East Low German
Encyclopedia
East Low German is a group of Low German
dialects, including various varieties known as Pomeranian and Prussian, spoken in Northeast Germany
as well as by minorities in present northern Poland
. Together with West Low German, it constitutes Low German
. Prior to 1945 the dialect was spoken along the entire German Baltic Coast
, from Mecklenburg
, through Pomerania, West Prussia
into certain villages of the East Prussia
n Memel-Klaipėda Region.
The varieties known as Pomeranian should not be confused with the West Slavic
Pomeranian language
.
of the continental West Germanic languages
. It developed from the older Middle Low German
.
In the West it fades into West Low German. The distinction is usually made referring to the plural endings of the verbs: East Low German endings are based on the old first/third person ending: -e(n), whereas West Low German endings are based on the old second person ending: -(e)t. The categorization of the Low German dialects into an Eastern and a Western group is not made by all linguists.
In the South, it fades into East Central German
. The difference is that the East Low German varieties have not been affected by the High German consonant shift
. The areas affected by the High German consonant shift are still expanding today, especially the Berlinisch
dialect that is gaining ground on the Brandenburgisch
dialect by which it is surrounded.
It also includes Plautdietsch
(originating from Danzig
), which is spoken by Mennonite
s in North America
and a few other places in the world. Berlinisch
(in Berlin
) was a version of Brandenburgisch in medieval times until it split off; it is now seen as an East Central German
dialect.
Baltendeutsch is a High German
variety influenced by East Low German formerly spoken by Germans in the Baltic states
.
The German dialects of Pomerania are compiled in the Pommersche Wörterbuch ("Pomeranian Dictionary"), a dictionary
of the German dialects spoken within the Province of Pomerania's borders in 1936.
Pomeranian dialects of East Low German are also spoken in Brazil
(see Pomerode
, in Santa Catarina
, Santa Maria de Jetibá, in Espírito Santo
, and Arroio do Padre
, Morro Redondo, Turuçu
, São Lourenço do Sul
and Pelotas
, in Rio Grande do Sul
).
was largely populated
by Slavic Pomeranians and Liuticians, who spoke the Pomeranian
and Polabian
languages. During the High Middle Ages
, Germans
from northern parts of the Holy Roman Empire
settled in Pomerania as part of the medieval Ostsiedlung
. Most Slavic Pomeranians gradually became Germanized. The new Pomeranian dialects which emerged from the admixture of the Low German dialects of the settlers are classified as East Low German.
After World War II
, Germans east of the Oder-Neisse line
were expelled to post-war Germany
. Most of the Pomeranian dialects have largely died out in the following decades as the expellees were assimilated into their new homes, although Pomeranian dialects are still spoken in Vorpommern (Western or Hither Pomerania), part of the German
state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
As a result of German immigration to Brazil
, there are still some communities speaking Pomeranian in Rio Grande do Sul
, Santa Catarina
and Espírito Santo
.
and Heinrich Bandlow
are among the most famous East Low German writers.
Low German
Low German or Low Saxon is an Ingvaeonic West Germanic language spoken mainly in northern Germany and the eastern part of the Netherlands...
dialects, including various varieties known as Pomeranian and Prussian, spoken in Northeast Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
as well as by minorities in present northern Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. Together with West Low German, it constitutes Low German
Low German
Low German or Low Saxon is an Ingvaeonic West Germanic language spoken mainly in northern Germany and the eastern part of the Netherlands...
. Prior to 1945 the dialect was spoken along the entire German Baltic Coast
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
, from Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
, through Pomerania, West Prussia
West Prussia
West Prussia was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773–1824 and 1878–1919/20 which was created out of the earlier Polish province of Royal Prussia...
into certain villages of the East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
n Memel-Klaipėda Region.
The varieties known as Pomeranian should not be confused with the West Slavic
West Slavic languages
The West Slavic languages are a subdivision of the Slavic language group that includes Czech, Polish, Slovak, Kashubian and Sorbian.Classification:* Indo-European** Balto-Slavic*** Slavic**** West Slavic***** Czech-Slovak languages****** Czech...
