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Low German Language in German Research (view source)
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Some people become somewhat incensed when they are told that their ancestors spoke ‘Low German.’ Their response is something like “My ancestors were good people/nobility (or some such thing) and would have spoken good German.” Well, ‘Low German’ is good German; it is just a different language. Unfortunately, this language has the word ‘German’ in its name. Perhaps it would be looked upon more favorably if it had a | Some people become somewhat incensed when they are told that their ancestors spoke ‘Low German.’ Their response is something like “My ancestors were good people/nobility (or some such thing) and would have spoken good German.” Well, ‘Low German’ is good German; it is just a different language. Unfortunately, this language has the word ‘German’ in its name. Perhaps it would be looked upon more favorably if it had a totally different name, one that reflected its long and noble heritage. But, alas, in English at least, this language must live in the shadow of its more powerful neighbor, Standard (High) German. | ||
<br>Low German is spoken in the north, or low lands, of Germany. Two thousand years ago, there were many Germanic dialects, including Bavarian, Alemannic, Frankish, and Saxon | <br>Low German is spoken in the north, or low lands, of Germany. Two thousand years ago, there were many Germanic dialects, including Bavarian, Alemannic, Frankish, and Saxon. It is from Saxon that Low German developed. About 1500 years ago, a series of sound changes occurred which started in the southern part of the Germanic-speaking region and slowly spread northward. Various dialect features stopped at different places. These features are still with us today and are the main criteria for delineating modern German dialects. Low German is set off from the High (from the ‘highlands’ of the German-speaking region) and Middle German dialects by not having participated in any of the sound changes. Therefore, it is a very conservative language in many features. Its consonants sound more like those of English than to those of High German. Low German also looks and sounds very much like its sister language Dutch. | ||
<br>But what does this have to do with German genealogy? Well, the researcher might come across documents that have Low German features. Most commonly, it will be only names that are Low German, as most areas in Germany switched to High German for official purposes by 1600. Names such as Schoonmaker, ten Brink, Barkhofen, op de Weeg, Willems and many others betray their Low German origin. If you see one of these surnames, you should believe that the family that carries the name is, or at least had ancestors, from northern Germany. But, because people are now so mobile and move for various reasons, a name itself cannot tell you where a living person is from. The form of the name can give you a clue about the origin of an ancestor. | <br>But what does this have to do with German genealogy? Well, the researcher might come across documents that have Low German features. Most commonly, it will be only names that are Low German, as most areas in Germany switched to High German for official purposes by 1600. Names such as Schoonmaker, ten Brink, Barkhofen, op de Weeg, Willems and many others betray their Low German origin. If you see one of these surnames, you should believe that the family that carries the name is, or at least had ancestors, from northern Germany. But, because people are now so mobile and move for various reasons, a name itself cannot tell you where a living person is from. The form of the name can give you a clue about the origin of an ancestor. | ||
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<br>Here we see the Dutch (and English!)-looking ''School''-, where German would have ''Schul''-. ''Dochter ''looks Dutch, too, as does ''Vaddersche''. | <br>Here we see the Dutch (and English!)-looking ''School''-, where German would have ''Schul''-. ''Dochter ''looks Dutch, too, as does ''Vaddersche''. | ||
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Haitet, Joahn Meteß Sohn, syn Suster Vaddersche. D. 20. Sept. | Haitet, Joahn Meteß Sohn, syn Suster Vaddersche. D. 20. Sept. | ||
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Although it is sometimes impossible to tell whether a text is Dutch or Low German, there are often clues to tell the reader which language it is. First, this parish is in Germany, which lends support to the idea that the language is Low German. But that is not a determining factor. In this entry we see the word ''Sohn'', which is German. In Dutch, we would expect ''zoon''. ''Syn ''is not typical of Standard German and neither is ''suster''. Both are Low German. | Although it is sometimes impossible to tell whether a text is Dutch or Low German, there are often clues to tell the reader which language it is. First, this parish is in Germany, which lends support to the idea that the language is Low German. But that is not a determining factor. In this entry we see the word ''Sohn'', which is German. In Dutch, we would expect ''zoon''. ''Syn ''is not typical of Standard German and neither is ''suster''. Both are Low German. | ||