Prlwytzkofsky
Encyclopedia
Prlwytzkofsky is a fictional written variant of the Dutch language
, based on the idiolect of the Polish
-German
Professor Zbigniew Prlwytzkofsky (sometimes spelled Prlwytzkofski), as featured in the Tom Puss
(Tom Poes in Dutch) and Oliver B. Bumble
(Olivier B. Bommel in Dutch) series by Marten Toonder
. This "Spraak" (Prlwytzkofsky for "language") is becoming more and more popular on Dutch political and linguistic forums and is influencing Dutch political jargon
.
. "Verhoornd" (horn
ed) rhymes with "verstoord" (disturbed), which is the meaning here, but actually translates the German word for brain
, which is "Gehirn". Without knowledge of the German word, one may be led to think that the phrase refers to the brains of a cuckold.
A Slavic influence is obvious in Prlwytzkofsky calling his assistant Alexander Pieps (a mouse) "Irkoetsk" ("short-statured assistant, who always manages to do things in the wrong way", but of course also referring to the Siberian town
).
(but since all words not of the female sex but ending in a consonant
or diphthong
take "Der" as their article, this also hides a Slavic
substratum and simplifies the Prlwytzkofsky gender system, compared to Dutch and German)
Germanism
Slavic
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...
, based on the idiolect of the Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
-German
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....
Professor Zbigniew Prlwytzkofsky (sometimes spelled Prlwytzkofski), as featured in the Tom Puss
Tom Puss
Tom Puss is a fictional anthropomorphic cat and one of the two main characters, the other being Oliver B. Bumble Tom Puss (Tom Poes in Dutch language) is a fictional anthropomorphic cat and one of the two main characters, the other being Oliver B. Bumble Tom Puss (Tom Poes in Dutch language) is a...
(Tom Poes in Dutch) and Oliver B. Bumble
Oliver B. Bumble
Oliver B. Bumble is a fictional anthropomorphic bear and one of the , the other being Tom Puss in an originally Dutch series of comic books bearing the name of either one main characters in their name, written by Marten Toonder.-Publication history:The first Tom Puss stories were told as...
(Olivier B. Bommel in Dutch) series by Marten Toonder
Marten Toonder
Marten Toonder was a Dutch comic creator, born in Rotterdam. He was probably the most successful comic artist in the Netherlands and had a great influence in the Dutch language by introducing new words and expressions....
. This "Spraak" (Prlwytzkofsky for "language") is becoming more and more popular on Dutch political and linguistic forums and is influencing Dutch political jargon
Jargon
Jargon is terminology which is especially defined in relationship to a specific activity, profession, group, or event. The philosophe Condillac observed in 1782 that "Every science requires a special language because every science has its own ideas." As a rationalist member of the Enlightenment he...
.
Frequent catchphrases by professor Prlwytzkofsky
The Professor uses several well-known catchphrases:- "Praw!": used at the beginning of exclamations. Something has gone wrong and the Professor expresses his dismay. The word is probably derived from Slavic "prav" (=that is right, you are right), since it replaces the normal Dutch "waarachtig" (which literally means truly).
- "Der naam is Prlwytzkofsky. Met ener z in der midden. Der goede dag." Translation: "The name is Prlwytzkofsky. with a z in the middle. The good day." (alternative second sentence: "Met ener y an der enden.", "With a y at the end"). This is his usual greeting, even when meeting people he knows very well.
- "Gans (on)wetenschappelijk!" meaning "completely (un)scientific". Example: the professor routinely calls his scientific colleague Sickbock "gans onwetenschappelijker kwak".
Distinctive characteristics of the Prlwytzkofsky language
The language is characterised by an abundance of composite words built on the combination of words literally translated from German, but in a small number of cases including a Slavic word. Often, the particular combination in Dutch may create a hint or an echo of a totally unconnected word. For instance, "mislinger" (loser,failure, a person) combines the Dutch word mis (miss = wrong, failure) with the German word (ge)lingen (succeed) creating a word which hints at "slinger" (pendulum or festoon). The actual Dutch word is "mislukkeling". Professor Prlwytzkofsky calls disturbed brains "verhoornde hersenschors" - horned cerebral cortexCerebral cortex
The cerebral cortex is a sheet of neural tissue that is outermost to the cerebrum of the mammalian brain. It plays a key role in memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thought, language, and consciousness. It is constituted of up to six horizontal layers, each of which has a different...