Pomeranian language
Pomeranian language
The Pomeranian language is a group of dialects from the Lechitic cluster of the West Slavic languages. In medieval contexts, it refers to the dialects spoken by the Slavic Pomeranians...
.
Related languages
East Low German belongs to the dialect continuumDialect continuum
A dialect continuum, or dialect area, was defined by Leonard Bloomfield as a range of dialects spoken across some geographical area that differ only slightly between neighboring areas, but as one travels in any direction, these differences accumulate such that speakers from opposite ends of the...
of the continental West Germanic languages
West Germanic languages
The West Germanic languages constitute the largest of the three traditional branches of the Germanic family of languages and include languages such as German, English, Dutch, Afrikaans, the Frisian languages, and Yiddish...
. It developed from the older Middle Low German
Middle Low German
Middle Low German is a language that is the descendant of Old Saxon and is the ancestor of modern Low German. It served as the international lingua franca of the Hanseatic League...
.
In the West it fades into West Low German. The distinction is usually made referring to the plural endings of the verbs: East Low German endings are based on the old first/third person ending: -e(n), whereas West Low German endings are based on the old second person ending: -(e)t. The categorization of the Low German dialects into an Eastern and a Western group is not made by all linguists.
In the South, it fades into East Central German
East Central German
East Central German is the non-Franconian sub-group of Central German dialects, themselves part of High German. It comprises:*Standard German*Thuringian*Upper Saxon German*Lausitzisch-Neumärkisch, whose best-known form is the Berlinerisch dialect...
. The difference is that the East Low German varieties have not been affected by the High German consonant shift
High German consonant shift
In historical linguistics, the High German consonant shift or second Germanic consonant shift is a phonological development that took place in the southern parts of the West Germanic dialect continuum in several phases, probably beginning between the 3rd and 5th centuries AD, and was almost...
. The areas affected by the High German consonant shift are still expanding today, especially the Berlinisch
Berlinerisch
Berlinerisch, Berlinisch, or Berliner Schnauze is a dialect of Berlin Brandenburgish spoken in Berlin. It originates from a Mark Brandenburgish variant...
dialect that is gaining ground on the Brandenburgisch
Brandenburgisch
Brandenburgish or Markish is a dialect spoken in Germany in the northern and western parts of Brandenburg as well as in northern Saxony-Anhalt...
dialect by which it is surrounded.
Dialects
East Low German dialects are:- In GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
:- BrandenburgischBrandenburgischBrandenburgish or Markish is a dialect spoken in Germany in the northern and western parts of Brandenburg as well as in northern Saxony-Anhalt...
(in BrandenburgBrandenburgBrandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
, northern Saxony-AnhaltSaxony-AnhaltSaxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...
), incl. Middle Pomeranian - Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch (in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern), incl. West Pomeranian
- Brandenburgisch
- In PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
:- Low PrussianLow PrussianLow Prussian , sometimes known simply as Prussian , is a dialect of East Low German that developed in East Prussia. Low Prussian was spoken in East and West Prussia and Danzig up to 1945. It developed on a Baltic substrate through the influx of Dutch and Low German speaking immigrants...
(spoken by minorities around GdańskGdanskGdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
in northern Poland; nearly extinct since 1945, considered to include PlauttdietschPlautdietschPlautdietsch, or Mennonite Low German, was originally a Low Prussian variety of East Low German, with Dutch influence, that developed in the 16th and 17th centuries in the Vistula delta area of Royal Prussia, today Polish territory. The word is another pronunciation of Plattdeutsch, or Low German...
by some observers) - East PomeranianEast PomeranianEast Pomeranian is an East Low German dialect that is or used to be spoken in Northern Poland . It is part of the Pommersch dialect group....
(spoken by minorities in PomeraniaPomeraniaPomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East...
and BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
; incl. West Prussian)
- Low Prussian
It also includes Plautdietsch
Plautdietsch
Plautdietsch, or Mennonite Low German, was originally a Low Prussian variety of East Low German, with Dutch influence, that developed in the 16th and 17th centuries in the Vistula delta area of Royal Prussia, today Polish territory. The word is another pronunciation of Plattdeutsch, or Low German...
