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Re: Reinventing NATLANGs

From:Wesley Parish <wes.parish@...>
Date:Wednesday, July 12, 2006, 8:46
Thanks for this.  It clears up a lot of confusion about the Germanic
language/s continuum.

On Wed, 12 Jul 2006 09:32, daniel prohaska wrote:
> Some terminology: > > - Hochdeutsch = Standard Written German; > > > > - Plattdeutsch = Northern and north-Central German dialects that > haven’t or have only partially undergone the 2nd German consonant shift; A > more “official” designation <Niederdeutsch> is used as well. > > > > - Oberdeutsch: the collection of dialects, or the dialect continuum > that has completely or for the most part undergone the 2nd German consonant > shift: Allemannic (Allemannisch, Schwäbisch), Bavarian > (Bairisch-Österreichisch), Upper Franconian (Oberfränkisch); moribund: > Cimbrian (Zimbrisch), Gottschee-Carinthian; > > > > - Mitteldeutsch: The central “belt” of dialects that have partially > undergone the 2nd German consonant shift: Palatinate (Pfälzisch), Hessian > (Hessisch), Rhine-Franconian (Rheinfränkisch), Moselle-Franconian > (Moselfränkisch), Saxon (Sächsisch), Thuringian (Thüringisch), moribund: > Silesian (Schlesisch), Upper East Prussian (Hochpreußisch);
Saxon (Sächsisch) - is that the dialect of the current Federal State of Saxony-Anhalt? Or Lower Saxony? I was under the impression that Lower Saxony was where Plattduutsch was spoken. Rhine-Franconian (Rheinfränkisch) would be spoken in Westphalia? Westphalia borders on the Netherlands and France, if I remember correctly.
> > > > - Niederdeutsch: Northern German dialects that haven’t or have only > partially undergone the 2nd German consonant shift: East Frisian Low Saxon > (Ostfriesisch), Northern Low Saxon (Nordniedersächsisch), Eastfalian > (Ostfälisch), Westfalian (Westfälisch), Brandenburgian (Brandenburgisch), > Mecklenburgian (Mecklenburgisch), Pommeranian (Pommersch), > (Alt-Ostelbisch); moribund: Niederpreußisch; > > > > ---------------------------------- > > > > Althochdeutsch = Old High German > > Mittelhochdeutsch = Middle High German > > Neuhochdeutsch = Modern High German (Standard German) > > > > Altsächsisch = Old Saxon > > Mittelniederdeutsch = Middle Low German (language of the “Hanse”) > > Neuniederdeutsch = Modern Low German dialects > > > > Dan > > > > > > > > > > > > > > From: Wesley Parish > > On Mon, 10 Jul 2006 00:33, Carsten Becker wrote: > > From: "Michael Adams" <abrigon@...> > > > > Sent: Friday, July 07, 2006 10:39 PM > > > > > Body of literature helps, as seen by Martin Luthers > > > > > > translating > > > > > > the Bible into HochDeutsch, and then with Gutebburgs > > > > > > printers help, spread it around.. > > > > Misconcepton here: Luther didn't translate the bible into > > > > _Hochdeutsch_ but into German in general -- he took features > > > > from a number of dialects (as far as I know, don't quote me > > > > on that!) and created some kind of "normalized" German. The > > > > problem is that the German speaking area is a continuum of > > > > dialects more or less mutually intelligible, in Luther's > > > > times this was even more the case than today, though, where > > > > we have regiolects rather than local dialects due to the > > > > omnipresence of _Hochdeutsch_. The actually correct term for > > > > what is commonly known as 'Hochdeutsch' should be > > > > _Standarddeutsch_, since historically, 'Hochdeutsch' refers > > > > to the Upper German dialects such as the Bavarian, Frankish > > > > and Allemanic. Having lived in Saxony and Thuringia, Luther > > Saxony - wouldn't that be the kingdom now comprising most of the federal > state > > of Saxony-Anhalt? Thuringia was - to some degree, if I understand the > > history of German dialects properly - where Plattduutsch was spoken. That > > was on the east side of Ostphalia and bordered on Bohemia? > > > thus spoke neither a Lower German nor Upper German dialect > > > > (which are not mutually intelligible!) but a Middle German > > > > one, and Middle German is -- well -- a 'middle' thing. As > > Mittelhochdeutsch was the language I was taught in High School. So it > would > > > be a "Standarddeutsch" with a predominance of "Hochdeutsch" features? If > it > > > had been the other way around, I expect it would've been named > > "Mittelplattdeutsch" - which would be the standardized form of the > languages > > > spoken from Lower Saxony to Gronigen. > > > for Luther and Hochdeutsch -- by his translation of the > > > > Bible into German, he levelled the way for what later > > > > emerged into the current standard. Even in Goethe's and > > > > Schiller's time, there was no Standard Language, but the > > > > so-called _Bühnensprache_ (stage language) caught on more > > > > and more as well outside of theatres. > > Courtesy of Goethe and Schiller, no doubt. Like Shakespeare's language > became > > the basis for written English, along with the language of the Bible > > translation authorized by King James for use in churches. > > > Carsten > > > > > > > > And the guy with the types is known as _Johannes Gutenberg_ > > > > /jo.'hAn@s 'gu:tn=.bE6k/. > > > > > > > > -- > > > > "Miranayam kepauarà naranoaris." (Kalvin nay Hobbes) > > > > Pinena, Rayam 20, 2315 ya 06:43:33 pd
-- Clinersterton beademung, with all of love - RIP James Blish ------------- Mau ki ana, he aha te mea nui? You ask, "What is the most important thing?" Maku ki ana, he tangata, he tangata, he tangata. I reply, "It is people, it is people, it is people."