LL-L "Slavonic connections" 2007.03.27 (06) [E]

[Lowlands-L List]

L O W L A N D S - L - 27 March 2007 - Volume 06

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

*Slavonic Language Samples*
*from Lower Saxony*
**
(c) R. F. Hahn, 2007

West Slavonic languages used to be spoken in what is now Germany as far west
as from Plön (*Plune*) and Lübeck (*Liubice*), Holstein, in the north via
Lunenburg (*Glin* > *Glain*) all the way south to the eastern parts of
today's Bavaria and into northeastern Italy. The westernmost expansion of
the Slavonic Obodrite people came to fruition in the 7th century CE when
these ancestors of the Polabs (**po Labu* 'at the Elbe') repopulated areas
that had been virtually vacated by Saxons during their great migration to
Britain. Some Slavs went to live in parts of what is now Danish territory.
In the 8th century they were strong enough to defeat Saxon armies. In 983
they attacked and ransacked Hamburg, and at times they received tribute both
from Hamburg and from Denmark, though they themselves owed tribute to the
Franks in the west and to other Slavonic powers in the east. Gradually,
Germanic eastward expansion weakened the power of the Slavs, and those in
what is now Germany became minorities among Germanic speakers. Most
intermarried and came to be Germanicized to various degrees, and almost all
lost their ancestral languages.

 Eventually two Slavonic ("Wendish") enclaves remained: that of
Sorbian-speaking Lusatia (of which now only a small, arid region remains)
and that of the Draveno-Polabs at the eastern end of the Lunenburg Heath,
where today's states of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western
Pomerania meet. By the 18th century, Polabian was spoken only in a few
remote villages of the Heath's Wendland, now Lower Saxony's district of
Lüchow-Dannenberg, at that time ruled by Hanover, previously by Lunenburg (*
Lüneburg*).

Polabian proper is not the closest relative of Sorbian. While Sorbian
represents the Lusatian subgroup of Western Slavonic, Polabian belongs to
the Lekhitic (or Lechitic) subgroup together with Polish, Kashubian
(Cassubian) and Slovincian. In fact, since it used to be spoken in the
Mecklenburg region as well, we may assume that Polabian represents the
westernmost extent of Lechitic, bordering in the east on Slovincian (which
has been extinct since the turn of the 20th century) which eastward fades
into Kashubian, and Polish (including Slavonic Silesian) represents the
southern extent of this. Polabian, Slovincian and Kashubian have absorbed
considerable Low Saxon ("Low German") influences. Syntactic Germanicization
is particularly strong in Sorbian and Polabian.

Most or all Draveno-Polabs spoke Low Saxon as well as Polabian, in later
times also some Low-Saxon-influenced German. Polabian language maintenance
began to dwindle seriously with the late 17th century when more and more
Polabs adopted Low Saxon as their first language and only used Polabian
terminology for specific contexts. By the time a sizeable Polabian corpus
came to be amassed in the 18th century, the Polabs referred to themselves by
the Germanic ethnonym *wendske* (< *Wende, **wendisch*, Old English *Winedas
*, from Latin *Venetī*, singular Venetos).

Aware that this last remnant of Heath Land Polabian was about to vanish, a
group of enthusiasts went about collecting historical, cultural and
linguistic material just before the last competent speaker died in the
middle of the 18th century. Among them was only one identifiable Polab:
Johann Parum Schultze (1677–1740), headman (Low Saxon *Schulte*, German *
Schultze*, Polabian *stårüst* 'elder', 'alderman') of the village of Lütze.
Even some of *his* linguistic information is somewhat suspect, especially in
his translations from German. Although the collection consists of a jumble
of handwritten notes fraught with inconsistencies and errors it constitutes
a modest corpus of valuable posthumous information. It provides a lexical
basis (with a sizable corpus of Low Saxon loans) and some place names as
well as numerous descriptions of customs and a number of chronicle excerpts.

I am in the process of preparing a brief Low Saxon article about this
collection for publication. This posting represents an English preview or
sketch.