. "Verhoornd" (horn
Horn (anatomy)
A horn is a pointed projection of the skin on the head of various animals, consisting of a covering of horn surrounding a core of living bone. True horns are found mainly among the ruminant artiodactyls, in the families Antilocapridae and Bovidae...
ed) rhymes with "verstoord" (disturbed), which is the meaning here, but actually translates the German word for brain
Brain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
, which is "Gehirn". Without knowledge of the German word, one may be led to think that the phrase refers to the brains of a cuckold.
A Slavic influence is obvious in Prlwytzkofsky calling his assistant Alexander Pieps (a mouse) "Irkoetsk" ("short-statured assistant, who always manages to do things in the wrong way", but of course also referring to the Siberian town
Irkutsk
Irkutsk is a city and the administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, one of the largest cities in Siberia. Population: .-History:In 1652, Ivan Pokhabov built a zimovye near the site of Irkutsk for gold trading and for the collection of fur taxes from the Buryats. In 1661, Yakov Pokhabov...
).
Straight German Influence
Clearest examples of Germanization are:- the use of the German masculine gender articleArticle (grammar)An article is a word that combines with a noun to indicate the type of reference being made by the noun. Articles specify the grammatical definiteness of the noun, in some languages extending to volume or numerical scope. The articles in the English language are the and a/an, and some...
"Der"
(but since all words not of the female sex but ending in a consonant
Consonant
In articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the vocal tract. Examples are , pronounced with the lips; , pronounced with the front of the tongue; , pronounced with the back of the tongue; , pronounced in the throat; and ,...
or diphthong
Diphthong
A diphthong , also known as a gliding vowel, refers to two adjacent vowel sounds occurring within the same syllable. Technically, a diphthong is a vowel with two different targets: That is, the tongue moves during the pronunciation of the vowel...
take "Der" as their article, this also hides a Slavic
Slavic languages
The Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...
substratum and simplifies the Prlwytzkofsky gender system, compared to Dutch and German)
- a limited number of isolated words like "gans" (whole), "tas" (cup), words with the -iker ending rather than the Dutch -icus. These words are actually in normal use in the variant of the Dutch language spoken in FlandersFlandersFlanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
. - the order of auxiliary verbs in subordinate sentences is as in German
GermanismGermanismGermanism can mean or be confused with any of the following:* German loan words and expressions in English* Pan-Germanism* Germanisation* Germanism...
s
- "overhoofd" (Dutch actually uses überhaupt)
- "manschap" (team, troops, from German Mannschaft. Dutch only uses this word in the plural)
- "kraftwagen" (=car)
SlavicSlavic languagesThe Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...
linguistic influence
- "besjnemtsing" : a sexual insult, possibly hinting at "degermanization" and claimed to be Serbo-Croat in origin by the Haagsch Bommel Genootschap.
- "proeksel" : sexual insult, meaning unknown but claimed to be Serbo-Croat. The word made it into the Dutch language and developed several meanings, from "wet snow" to "mashed and mixed-up food".
- "frlwortzln" : verb, derogatory and possibly meaning to dismember by a process involving eradication, also claimed to be influenced by Serbo-Croat.
Miscellaneous influences
- "Minkukel": although not original Prlwytzkofsky language (it was coined by extraterrestrials in Tom Poes en het Kukel), the Professor is responsible for its present meaning in Dutch: a "person with a low IQ". Only after his own "kukel" is measured by the extraterrestrials and diagnosed as negative, does he start to protest it must mean something else. Only the whacky (but Taoist) goose Wammes Waggel has a "plus" kukel and Oliver Bommel's kukel registers as zero (higher than everybody else in Rommeldam, even Tom Poes, who all get negative scores), signifying "kukel" has nothing to do with intelligence, but rather with spontaneity and savoir-vivre.
- "Kwak": English: quack. Although the normal Dutch word is "kwakzalver" and the German word is "Quacksalber", the Professor always uses the shorter form, which may indicate EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
influence. - contrary to practice in both Dutch and German, the perfect participle of a second, third ... auxiliary in a subordinated clause is never turned into an infinitive (this may be an influence of English, or of Romance languagesRomance languagesThe Romance languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family, more precisely of the Italic languages subfamily, comprising all the languages that descend from Vulgar Latin, the language of ancient Rome...
)