nazis in charge could follow their
conversation, and they (the nazis) were just heart-broken not to know what
people talked around them ;-) So Platt was in this case a nazi-free oasis.
I'm sure there must be a dissertation of some germanist or historian about
"Niederdeutsch in der NS-Zeit" or so. It just cries out to be dissertated
on. Does anyone know?

En freedvulles un glückliches Johr 2008 för Juuch all!

Marlou

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From: Marcus Buck <list at marcusbuck.org>
Subject: LL-L "Language varieties" 2007.12.29 (05) [E]

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

That would be an Eastphalian Low Saxon (locally * Oostföelsch*) dialect, if
I'm not mistaken.

Oostföelsch? Never saw that spelling. *Ostfäälsch* is more common.

From: Luc Hellinckx < luc.hellinckx at gmail.com>

Talking 'bout Nazis, guess they didn't talk so much Platt (I could be
wrong), even though the Volkswagen headquarters are in Wolfsburg, which
is only 25 km northeast of Braunschweig

The role of Plattüütsch in national socialism is hard to assess. There were
Low Germans engaged in the system. The writer Hans Massaquoi (he was one of
the few Blacks in the Hamburg of the 1940s) in his book *Neger, Neger,
Schornsteinfeger* describes his teacher (and well-known Low German writer)
Heinrich Wriede as a real racist and active in propagating Nazi ideas.
Some more can be read in this (German) article:
<http://www.akens.org/akens/texte/journal/nsplatt.html><http://www.akens.org/akens/texte/journal/nsplatt.html>

An example:
*Dor stammt en Schipp dör Storm un Floot,
keen Wind, keen Well kriggt dat in Noot, [...]*

*Dütschland!*

*De Schippskoptein op hoge Brügg
kiekt stur liek ut un nümmer trügg. [...]
Hitler!
*

Well, Nazis did use Low German and Low Germans did take part in national
socialism. But, of course, the language was only a medium used to spread the
propaganda. The language was not encouraged by the regime an was not
directly positively valued by the ideology. There was not more promotion for
the language than before. And I'm sure, if Hitler had won his war, today the
status of Low German would have been not better.
The ideology officially said they value the *unique German Volkstum* high,
but *ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer *centralism contradicted that a bit.
Volkstum diversity and totalitarian uniformity were both values of the
ideology. Which of both points would win in the end was not yet decided when
the system took its end. My opinion is, that uniformity would have ranked
higher.

Low German language was not on the agenda of the Nazis. They didn't fight it
and they didn't further it especially. Much like today.

Marcus Buck
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