Low Bergish
Encyclopedia
Low Bergish, or Western Bergish, is a group of local languages of the Bergisches Land Region
east of the Rhine in West Germany. It is part of the Limburgish language
group, which extends far beyond the rivers Rhine and Maas into the Netherlands
and Belgium
. They are also part of the East Limburgish group, that is, the varieties of Limbugish spoken in Germany. They combine Low Franconian properties with some Ripuarian properties and are seen as the transitory dialects between them in the dialect continuum
of Dutch
and German
.
Low Bergish neighbors in the east to East Bergish
, a variety of Cleverlands between Limburgish language
and Westphalian
. In the south of Low Bergish is the Benrath line
, border to the Ripuarian varietey Upper Bergish or East Ripuarian.
Low Bergish is also seen as parts of Meuse-Rhenish
, which names a somewhat larger number of dialects. than the three groups having names with Bergish.
As opposed to linguists, laymen usually call their local Low Bergisch variety simply Bergish
or Platt
; they do not distinguish between the dialect groups, when talking about local languages. People from outside the Rhineland
often make even less distinctions and use the term Rhinelandic
for the varnacular of an even larger region than Meuse-Rhenish.
Bergisches Land
The Bergisches Land is a low mountain range region within the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany, east of Rhine river, south of the Ruhr. The landscape is shaped by woods, meadows, rivers and creeks and contains over 20 artificial lakes...
east of the Rhine in West Germany. It is part of the Limburgish language
Limburgish language
Limburgish, also called Limburgian or Limburgic is a group of East Low Franconian language varieties spoken in the Limburg and Rhineland regions, near the common Dutch / Belgian / German border...
group, which extends far beyond the rivers Rhine and Maas into the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. They are also part of the East Limburgish group, that is, the varieties of Limbugish spoken in Germany. They combine Low Franconian properties with some Ripuarian properties and are seen as the transitory dialects between them in the dialect continuum
Dialect 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 Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
.
Low Bergish neighbors in the east to East Bergish
East Bergish
East Bergish is a group of dialects of the Bergisches Land Region in West Germany. It combines features the of Westphalian group, Limburgish, and the South Guelderish or Cleverlands group, it is usually seen as part of the latter. South Guelderish covers much of the Lower Rhine area in Germany and...
, a variety of Cleverlands between Limburgish language
Limburgish language
Limburgish, also called Limburgian or Limburgic is a group of East Low Franconian language varieties spoken in the Limburg and Rhineland regions, near the common Dutch / Belgian / German border...
and Westphalian
Westphalian
Westphalian may refer to:* The culture or people of the Westphalia region of Germany* Westphalian language, one of the major dialect groups of West Low German* Westphalian sovereignty, a concept in international relations* Westphalian , in geology...
. In the south of Low Bergish is the Benrath line
Benrath line
In German linguistics, the Benrath line is the maken-machen isogloss: dialects north of the line have the original in maken , while those to the south have...
, border to the Ripuarian varietey Upper Bergish or East Ripuarian.
Low Bergish is also seen as parts of Meuse-Rhenish
Meuse-Rhenish
Meuse-Rhenish or Rheinmaasländisch is a modern term that geographically refers to the literature written in mediæval times in the greater Meuse-Rhine area. This area stretches in the northern triangle roughly between the rivers Meuse and Rhine...
, which names a somewhat larger number of dialects. than the three groups having names with Bergish.
As opposed to linguists, laymen usually call their local Low Bergisch variety simply Bergish
Bergish dialects
Bergish is a term used for the collection of local languages of the Bergisches Land Region East of the Rhine in West Germany. It is more a popular term, rather than one of linguistic relevance. The reason is that, the regions local dialects belong to several quite distinct groups inside the...
or Platt
Platt
Platt may refer to:Places* Platt, Florida, an unincorporated community in DeSoto County, Florida, United States* Platt, Austria* Platt, Kent, EnglandPeople* Platt * Platt Baronets, two baronetcies of the United KingdomOther uses...
; they do not distinguish between the dialect groups, when talking about local languages. People from outside the Rhineland
Rhineland
Historically, the Rhinelands refers to a loosely-defined region embracing the land on either bank of the River Rhine in central Europe....
often make even less distinctions and use the term Rhinelandic
Rhinelandic
Rhinelandic is a term occasionally used for linguistic varieties of a region on both sides of the Middle and Lower Rhine river in Central West Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. It has at least two distinct meanings which often can only be determined from the fine grain context in...
for the varnacular of an even larger region than Meuse-Rhenish.
History
The Low Bergish dialects were called only "Bergish" by early dialect geographers of Germany of the 19th century.Literature
- Georg WenkerGeorg WenkerGeorg Wenker was a German linguist who began documenting German dialect geography during the late nineteenth century. He is considered a pioneer in this field and has contributed several groundbreaking publications, most notably, the Deutscher Sprachatlas.- Biography :Georg Wenker was born in...
: Das rheinische Platt. 1877. - Georg Wenker: Das rheinische Platt, (Sammlung deutsche Dialektgeographie Heft 8), Marburg, 1915.
- Georg Cornelissen, Peter HonnenPeter HonnenPeter Honnen is a German linguist and specialist researcher of the languages of the Rhineland. He was born in Rheinhausen, Germany....
, Fritz Langensiepen (editor): Das rheinische Platt. Eine Bestandsaufnahme. Handbuch der rheinischen Mundarten Teil 1: Texte. Rheinland-Verlag, Köln. 1989. ISBN 3-7927-0689-X - Bruno Buchrücker: Wörterbuch der Elberfelder Mundart nebst Abriß der Formenlehre und Sprachproben. [Wuppertal-] Elberfeld, 1910.
- F. W. Oligschläger: Wörterbuch der Solinger Volkssprache
- Rudolf Picard: Solinger Sprachschatz, Wörterbuch und sprachwissenschaftliche Beiträge zur Solinger Mundart, Duisburg, 1974.
- Gustav Hermann Halbach: Bergischer Sprachschatz - Volkskundliches plattdeutsches Remscheider Wörterbuch. Remscheid 1951
- August Diesdrichs: Beitrag zu einem Wörterbuch der Remscheider Mundart. Remscheid, 1910.
- Heinrich Spohr: Das Düsseldorfer Rheinisch, Grupello Verlag, Düsseldorf, 2006, ISBN 3-89978-058-2
- Hans Müller-Schlösser: Wie der Düsseldofer denkt und spricht, Düsseldorf, 1952.
- Heinrich Karl Ständer: Wie säht m'r dit un dat op Düsseldorfer Platt?, Düsseldorf.
- Engels, Heinz: Ons Platt - schwazz op wiss: Ein Lehr- und Wörterbuch der Düsseldorfer Mundart ..., Droste Verlag, 1996
- Hanns Nüsser: Düsseldorfer "Platt" "Mer schrieve wie mer spreche" Protokoll einer Sprache. Herausgeber: Mundartfrenude Düsseldorf 1969 e.V. - Gemeinnütziger Verein. Düsseldorf, 1979.