LL-L "Language use" 2007.10.07 (03) [E/LS]

[Lowlands-L List]

L O W L A N D S - L  -  07 October 2007 - Volume 03
Song Contest: lowlands-l.net/contest/ (- 31 Dec. 2007)
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From: jonny <jonny.meibohm at arcor.de>
Subject: LL-L 'Language use'

Beste Ron, Lowlanners, our SA-members in special,

today I looked an interesting TV-transmission on our local station (NDR)-
nearly the whole of it in LS, subtitled with Standard German.
It dealt with the situation of  Low Saxon in South Africa, and I was
considerably surprised that some descendants of Northern German immigrants
still speak LS after 4 or more generations. Very interesting also: the now
very young people (college-aged) even don't speak Standard German any longer
but still understand and speak LS (but very poorly).

They also gave an explanation for their adhering to an own language: they
always tried to keep away from the conflicts between the Buren and English.

Let me add: of course all of them also speak Afrikaans, English and Zulu.

Allerbest!

Jonny Meibohm

PS: Another interesting observance stroke my eyes. The moderator of the
whole transmission was a young black man, a German, who made all the
interviews in a passable good Low Saxon. I remembered Ron's words that if
you look different than the shape of a 'typical' Lowlander should be people
won't believe that you're able to deal with LS. I could imagine that it
could be a great pleasure, yes- even kind of sensation-  to invite this
winsome youngster to one of the typical 'Plattdeutsche Klönabende' (Low
Saxon talk-evening) in any of our local circles. Most of the members are
older than 70, and I'm sure they havn't seen a black man talking 'Platt'
before ;-)!

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

Thanks for that, Jonny. But -- boy! -- for a couple of seconds you scared me
with that "SA" thing!

I'm glad some people in South Africa still speak Low Saxon.  I wish I had
more information and some contact addresses to add to my index (
lowlands-l.net/plattewelt/).

There are communities like that here in the United States as well, apart
from Mennonites. In the Midwest, the language is still being used by more
than one generation side by side with English, often with little or no
German proficiency. As I mentioned earlier, some settlements have their
roots in specific villages in Northern Germany, and the dialects from those
villages developed farther into what amounts to American dialects of Low
Saxon, some since the mid-18s.  If you are interested, the relevant
organizations can help you (lowlands-l.net/plattewelt/platt-namerica.htm).
Also, I have a friend in Schleswig-Holstein who is active in Trans-Atlantic
contacts with such communities, and he might be able to help you further if
you are interested.  Furthermore, I understand that there are speaker
communities of Netherlands Low Saxon "hiding" as minorities within American
and Canadian "Dutch" communities. I bet there are some in South Africa as
well.

You may also remember me mentioning that some early American liberation and
patriotic songs are in fact in Low Saxon. This is fascinating and appears to
point to much Low Saxon activity in early European-settled North America,
including a sense of liberation of the language from suppression and
oppression as well as from those negative, fatalistic attitudes back in the
old country. (Not much has changed since then apparently.) This was noted
early by activists back in Northern Germany, such as by Klaus Groth
(1819–1899; English translation: lowlands-l.net/groth/chicago.htm):

Wenn nich de Pohl dartwischen weer
Vun Kiel bet Illinois,
So wuß ik noch en Minschen mehr,
De na Chicago reis'.

Denn sä ik: Gau den Kuffer packt!
Ik mutt mal hörn un sehn,
Wa man int Westen plattdütsch snackt,
Günt bi de groten Seen!

Wo fröher nachts bi Voß un Ul
En eensam Jäger sleep;
Wo sunst dat wille Kriegsgehul
De Minschen schreck un reep:

Dar röppt uns ole Modersprak
Nu Dusende tosam;
Ton lustig, hartlich plattdütsch Snack
Süt Illinois se kam'.

Ja, sunnerbar un wunnerbar!
Segg an: Wer harr dat dacht?
Wer't seggt harr noch vœr dörtig Jahr,
Den harr man lud belacht.

Den harr man seggt: In dütschen Lann,
Dar schamt man sik vœrt Platt,
Dat is bet dicht vœrt Ünnergan,
Keen Buur – he hett dat satt.

