User:GiveMeCovfefe/New Saxon Spelling

The New Saxon Spelling (Low Saxon: Nysassiske Skryvwyse, (NSS)) is a Low Saxon set of spelling rules for the entire Low Saxon language area, including both the Dutch and the German side of the border. Whereas other spelling forms usually focus on correct display of local pronunciation, the NSS aims for maximum mutual legibility and non-ambiguity.

Advantages of this spelling include: The NSS can be seen as an extended version of the Algemeyne Schryvwys’ (Common Orthography) by Reinhard Franz Hahn, now made suitable for other, non-Northern Low Saxon varieties as well. It also incorporates bits and pieces from various other pronunciation-based spellings and the Middle Saxon spelling from the era of the Hanseatic League. This spelling was compiled by the “warkgruppe AS2.0” (AS 2.0 project team), a team of language activists from the Dutch Veluwe and Twente regions, and from Ostwestfalen and Schleswig-Holstein in Germany).
 * non-ambiguity
 * mutual legibility
 * equality for all dialects on both sides of the border
 * freedom of applying personal pronunciation
 * recognisable word forms across all dialects
 * recognisable language marker

Aim and background
The aim of the New Saxon Spelling is to simplify and encourage cross-border communication. This is achieved by finding a middle ground, and stripping words of their local verbal decorations.

Whereas the usual consensus on both sides of the border is “write it like you pronounce it” (which usually comes down to: “write it as if it is Dutch or German”), the NSS helps people write it so others who are unfamiliar with either Dutch- or German-based spelling can understand it. Readers may then apply their own pronunciation.

Existing Low Saxon spelling forms usually follow either High German or Standard Dutch orthographies, with slight modifications to cater to local Low Saxon pronunciation. However, few people strictly adhere to them, or even know about them.

Germans, instead, tend to use High-German spelling rules to write Low Saxon, while the Dutch apply Standard Dutch orthography. This unnecessarily hinders mutual understanding in written form. Neither are designed for the Low Saxon language, creating gaps which are left to the whims of the writers’ imagination and creativity. On the Dutch side, this usually results in a flurry of diacritics and double or even triplet vowels.

Example
The following Twents example sentence shows the difference of the NSS, compared to other, more or less common writing standards, such as the Sass'sche Schriefwies (focussed at Northern Low Saxon in Germany) and the Standaard Schriefwieze (focussed at Twents in the Netherlands).


 * English: "The soldier wrote to his mom that he would be home soon."
 * Twents, in the Sass'sche Schriefwies: "Den Suldaat schreev an sien Moder, dat he gau wedder to Huus kömm."
 * Twents, in the Standaard Schriefwieze: "'n Soldoat skreef an zien moo dat e gauw wier thoes köm."
 * Twents, in the NSS: "Den soldåt skreev an syn moder dat hee gauw wyr te huus köm."

Forms
The New Saxon Spelling can be applied as both a broad form and a range of narrow forms. On the one hand, there is an Cross-Regional maximum version, which incorporates all spoken differences of all the various dialects. On the other hand, there is a range of regional minimal versions, which allow for grapheme mergers if a dialect has lost a certain sound distinction that others have retained.

The New Saxon Spelling follows three main principles As well as a range of other qualities, explained in detail below.
 * etymology
 * uniformity
 * open and closed syllables

Principle 1: etymology
In the cross-regional maximum version, etymology dictates the way a word is written. In regional minimal versions, derived forms are allowed when phonemes have merged which were originally different.

Apocope ‘e’
Apocope ‘e’ is retained in the NSS. Northern dialects in Germany (and some Dutch Low Saxon dialects) have dropped the “e” at the end of words. Many southern dialects, however, have not. Therefore, the ‘e’ should be retained, to reduce visual differences. It additionally offers a simple and systematic solution for showing word-final consonant voicing in the Northern dialects: wyse = [vi:z], breyve = [brɛ:ɪ̯v].

Principle 2: uniformity
Uniformity dictates that words are written in the same way as much as possible, both dialect-internally as well as in interdialectal situations.

Final devoicing
At the end of syllables, obstruents usually become devoiced. As this is a natural rule of Low Saxon, there is no need to show this in spelling. This means it is written as tyd - tyden (not: Tiet - Tieden like the SASS dictates) and skryven - skrivt (Not like Dutch schrijven - schrijft).

Assimilation
General assimilation is not reflected in the NSS. Therefore, one should write bild - bilder (instead of bild - biller), hand - handen/hände, ölven, seggen etc.

Exceptions
Exceptions to this rule are base words ending in s, sj, or other sibilants. The s from the -st suffix is dropped: nervöös → up't nervööst, duusjen → du duusjt.

Vowel length
Long monophthongs in open syllables are written using one single character. In closed syllables, they are doubled: maken - maakt, good - gode.

Exceptions
Exceptions to this rule are the letters e, y and å:
 * Long “e” can be doubled in stressed open syllables. This mostly applies to one-syllable words. For instance, as an alternative to northern “sey” (DE “See”, NL “zee”), southern dialects may write “see”.


 * y always represents a long vowel. Doubling it in closed syllables is therefore unnecessary. Examples are hyr and myn, instead of hyyr or myyn.
 * å also always represents a long vowel. Doubling it in closed syllables is, again, unnecessary. One should write stån and gån, instead of ståån or gåån.

Syllable-final consonants
The NSS does not write double consonants at the end of syllables, like High German. This means, one should write kan, nat and wil, instead of kann, natt and will, like in the SASS spelling.

