LL-L "Member's news" 2007.11.08 (03) [E]

Thu Nov 8 16:24:50 UTC 2007

L O W L A N D S - L  -  08 November 2007 - Volume 01
Song Contest: lowlands-l.net/contest/ (- 31 Dec. 2007)
=========================================================================

From: "Mark Dreyer" <mrdreyer at lantic.net>
Subject: CMT Syndrome

My Dierbare Vriende,

It is now my turn to ask for your prayers for my Ruth. On Friday she goes in
for tests for a possible nervous degenerative disease called the CMT
Syndrome. It starts at the extremities, & her feet are already being
affected, that is why we went to the doctor. She is a dancer. Later it will
affect her hands, & she is a musician. That's all for now, but even as your
prayers fortified her & saved me may we hope they may again do the same for
us.

Yours in Trust,
Mark.

----------

From: "Mike Morgan" <mwmosaka at gmail.com>
Subject: Back in Touch [E+]

Goeiendag! Hi y'all!

I haven't been seen on this list in quite some time (busy? lazy?
indifferent? ... well the LASt one most certainly does NOT apply, but
as for the first two ... take your pick!)

Anyway, since I am leaving Japan (after 18 years) for better parts
(India), I needed to change my subscription email address, which lead
our most gracious Ron aka Reinhard (or is it vice versa?) to respond
in person (I had sent a faulty command to the listserv, shame on
me!!!) ... and I thought i would respond to HIS email through the list
...

Those of you who do not remember me from my previous postings, I  am
one of Japan's few Lowlands-L subscribers, and have posted (all too
infrequently, I admit) on the wonders of wasabi, the Blue Ridge
Institute & Farm Museum in at my mother's alma mater in her home town
of Ferrum, VA (USA), on Turkic syntax (at least that is what I vaguely
remember the topic being), and (most actively) orthography (in
specific, a friendly debate with a certain honorable Mr. S. Fleming
about systems of putting sign language into writing ... perhaps best
described as the practical approach (SF) versus the
feet-in-the-ivory-tower, head-in-the-clouds approach (MWM) :-)

EVERYTHING, in fact, EXCEPT Lowlands languages.  SHAME on me!!

Well, one of the things that motivated me to stop procrastinating and
change my subscription address now (rather than, say, in 10 days ...
the day before I leave ) was that I am in the porcess of selecting 30
kgs of books to go with me as I move (the other 30 metric tons will
come later ... by slow boat, perhaps?), and for me the process of
choosing what books is mostly a process of choosing what LANGAUGES.
Well, I have been moving books on and off my "to go with" shelves, and
I (a Slavicist by training, a Sign language linguist by profession,
and an (Southern) Asian at heart) have been surprised to realize that
although some surprising languages have found there way onto the
shelves only later to be replaced and knocked down to the "runners-up
shelf), a total of FOUR Lowlands languages have stayed put (for the
curious, they are (drumroll please!): Nederlands (Dutch), Frysk (West
Frisian), Scots (making it FIVE if you count Lallans AND Ullans)
separately and Afrikaans  ... OH, and (sorry Sandy!) I almost forgot:
BSL is also on the definitely to-go-with shelf (and NOT only due to
its input on Indian Sign Language!)

So MAYEB I will be prepared to participate more actively ...

The runners-up shelf would add to the list ... and since the "rules
and regulations" for LowlandsList are a bit "vague" as to what exactly
a lowlands language is , I'll quote Ron's email to me that "
> Marathi ain't Lowlands, but nothing is too
> far away, and Indian English is definitely Lowlands. Besides, Mumbai is
home
> to gezillions of language varieties.

Well, if Indian English is Lowlands, what about Tok Pisin and Bislama
(whcih have been trading places on the to-go and runners-up shelves)?

Ron alos wrote:
> Maybe you can organize some wrens and their sounds while you are there.
(The
> LL-L hustler is never far away.)

Yes, and I MAY even get around to submitting my Japanese Sign language
version  (lazy ... I mean, busy me will probably get around to it
about the time my Indian Sign language is fluent enough to submit my
version in that as well!!)

