LL-L "Phonology" 2008.07.02 (04) [E]

[Lowlands-L List]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 02 July 2008 - Volume 04
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From: Ivison dos Passos Martins <ipm7d at OI.COM.BR>
Subject: Low Saxon Dutch and English

Hallo!

   I was reading some texts in Low Saxon (with the help of an English
version) the other day and I saw some words like Steen Gous fif and I
remember a friend of mine told once that if there would have been no Vowel
Shift Low Saxon, English and Dutch would probably be the same language.
   I've noticed there are not many diphthongs in Low Saxon.

----------

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

Hi again, Ívison!

   I've noticed there are not many diphthongs in Low Saxon.

This is because you go by written forms, and the German-based orthography
for the Northern Low Saxon dialects is not very good and on top of it tends
to be insufficiently followed. Whatever diphthongs don't exist in German are
written as though they were monophthongs, and most people don't even use the
distinguishing symbols between monophthongs and diphthongs that they are
supposed to be using according to the creators of the system. (Single
symbols are used in open syllables, double symbols in closed syllable, but
most people in Germany don't even understand that. * = diphthong)

*intended *> *"casual"* (my AS system) [phonetic]

*ę/ę(ę) ~ **ęh ~ ä/ää ~ äh* > *e/ee ~ eh* (e/ee) | [eː] ~ [ɛː]
**e/ee ~ **eh* > *e/ee ~ eh*  (ey)  [] ~ [] (= ei [] in some dialects)

*ö̢/**ö̢(ö̢) ~ ö̢h ~ **œ/œ(œ)** ~ œh* > *ö/öö ~ **öh* (oe) [øː] ~ [œː]
**ö/öö ~ öh* > *ö/öö ~ öh* (oy) [œˑɪ] (= äu ~ eu [ɔˑɪ] in some dialects)

Some dialects also distinguish these following:

*o̢/o̢o̢ ~ o̢**h* > *o/oo ~ oh* (o/oo) [oː]
**o/oo ~ oh* > *o/oo ~ oh* (ou) [ɔˑʊ] (= au [aˑʊ] in some dialects)

Examples:

*b**ę**den* ~ *b**äden* > *beden *(beden) 'to pray'
**beden *> *beden *(beyden) 'to offer'

*Pö**̢hl *> *Pöhl ** *(poel) 'poles', 'posts'
**P**ö**hl *> *Pöhl** ** *(poyl') 'pillows'; 'ponds'

In some dialects also:

*lo̢**o̢s* > *loos** *(loos) 'loose'
**Goos* > *Goos** *(gous) (= Gaus in some dialects) 'goose'

On top of it there are the following diphthongs:

*ei* ~ *ai* > *ei* ~ *ai* (ay) [aˑɪ]
*au* > *au* (au) [aˑʊ]

Examples:

*Seil* > *Seil* (sayl) 'sail'
*Maimaand* > *Maimaand* (maymaand) 'May'
*Dau* > *Dau* (dau) 'dew'

By the way, the diphthongs sound somewhat lengthened; i.e. the first vowel
is half-long. So they sound "drawn-out," in some dialects somewhat nasal.

Look at the following Low Saxon words (with a diphthong as in slow,
emphasized versions of English words like "bay", "stain", "made" and "ale"):
*

*Low Saxon = Dutch = Danish = English = Scots*

een* > *een* (eyn) = een = en = one = ane
*Steen* > *Steen* (steyn) = steen = sten = stone = stane
*Been* > *Been* (beyn) = been = ben = bone = bane

The Danish equivalents have all long vowels and the *stød* I mentioned last
time. Scots has a long [e:] ([e:n] [ste:n], [be:n]). It's only English that
has rounding in these cases.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
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