De Kinner lehrt al in de Schol:
Dat weer so grof, so rog,
Paß höchstens in'e Kœk bi'n Kohl
Un achter Putt un Plog.

De awer, de vun Hus un Klus
De Not drev, dat Geschick,
De, de der gan un wannern muß
Un söken na dat Glück,

Ut Vaderland un Heimat fort,
Weg œwert wide Meer:
Hör de mal dar en plattdütsch Wort –
Mein Gott! wa trock em't dœr.

So herrli klung em keen Musik
Un sung keen Nachdigal,
Em lepen glik in Ogenblik
De hellen Tran hendal.

Un as wi keem' un sungn op't nie
Den lang vergeten Klang:
Vœr de weer't mehr as Melodie,
As Dichtung un Gesang.

De hörn den Heimatston herut,
As war Reveille blast.
De keem dat an, as reep dat lud:
So Jungs! Un nu holt fast!

De reep uns ole Modersprak
To Dusende bieen
Ton hartli Snack un düchti Sak:
Ton Plattdütschen Vereen.

Um fast to holn an dütsche Art
Int nie Vaderland,
Um optofrischen mal dat Hart,
To starken Kopp un Hand.

Wi Sängers awer hier to Hus,
Wi spört ok ut de Feern
Den Wedderklang as Heimatgruß
Mit Stolt un banni geern.

Uns klingt dat as per Telephon,
Jüm Hurrah, bet an't Hart,
Ik föhl dat as den höchsten Lohn,
De Dichters baden ward.

Dat gift en Echo. Ja dat röppt
– Wovœr ik strev un wak –
All wat bi uns in Dusel slöppt:
Holt fast an Art un Sprak!

Un kann ik nich, as ik wul much,
Mit fiern dar jüm Fest,
So schick ik jüm en Gruß un Spruch,
Min hartlichst un min best,

Vellich ok mal min öllsten Sœn,
–Vun sœben Fot as ik–
Mit plattdütsch Hart un lange Been,
Versteit sik, un mi lik.

Un nu min Spruch, de heet: Holt fast
An plattdütsch Sprak un Art!
Un vœr dat fest: dat't blöht un waßt
Un jümmer schöner ward!

Yes, in some cases, emigration can be a boon for minority languages, such as
also for Gaelic, Irish and Welsh in Australia, Canada and Argentina (before
reassertion back home), Kashubian (Cassubian), Rusyn (Ruthenian) and
Ukrainian in North America, Sicilian in Australia and the Americas, Madeira
Portuguese in Australia, Venetian in Mexico, and Volga Tatar in Finland.
However, where speakers of minority languages tagged along with emigrants
that spoke the corresponding majority languages, their languages were likely
to disappear as minority languages dominated by minority languages. Such
happened in cases of Low Saxon, Frisian and Sorbian among German-speaking
emigrants.

As for the male moderator you mentioned, his name is Yared (Terfa) Dibaba.
He is a native Oromo speaker from Ethiopia and began picking up Low Saxon
when he began to live in the Oldenburg area at around age 10. He now lives
in Hamburg. His intro video (in Low Saxon):
www1.ndr.de/redirectid.jsp?id=op2

Yared is not the only well-known "black" person that speaks Low Saxon and
makes a difference in his area. The other one I know of is Marron Fort,
known locally in Eastern Friesland and in Saterland as "Professor." He is a
New England American that settled in Oldenburg and Leer a long time ago and
is considered an authority in studies of Eastern Friesland Low Saxon and
Saterland (East) Frisian, both of which he speaks fluently and very well
indeed.  Especially Sater Frisian studies owe him tons of gratitude.  He
made a bit of a splash in Groningen when he explained that the local Low
Saxon dialects, like those just east of the border, have Frisian substrates,
which apparently some people there didn't like hearing ... You can hear Fort
talk (about a religious topic) in Eastern Friesland Low Saxon if you click
on the last link on this page here: http://tinyurl.com/ys2pjm

Kumpelmenten,

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
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