*Important Polabian sound shifts.
*   - *mazurzenie*: č, š, ž > c, s, z
   - initial o- > wo- (as in Sorbian)
   - unstressed "a", "u", "o" > "ü"
   - stressed "i" > "ai"
   - stressed "u" > "åu"
   - "y" (Russian ы) > "oi" or "ui"
   - "k" > "tj" (as in Plautdietsch), except after nasals

*Reading guide to the transliteration for this purpose:
*   - tilde (˜) in place of *ogonek* (hook, ˛) for nasalized vowels
   - ai (as in "l*i*fe")
   - å (as in "h*a*ll")
   - åu (longer than in "l*ow*")
   - c = ts
   - ch (as in "loch")
   - j = y
   - š = sh

*Place names:
*
   *Bergen*
      Polab.: Tÿörska; translit. *Tjörska*
      etym. clue: *tjöra* < *goră* (mountain, hill)
   *Clenze*
      Polab.: Cloontzka; translit. *Klõcka*
   *Dannenberg*
      Polab.: Weidars, Woikam; translit. *Weidars, Woikam*
      etym. clue:* **waika* < *wika* (town) < Mid. Sax. *wîk*
   *Drawehn*
      Polab.: Drawän; translit. *Drawen*
      etym. clue: *drawa* < **drăva* (wood, timber)
   *Hitzacker*
      Polab.: Lgautztgi; translit. *Ljauci*
      etym. clue: *ljaudi* < **l'udi* (people)?
   *Lüchow*
      Polab.: Lgauchi, Lieuschü; translit. *Ljauchüw*
      etym. clue: *L'uch (man's name)?
   *Lüneburg*
      Polab.: Chlein, Glein; translit. *Glain*
      etym. clue: *glaino* < **glina* (clay)
   *Salzwedel*
      Polab.: Lôsdît, Lósdy; translit. *Ljosdit*
      etym. clue: *ljos* < **lěsă* (woods, forest)?
   *Schnackenburg*
      Polab.: Godegord, Godegür; translit. *Godegord*
      etym. clue: *god* < **gadă* (snake), *gord* < **gordă* (fortress)
      (Low Saxon *Snakenborg* "snake fortress/town")
   *Ueltzen*
      Polab.: Wiltzaus; translit. *Wilcaus*
      etym. clue:* **wilca* ~ *wilsa* < **olăša* (alder)?
   *Wustrow*
      Polab.: Wastrüw, Wostrüwe; translit. *Wåstrüw*
      etym. clue:* **wåstruw* < **ostrovă* (island)

Also included in the collection is a folksong. There seem to be indications
that the song was old when it was recorded. For example, the Slavonic words
for "bride" and "bridegroom" (*ninka*, *zãtik*) are used, while in recorded
conversations the respective Low Saxon loans (*brut*, *breddigam*) are used.
The theme of the song seems to fit into the bird wedding tradition that is
featured prominently in Sorbian tradition and is reflected in German
folklore as well. At the time the song was written down it seemed to have
been used for merrymaking (apparently at drinking parties), probably because
it was interactive. It is a repartee song for three parties and is somewhat
reminiscent of some song traditions of Central Asia in which, usually in
springtime, groups of unmarried males and females answer each other in mock
songs about courting and marriage.

The song used to be performed as follows:

*"*Hierbey ist zumercken, wenn der Fuchs gesprochen, mann soll ihm den
Hintersten von einander schlagen, so fangen sie all an, so viel ihrer
beysammen am Tische sizen mit Fausten wacker auf dem Tisch zu trommeln und
auf solche Art dieses Lied zu endigen.
     Will manns nach der Kunst singen und spielen und ihme sein rechtes
Recht thun so gehoren 3 Personen darzu. Die erste Person fragt zum Exempel:
*Katy mês Ninka beyt?* Die andere antwortet:*Teelka mês Ninka beyt*. Die
folgende Zeile: *Teelka ritzi wapak ka neimo ka dwemo*; singen sie alle drey
zugleich, und damit es eine gute Harmonie gebe, singet eine Person zwischen
dem Discant und dem Baß eine Mittel-Stimme. Die Worte aber: *Jos giss wiltge
grîsna Sena; nemik Ninka beyt*; muß die dritte Person alleine singen, und
den die lezten Worte wieder alle drey: Und so mit den andem auch."
**
* **
*My translation:*
** "*Here it is to be noted that, when the fox has spoken, his behind is to
be spread out with a slap and everyone sitting at the table is to begin
pounding on the table as they end the song in such a manner.
   Three persons ought to take part should one wish to sing and play in the
appropriate fashion and to do the song proper justice. The first person asks
for example, *Kåtü mes ninka boit?* The second answers, *Tjelka mes ninka
boit*. All three sing the following line together: *Tjelka rici wåpak kå
naimo kå dwemo ...* And for the sake of good harmony one person sings middle
voice between treble and bass. But the third person must sing alone the
words *Joz jis wiltje grüzna zena*; and then again all three sing the final
words. And the other verses are to be in like manner."

