Dutch Low Saxon
Dutch Low Saxon (Nederlaands Leegsaksies
The
The Netherlands recognizes Dutch Low Saxon as a regional language under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.[4]
Classification
The classification of Dutch Low Saxon is not unanimous. From a
From a strictly synchronic point of view, however, some linguists classify Dutch Low Saxon as belonging to the Dutch language area.[5] Also, as a practical matter, Dutch Low Saxon, since the 17th century, has been influenced by Standard Dutch, but the Low Saxon dialects in Germany are influenced by Standard German. Recent studies have, however, shown that mutual intelligibility is not necessarily impaired and that the basis remains the same.[6]
Use
Shortly after
Throughout the 1960s, the language decline inspired many to form dialect preservation circles and groups, such as the
Another tone was rather literary in nature. Though well-intended, it caused even more estrangement with younger generations.
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At the same time, knowledge of and appreciation for related varieties was poor, which stifled cooperation between most of the dialect preservation groups. Instead of forming an organisation to stand together and help one another to improve the status for all the different varieties, fiery discussions arose about whether the long open or open-mid back rounded vowel (pronounced [ɒː] or [ɔː], depending on the dialect) should be written as either 'oa' or 'ao'. That resulted in little co-operation and no nationwide coordination.
Other attempts to unite the different dialect circles were met with cynicism. The conception prevailed that the dialects were too different to unite.
In 1975, the
In 1996, Dutch Low Saxon was added to the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Dutch provinces now receive minor funds for preserving and promoting the use of Low Saxon. A general rise in regional pride and appreciation for the Low Saxon identity made the earlier openly disdainful attitude towards Low Saxon seem to have subsided somewhat. Low Saxon is increasingly being used in popular culture, marketing, and local politics.
The Tweants municipality of Rijssen-Holten, for example, has officially adopted a bilingual status for their town hall desks, and customers may opt for Dutch or Low Saxon help.
In 2012, a radio presenter for national broadcasting station
An increasing number of local political parties have used Low Saxon in their 2014 electoral campaigns. In 2014, a Facebook page called "Tukkers be like" gained more than 18,000 followers within a week. The page uses Twents cultural concepts and expressions in Twents. The idea of the page was based on the Internet meme "Bitches be like", which gained enormous popularity in 2013, and inspired many to create their own versions. The meme presents an image of a certain situation, to which a certain group would respond in a typical way.
Education
Dutch Low Saxon has long been stigmatised and kept out of schools. People of older generations may relate numerous accounts of their childhood in which contemporaries were afraid to go to school for fear of being reprimanded, or purposely ignored, for not speaking Dutch.
The similarities between the languages made Low Saxon be regarded a dialect of Dutch, and shifting from Low Saxon to Dutch would be relatively easy. Instead of adapting the school curriculum and guiding the children into learning Dutch as a second language and embracing the potential of the Low Saxon language, non-Dutch speaking parents were advised to speak Dutch with their children instead to increase their chances of success on the job market. The result was a string of Dutch dialects with Low Saxon features, which were also looked down upon.
As of 2014, Low Saxon is still not a part of the Dutch school curriculum. It is neither a subject nor a mode of communication. This causes a general lack of knowledge about, and appreciation for the language. Its possible role as a language of trade between the Netherlands and Germany is often dismissed, but a 2012 study indicates it may be a useful addition in international trade communications.[8]
As of 2015, language enthusiasts attempt to start up courses for the language and culture, especially in the Tweante region. They are mostly studies aimed at the elderly but still prove to be very popular. There still is no professional attempt to promote the language into the school curriculum.
Probably the largest single body of work ever produced in Dutch Low Saxon is the Dutch Low Saxon Wikipedia, begun in 2006 as a separate project from the German Low Saxon Wikipedia, which preceded it by three years.
Dutch influence
A lot of the dialects have been affected by the
Several long vowel shifts happened in Veluws, Urkers, Sallaans, Stellingwarfs, Drèents and in some variants of Gronings; the change occurred as the Hollandic dialect rose in prestige during the 17th century. For example, the oe [uː] changed into uu [yː]. Tweants, Eastern Achterhooks and some variants of Gronings and Drents, by contrast, retained their old vowels. Compare the Tweants and Sallaans equivalents: hoes : huus ("house"). In many dialects, the oe sound was preserved in some words but changed to uu in others. As a result, in Sallaans house is huus, but mouse is moes (as in Tweants).
Dutch has lost the word doe "thou" and replaced it with jij, equivalent to English "ye", originally the second person plural. In many Low Saxon dialects in the Netherlands, the same happened. The doe : ie/ieje/ij isogloss runs close to the Dutch border, except in Groningen, where it enters the Dutch territory. In Twente, it is present in the easternmost villages of Denekamp and Oldenzaal, but its disappearance from the rest of the region is only a relatively recent development. In the Achterhoek (Gelderland), dou can be found in Winterswijk and Groenlo.
References
- ^ "UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in danger". www.unesco.org.
- ^ Driessen, Geert (2012). "Ontwikkelingen in het gebruik van Fries, streektalen en dialecten in de periode 1995-2011" (PDF). Radboud University Nijmegen. Retrieved 2017-04-29.
- ^ Bloemhoff, H., 2005, Taaltelling Nedersaksisch. Een enquête naar het gebruik en de beheersing van het Nedersaksisch in Nederland. Groningen: Sasland
- ^ "De Nedersaksische taal (The Dutch Low Saxon language)". Rijksoverheid.nl (website of the Dutch national government). 14 July 2020. Retrieved 2022-12-17.
- ^ Hermann Niebaum/Jürgen Macha: Einführung in die Dialektologie des Deutschen, 2., neubearbeitete Auflage, Tübingen: Max Niemeyer, 2006, p. 221, footnote 7, referring to Goossens.
- ^ Gooskens, C. S. & Kürschner, S. 2009 Low Saxon dialects across borders — Niedersächsische Dialecte über Grenzen hinweg. Lenz, A. N., Charlotte, G. & Siemon, R. (eds.). Franz Steiner Verlag, p. 273 - 297 (Beihefte Zeitschrift für Dialektologie und Linguistik; no. 138)
- ^ Michiel Veenstra presenteert een uur lang in het twents.
- ^ "Denge, G.J.M. ter. Linguae Intergermanica: The Use of Low Saxon, English, Dutch, German, and Receptive Multilingualism in Northern Dutch – Northern German Communication. 2012" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-18. Retrieved 2014-03-03.
Further reading
- Kocks, Geert (1999), "Coevorden" (PDF), in Kruijsen, Joep; van der Sijs, Nicoline (eds.), Honderd Jaar Stadstaal, Uitgeverij Contact, pp. 49–58
- Nijen Twilhaar, Jan (1999), "Deventer" (PDF), in Kruijsen, Joep; van der Sijs, Nicoline (eds.), Honderd Jaar Stadstaal, Uitgeverij Contact, pp. 59–73
- Reker, Siemon (1999), "Groningen" (PDF), in Kruijsen, Joep; van der Sijs, Nicoline (eds.), Honderd Jaar Stadstaal, Uitgeverij Contact, pp. 25–36
- Schaars, Lex (1999), "Zutphen" (PDF), in Kruijsen, Joep; van der Sijs, Nicoline (eds.), Honderd Jaar Stadstaal, Uitgeverij Contact, pp. 87–101