> At any rate, best of luck with the relocation, and luck is needed when it
> comes to Indian bureaucracy. ;-)

Spoken like a man with experience! Yes, Indian Bureaucracy and the
crowded Bombay commuter trains are two of the few things i am NOT
looking forward to dealing with regualrly!

Ron again:
> Don't be a stranger now, y'hear?

I will TRY not to be ...

MWM || マイク || Мика || माईक

================

Dr Michael W Morgan
Managing Director
Ishara Foundation
Mumbai (Bombay), India

++++++++++++++++

माईकल मोर्गन (पी.एच.डी.)
मेनेजिंग डॉयरेक्टर
ईशारा फॉउंडेशन (मुंबई )

++++++++++++++++

茂流岸マイク(言語学博士)
NPO法人イシャラ基金の専務理事・事務局長
ムンバイ(ボンベイ)、インド

----------

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

Hi, Mark!

Thanks for informing us about Ruth's situation. Whatever it's worth, my
positive energies have already begun flying SA-ward, and I'm sure others
will join them. After all, Ruth is a part of the family, albeit on an in-law
basis.

Even if the tests results come back positive, bear in mind what the Kahuna (
http://lowlands-l.net/treasures/kahuna.htm) just whispered in my ear:

There are many ways of dancing and making music.

And take our Ben and Sandy as shining examples. Ben's blindness doesn't keep
him from studying languages (including Chinese) and going to study abroad,
and ... from being a birder. Sandy turned deaf as an adult after having been
a musician. But look at him following his passions and making terrific
contributions from which many people get to benefit! Sometimes we just need
to switch over to a different route sometime along the way. Actually, most
of us will eventually have to as our bodies wear out but our minds and
spirits still want and need to soar.

Please give your Ruth my love and best wishes.

Hi again, Mike! And to add to your collection, it's *Michel *[ˈmɪçl̩] in
Northern Low Saxon of Germany.

You wrote:

Well, if Indian English is Lowlands, what about Tok Pisin and Bislama
(whcih have been trading places on the to-go and runners-up shelves)?

To reiterate, *all* Englishes are within our focus, as are all pidgins and
creoles that substantially involve (not necessarily constitute the bases of)
Lowlands languages (which tend to be Afrikaans, Dutch and English). This
puts Tok Pisin and Bislama fair and square into the Lowlands focus, since
they are English-based creoles (former pidgins that have "gone native").

A list of English-based creoles:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English-based_creole_languages

A list of Dutch-based creoles and languages with heavy Dutch contributions:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch-based_creole_languages

Afrikaans-based: Tsotsitaal, Oorlams (Vlaaitaal)

Take a look at the index of our Anniversary Project to get an idea:
http://lowlands-l.net/anniversary/contents.php
Everything above the line is Lowlandic.
Tok Pisin is already there: http://lowlands-l.net/anniversary/tokpisin.php
As is Philippines English:
http://lowlands-l.net/anniversary/english-philippines.php

Although the languages varieties below the line are not within the focus
area, those on top of that list are closely related, and some (e.g.,
Northern German, Missingsch and Scandinavian) are relevant by virtue of
intensive contacts.

At the end of the day, none are totally irrelevant, which is one of the
reasons why in the language introductions (
http://lowlands-l.net/anniversary/contents-info.php) I mention contacts with
Lowlands languages (e.g., Japanese, Hindi/Urdu, Kannada, Malay, Indonesian,
Baba Malay [the latest addition], Tsalagi and Walloon).

Mike, I envy you as you embark on a new phase in your exciting life as an
expatriate. Why, I might even visit you sometime in good, old भारत माता. I'm
sure you will have a wonderful time that is enriching for everyone
concerned.

> Don't be a stranger now, y'hear?

I will TRY not to be ...

I'll hold you to it. You could even be our ambassador in India (and get a
special name from the Kahuna) if you play your cards right.

Reinhard/Ron

P.S.: Officially, our Sandy is A. Fleming, I assume (Alexander = Sandy,
pronounced something like "Sawny" I think). Just after he joined us donkey
years ago I assumed he was a woman, which he graciously corrected, yet I
still danced many a Tango with him over orthographic issues.
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