(originating from Danzig
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
), which is spoken by Mennonite
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
s in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and a few other places in the world. Berlinisch
Berlinerisch
Berlinerisch, Berlinisch, or Berliner Schnauze is a dialect of Berlin Brandenburgish spoken in Berlin. It originates from a Mark Brandenburgish variant...
(in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
) was a version of Brandenburgisch in medieval times until it split off; it is now seen as an East Central German
East Central German
East Central German is the non-Franconian sub-group of Central German dialects, themselves part of High German. It comprises:*Standard German*Thuringian*Upper Saxon German*Lausitzisch-Neumärkisch, whose best-known form is the Berlinerisch dialect...
dialect.
Baltendeutsch is a High German
High German languages
The High German languages or the High German dialects are any of the varieties of standard German, Luxembourgish and Yiddish, as well as the local German dialects spoken in central and southern Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Luxembourg and in neighboring portions of Belgium and the...
variety influenced by East Low German formerly spoken by Germans in the Baltic states
Baltic states
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
.
The German dialects of Pomerania are compiled in the Pommersche Wörterbuch ("Pomeranian Dictionary"), a dictionary
Dictionary
A dictionary is a collection of words in one or more specific languages, often listed alphabetically, with usage information, definitions, etymologies, phonetics, pronunciations, and other information; or a book of words in one language with their equivalents in another, also known as a lexicon...
of the German dialects spoken within the Province of Pomerania's borders in 1936.
Pomeranian dialects of East Low German are also spoken in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
(see Pomerode
Pomerode
Pomerode is a Brazilian city in the state of Santa Catarina, in Southern Brazil. It is located in the valley of the Itajaí-Açu river, not very far from the city of Blumenau, one of the largest cities in the state....
, in Santa Catarina
Santa Catarina (state)
Santa Catarina is a state in southern Brazil with one of the highest standards of living in Latin America. Its capital is Florianópolis, which mostly lies on the Santa Catarina Island. Neighbouring states are Rio Grande do Sul to the south and Paraná to the north. It is bounded on the east by...
, Santa Maria de Jetibá, in Espírito Santo
Espírito Santo
Espírito Santo is one of the states of southeastern Brazil, often referred to by the abbreviation "ES". Its capital is Vitória and the largest city is Vila Velha. The name of the state means literally "holy spirit" after the Holy Ghost of Christianity...
, and Arroio do Padre
Arroio do Padre
Arroio do Padre is a small Brazilian town and municipality in the southeastern part of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its 2009 population was 2,882.Much of the population have Pomeranian origin and are Evangelical Lutheran....
, Morro Redondo, Turuçu
Turuçu
Turuçu is a small Brazilian town in the southeastwern part of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. It is nicknamed the National Capital of the Red Piment . Its 2001 population was 3,889. The origin of the name comes from a Native South American language...
, São Lourenço do Sul
São Lourenço do Sul
São Lourenço do Sul is a Brazilian town in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population estimated in 2004 was 44,935 inhabitants. It is located at the west bank of the big lagoon Lagoa dos Patos....
and Pelotas
Pelotas
Pelotas is a Brazilian city and municipality , the third most populous in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. Pelotas is located 270 km from Porto Alegre, the capital city of the state, and 130 km from the Uruguayan border...
, in Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...
).
History
By the early Middle Ages, PomeraniaPomerania during the Early Middle Ages
The southward movement of Germanic tribes during the migration period had left Pomerania largely depopulated by the 7th century. Between 650 and 850 AD, West Slavic tribes settled in Pomerania. The tribes between the Oder and the Vistula were collectively known as Pomeranians, and those west of the...
was largely populated
Historical Demography of Pomerania
Pomerania has experienced several transitions not only of culture and administration, but also of its population.The first historically noted major change occurred in the midst of the first millennium, when large parts of the indigenous population left Pomerania as Germanic Goths and Rugians to...
by Slavic Pomeranians and Liuticians, who spoke the Pomeranian
Pomeranian language
The Pomeranian language is a group of dialects from the Lechitic cluster of the West Slavic languages. In medieval contexts, it refers to the dialects spoken by the Slavic Pomeranians...
and Polabian
Polabian language
The Polabian language is an extinct West Slavic language that was spoken by the Polabian Slavs in present-day North-Eastern Germany around the Elbe river, from which derives its name...
languages. During the High Middle Ages
Pomerania during the High Middle Ages
Pomerania during the High Middle Ages covers the History of Pomerania in the 12th and 13th centuries.The early 12th century Obodrite, Polish, Saxon, and Danish conquests resulted in vassalage and Christianization of the formerly pagan and independent Pomeranian tribes...