Adapting loans and foreign words
Loan words which are now part of everyday language will be written as they are pronounced. For foreign words, the original language spelling should be heeded, if Latin letters are used. Otherwise, the following aspects apply:
 * Open/closed syllables: long vowels in closed syllables are written with two letters, for instance kanaal, systeem, and kultuur.
 * C is k if pronunciation is /k/, and will remain c by if pronunciation is /ts~s/, for instance konferens(y) and kakao, but citrone and centrum.
 * cc is ks when pronunciation is /ks/ (aksent, aksepteren), and kk when pronunciation is /k/ (akkumuleren, akkoord).
 * qu is kw when pronunciation is /kv/ or /kʋ/, for instance in kwaliteyt and frekwens(y).
 * qu is k if pronunciation is /k/, such as in karantene, kwotum and kwotient. When it includes personal names or locations, NSS may retain qu, for instance in Quebec.
 * th and ph are written as t and f. For instance, in teory, tema, telefoon, and foto.
 * x is ks, such as in eksempel and kontekst.

Capitalisation
Only words at the beginning of sentences, personal names, and countries are written with a capital letter. Other nouns and adjectives aren’t written with capital letters, not even if a country’s name serves as an adjective.

Punctuation

 * Use of commas follows grammar. NSS places a comma between two sub-clauses, for instance [main clause, main clause], or [main clause, sub-clause]. If a sub-clause is short (about two words), the comma can be left out. Exception: there’s no comma before un/en (and), or un or/oder/of (or).
 * Citation marks are always up. possibilities: "...", “...”, and ”...”.

Grapheme use
For consonants, there isn’t much phonemic difference between dialects. Here, the cross-regional spelling can be applied to all dialects.

For vowels, dialect-specific exceptions make it harder to merge vowel graphemes in cross-dialectal spelling. Some dialects or dialect groups require small adaptations.

Northern Saxon
In eastern dialects of Northern Saxon (especially Meckelenburg and the east of Holstein), ē vowels have a triple opposition: ē1 and ē2a are /e:/, ē2b and ē4 are /ɛɪ̯/ and ē3 is /aɪ̯/. NSS writes these: ē1: skere, kese, leeg ē2a: sepe, reep ē2b: steyn, beyn ē3: bayde, layden, gayl ē4: leyv, vleygen, geyten

In western dialects on the German side of the border (i.e. Northern Lower Saxony, Western Holstein, and Sleswig), ē1 and ē2a are identical to ē2b and ē4. They are widely diphthongated. Therefore, NSS writes: ē1: skeyre, keyse, leyg ē2a: seype, reyp ē2b: steyn, beyn ē3: bayde, layden, gayl ē4: leyv, vleygen, geyten

Grönnings and northern Drenths in the Netherlands have kept ē1 distict. NSS prescribes: ē1: skere, kese, leeg ē2a: seype, reyp ē2b: steyn, beyn ē3: bayde, layden, gayl ē4: leyv, vleygen, geyten

Westphalian
In Eastern Westphalia, all the ē sounds have a vowel glide, represented as /aɪ̯/ in ē1 and ē2a. Therefore, Westphalian NSS writes: ē1: skayre (before /r/ as /e:/), kayse, layg ē2a: saype, rayp ē2b: steyn, beyn ē3: beyde, leyden, geyl ē4: leyv, vleygen, geyten

In the Münsterland, ē1, ē3 and ē4 are pronounced /aɪ̯/, while ē2 is pronounced /e:/. NSS writes: ē1: skayre (before /r/ as /e:/), kayse, layg ē2a: sepe, reep ē2b: steen/stene, been ē3: bayde, layden, gayl ē4: layv, vlaygen, gayten

Middle and southern Drenths, like stellingwarvsk, make a distinction in these phonemes. They use the following phoneme-grapheme correspondence: ē1 and ē2a = /e:/ = , ē2b and ē4 = /i:/ = , ē3 = /ɛɪ̯/ = : ē1: skere, kese, leeg ē2a: sepe, reep ē2b: styn, byn ē3: beyde, leyden, geyl ē4: lyv, vlygen, gyten

Twents and Westmünsterlandic dialects have a distinction between diphthongs ē3 and monophthongs ē1, ē2 and ē4. NSS writes: ē1: skere, kese, leeg ē2a: sepe, reep ē2b: steen, been ē3: beyde, leyden, geyl ē4: leev, vlegen, geten

Eastphalian
In Eastphalian, ē1 and ē2a are monophthongs, while ē2b, ē3 and ē4 are diphthongs. NSS prescribes: ē1: skere, kese, leeg ē2a: sepe, reep ē2b: stayn, bayn ē3: bayde, layden, gayl ē4: layv, vlaygen, gayten

Merged ā, a, o un u In Northern Saxon
Northern Saxon dialects today no longer make a distinction between old long ā and old short a, o un u in open syllables. Should one want to show this in spelling, these phonemes may be written as , for instance in oavend, doad, voader, and hoamer.

Dictionaries

 * Heinrich Kahl & Heinrich Thies: der neue Sass - Plattdeutsches Wörterbuch 5. uplåge. Wachholtz Verlag, Nymünster 2009, ISBN 978-3-529-03000-0.
 * Klaus-Werner Kahl: Wörterbuch des Münsterländer Platt. 3. uplåge. Aschendorff Verlag, Mönster 2010, ISBN 978-3-402-06447-4.
 * Vladimir Orel: A Handbook of Germanic Etymology. Koninklijke Brill NV, Leyden & Boston 2003, ISBN 90-04-12875-1.
 * Groninger zakwoordenboek
 * Dialexicon Twents