LL-L "Lexicon" 2008.01.20 (05) [E]

[Lowlands-L List]

L O W L A N D S - L  -  20 January 2008 - Volume 05
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From: Utz H. Woltmann <uwoltmann at gmx.de>
Subject: LL-L "Lexicon" 2008.01.17 (03) [E/LS]

Jonny wrote::

> Are (in your opinion) written words always the truth, errors and
> mistakes definitely excluded? Before you list any word which _can_ be
> wrong in a dictionary you have to ensure about its correctness, for my
> opinion. Or you have to mark it as /'possibly not correct'/ if you act
> responsibly.
>
> This is extraordinary important if you try to collect a list of words
> from a (minority) language about which there doesn't exist much
> written material.
> If you make mistakes in e.g. a dictionary about Standard German many
> people will recognize them and possibly give any feed-back to the author.
> Not so in Low Saxon- just a handful of people will read it and from
> this elected audience omly a very small number will realize any faults.
>
> Written words have got the bad nature that they spread themselves- in
> special in time of nearly unlimited communication worldwide.
>
> So- let us continue keeping a sharp eye specially on dictionaries to
> avoid further corruptions of LS.

Dear Jonny,

Written words are definitely not always the truth, errors and mistakes
can occur. But what are errors or mistakes? In Low Saxon we have the
double negation 'nie...nich'. German school teachers tell us that is not
correct. Is it an error or mistake? No, it is a judgement of incompetent
people about the use of linguistic forms. I think linguists should
describe which forms are in use but not prescribe.

Here in Jork is another Low Saxon spoken than in Finkenwerder, than in
Nindorf near Buxtehude (Johann D. Bellmann), than in Soltau (Heidjer
Platt). The name of the river Este differs from Eest to Isst in the
different locations. Which one is wrong and which one right? Bellmann
has changed his syntax from Low Saxon spoken in Nindorf to a literary
language approximated to Holstein. One of the words he wrote is for
example 'Ophööler'. I have tried this word at Google: no result. Is this
word wrong? Or let us take another word he used: 'pluckschoosterig'.
Google: no result. Are all these words wrong? May be these words are
used only by a few people in a special location, but they are used and
they are Low Saxon. I would collect these words without any judgement.

Best regards
Utz H. Woltmann
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