, Germans
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
from northern parts of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
settled in Pomerania as part of the medieval Ostsiedlung
Ostsiedlung
Ostsiedlung , also called German eastward expansion, was the medieval eastward migration and settlement of Germans from modern day western and central Germany into less-populated regions and countries of eastern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The affected area roughly stretched from Slovenia...
. Most Slavic Pomeranians gradually became Germanized. The new Pomeranian dialects which emerged from the admixture of the Low German dialects of the settlers are classified as East Low German.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Germans east of the Oder-Neisse line
Oder-Neisse line
The Oder–Neisse line is the border between Germany and Poland which was drawn in the aftermath of World War II. The line is formed primarily by the Oder and Lusatian Neisse rivers, and meets the Baltic Sea west of the seaport cities of Szczecin and Świnoujście...
were expelled to post-war Germany
Flight and expulsion of Germans from Poland during and after World War II
The flight and expulsion of Germans from Poland was the largest of a series of flights and expulsions of Germans in Europe during and after World War II...
. Most of the Pomeranian dialects have largely died out in the following decades as the expellees were assimilated into their new homes, although Pomeranian dialects are still spoken in Vorpommern (Western or Hither Pomerania), part of the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
As a result of German immigration to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, there are still some communities speaking Pomeranian in Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...
, Santa Catarina
Santa Catarina (state)
Santa Catarina is a state in southern Brazil with one of the highest standards of living in Latin America. Its capital is Florianópolis, which mostly lies on the Santa Catarina Island. Neighbouring states are Rio Grande do Sul to the south and Paraná to the north. It is bounded on the east by...
and Espírito Santo
Espírito Santo
Espírito Santo is one of the states of southeastern Brazil, often referred to by the abbreviation "ES". Its capital is Vitória and the largest city is Vila Velha. The name of the state means literally "holy spirit" after the Holy Ghost of Christianity...
.
The Lord's Prayer in Plautdietsch
- Ons Voda em Himmel,
- lot dien Nome jeheilicht woare;
- lot dien Ritjdom kome;
- lot dien Welle jedone woare,
- uck hia oppe Ed, soo aus em Himmel;
- jeff ons Dach fe Dach daut Broot, daut ons fehlt;
- en vejeff ons onse Schult,
- soo aus wie den vejewe, dee sich jeajen ons veschuldicht ha;
- en brinj ons nich en Vesetjunk nenn,
- oba rad ons von Beeset.
The Lord's Prayer in Mękelborgsch (Mecklenburgic)
- Unsen Vader in'n Hęwen,
- Heiligt węs Din Nam;
- Din Rik kam;
- Din Will sche;
- Up Ird' as in Hęwen;
- Giw uns hüt uns daglig Brod;
- Un vörgiw uns unse Schuld,
- Soas wi vörgęwen unsen Schuldners
- Un vör uns nich in Vörsöking'
- Man befri uns vun'n Æwel.
Writers
Fritz ReuterFritz Reuter
Fritz Reuter was a novelist from Northern Germany who was one of the most prominent contributors to Low German literature.-Early life:...
and Heinrich Bandlow
Heinrich Bandlow
Heinrich Bandlow was a Pomeranian author, writing in Standard as well as in Low German. For his Low German works he is known as "Pomeranian Reuter", which is a reference to his Mecklenburgian counterpart, Fritz Reuter.-Life:Heinrich Bandlow was born on April 14, 1855 in Tribsees...
are among the most famous East Low German writers.
See also
Note that the nds.wikipedia linked here is both West and East Low German, with a vastly predominant western input.- PrussiaPrussiaPrussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...