Here now the song in transliteration followed by my English translation:

   Kåtü mes ninka boit?
   Tjelka mes ninka boit.
   Tjelka rici
   Wåpak kå naimo kå dwemo:
   „Joz jis wiltje grüzna zena.
   Ne müg ninka boit.
   Joz ne müg ninka boit."

   Kåtü mes zãtik boit?
   Strezik mes zãtik boit.
   Strezik rici
   Wåpak kå naimo kå dwemo:
   „Joz jis wiltje mole tjarl.
   Ne müg zãtik boit.
   Joz ne müg zãtik boit."

   Kåtü mes traivnik boit?
   Worno mes traivnik boit.
   Worno rici
   Wåpak kå naimo kå dwemo:
   „Joz jis wiltje corne tjarl.
   Ne müg traivnek boit.
   Joz ne müg traivnek boit."

   Kåtü mes tjåuchor boit?
   Wåucka mes tjåuchor boit.
   Wåucka rici
   Wåpak kå naimo kå dwemo:
   „Joz jis wiltje glupcit tjarl.
   Ne müg tjåuchor boit.
   Joz ne müg tjåuchor boit."

   Kåtü mes šenkir boit?
   Zojãc mes šenkir boit.
   Zojãc rici
   Wåpak kå naimo kå dwemo:
   „Joz jis wiltje drale tjarl.
   Ne müg šenkir boit.
   Joz ne müg šenkir boit."

   Kåtü mes spelman boit?
   Bütjan mes spelman boit.
   Bütjan rici
   Wåpak kå naimo kå dwemo:
   „Joz jis wiltje dåudje råt.
   Ne müg spelman boit.
   Joz ne müg spelman boit."

   Kåtü mes taisko boit?
   Laiska mes taisko boit.
   Laiska rici
   Wåpak kå naimo kå dwemo:
   „Rüzplastaite müja wåpois!
   Bõde wosa taisko.
   Bõde wosa taisko."

Translation:

   Who is to be the bride?
   The owl is to be the bride.
   But said the owl
   To the two, to them both,
   "A hideous girl am I.
   The bride I cannot be.
   No, the bride I cannot be."

   Who'll be the bridegroom then?
   The wren will be the bridegroom then.
   But said the wren
   To the two, to them both,
   "A wee-bitty chap am I.
   The bridegroom I cannot be.
   No, the bridegroom I cannot be."

   Who is to be best man?
   The crow is to be best man.
   But said the crow
   To the two, to them both,
   "A pitchy black chap am I.
   Best man I cannot be.
   No, best man I cannot be."

   Who is to be the cook?
   The wolf is to be the cook.
   But said the wolf
   To the two, to them both,
   "A wicked old chap am I.
   The cook I cannot be.
   No, the cook I cannot be."

   Who's to be barman then?
   The hare's to be the barman then.
   But said the hare
   To the two, to them both,
   "A fast-footed chap am I.
   Barman I cannot be.
   No, barman I cannot be."

   Who's to be musician then?
   The stork's to be musician then.
   But said the stork
   To the two, to them both,
   "A long-beaked old chap am I.
   Musician I cannot be.
   No, musician I cannot be."

   Who's to be the table then?
   The fox will be the table then.
   But said the fox
   To the two, to them both,
   "Come! Flatten my backside then!
   Let that be your table then!
   Let that be your table then!"

----------
Sources:
Olesch, Reinhold, *Juglers Lüneburgisch-Wendisches Wörterbuch*, Cologne,
Graz: Böhlau, 1962
Olesch, Reinhold, *Fontes lingvae draveno polabicae minores*, Cologne, Graz:
Böhlau, 1967
Polański, Kazimierz, and James Allen Sehnert, *Polabian-English Dictionary*,
The Hague, Paris: Mouton, 1967
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