OOTS #1273 - The Discussion Thread

[Syncrogti]

... but floating discs are tenser.

thank you, I laughed at this.

[Keltest]

Nah that's not English, that's every language ever. English is not that special.

As for the Pennsylvania Dutch, the Dutch only became distinct from Low German speakers relatively recently. The Dutch call their language Nederlands now, but back in the day that name included both what we call Dutch and what we call Low German. In fact, the Dutch also called their own language Dietsch/Duutsch and later Nederduitsch.

The PA Dutch are not Dutch at all, but in fact German. Theyre called PA Dutch because they called themselves Deutsche in their native language and were misunderstood by the non-Germans who settled here. Its a case of related languages being confused for each other.

[Tzardok]

Exactly. Low German (or, as it calls itself, Plattdüütsch), and Dutch are not the same and haven't been since their ancestors split during the Dark Age from each other.

[hroþila]

The PA Dutch are not Dutch at all, but in fact German. Theyre called PA Dutch because they called themselves Deutsche in their native language and were misunderstood by the non-Germans who settled here. Its a case of related languages being confused for each other.

I know they're not Dutch, my point is that the term predates the distinction between "Dutch" and "German". It's not a misapplied name, it's a name that continued being used in its older sense.

Exactly. Low German (or, as it calls itself, Plattdüütsch), and Dutch are not the same and haven't been since their ancestors split during the Dark Age from each other.

Low German and Dutch are not the same, but again, historically Dutch speakers called both Nederlands and Nederdiets, among other names.

There was no absolute divide until the standardization of the 19th century. It was a dialect continuum (it still is, but the existence of standard languages across national borders has had a massive impact on how we conceptualize these languages).