LL-L "Language history" 2011.04.15 (06) [EN]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 15 April 2011 - Volume 06
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From: Marcus Buck <list at marcusbuck.org>

Subject: LL-L "Language history" 2011.04.15 (03) [EN]



From: "dealangeam" <atdelange at iburst.co.za>

 I have a question which occupied my mind since the 1980's.

Why did Low-Saxon (Nieder-Deutsch) diversified since the 1000's without
maintaining one dialect as the common standard?



All languages diversify if they are handed down orally only. English had
many dialects in the English countryside, Continental West Germanic was one
big dialect continuum, the Romance languages also formed one big dialect
continuum etc. The "common standards" only developed in the modern era.
Diversification is normal.

The Western Low Saxon dialects were always different from the Central Low
Saxon dialects and from the Eastern Low Saxon dialects. But the isoglosses
didn't run along what is now the national border. Groningian is closely
related to Eastfrisian. Achterhooks is closely related to
Westmönsterlandsch.

Innovation in languages is mostly triggered from above. Scientists, the
church, the state etc. In the 16th century the printing press had innovated
Europe. Spreading ideas had become much easier. The Netherlands had just
become a state of its own. The Hanseatic League had become irrelevant due to
various factors. The educated classes in the Netherlandic state now used
Hollandic as the main medium of communication. The educated classes in the
German states of the HRR used Luther's German. And that was the first time
that the modern line between German Low Saxon and Dutch Low Saxon became a
isogloss. For German Low Saxon the relevant innovation-triggering source was
now Luther German and for Dutch Low Saxon it was Hollandic.

In 16th century Low Saxon nobody really needed a word for "century". Much
too abstract. But over time it became a concept that also became common in
the dialects. Dutch Low Saxon adopted "eeuw" from Hollandic, while German
Low Saxon adopted the loan "Johrhunnert" from German. In Dutch Low Saxon the
difference between short 'o' and short 'u' vanished because it was
irrelevant in Dutch too. In German Low Saxon it became reinforced because it
is relevant in German. Word-final "sch" became reduced to 's' in Dutch Low
Saxon and stayed in German Low Saxon etc. pp.

And after 4 centuries this has left a big imprint (although most of the
imprint is from just the last century).

Marcus Buck



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