Hi Wiki,
The reason why I don't post is because that Wiki doesn't "support" my dialect... You are very wrong in saying (at least I think so) that in Germany are the most "important" dialects of Low Saxon... on the Nds Wiki you just ignore those Dutch dialects with about 1.8 million speakers... The reason why Dutch speakers don't contribute is because the writing system is completely incomprehensible! I think you look a bit narrow minded at this subject... the guy who wrote the book was most likely German (at least I presume!) and he did not invent the spelling for international use, just as in Holland we didn't invent the spelling for international use. If you want to use it for a international purpose than you have to adapt the writing system (as you mentioned it's spoking in every continent except the Antarctic). If I post on Nds, they complain that they don't understand the writing and change it to German-based spelling... I'm not German so why would I have my messages in German-based spelling?!
"Johannes Sass" didn't invent a very good orthography to my opinion, he should have a least looked at both major-LS speaking countries and made a compromise of both writing systems, or better yet look at the Old LS writing system when it used to be a official language in 1500!
If Plattdüütsch is the name for the dialects in Germany then why is it called that, you're not the only LS speakers in the world as mentioned almost every continent! Why not make the ISO code PT than?
Servien
2005/7/10, wiki@marcusbuck.org wiki@marcusbuck.org:
Hello.
I find it a bit weird, that you discuss about nds.wikipedia on the mailing list and not even post a message on nds.wikipedia. I found this discussion by chance after some people came into the wiki making changes without knowing really what they do.
Some people here are running down admin and other users of nds.wikipedia, which are the only people really active on that wiki for long time. They are engaged on making it a better usable resource in Low Saxon language and we introduced a common orthography based on the wordbook by Johannes Sass to make it consistent so you don't have to know all the regional variants of the language, which are for some cases mutually unintelligible. The orthography by Sass is based on the most widely used dialect, that is also mostly used when spoken in supra-regional media.
I think some people discussing here are speaking out of their ivory tower and don't know what is really going on at the "base". I see some Dutch engaged here. Let me say: Dutch variant of Low Saxon is not understandable for most of German Low Saxon speakers (Sure, they are understandable near the border). Some state the wiki is in Plattdüütsch rather than Low Saxon. This is so true as it is not true. Plattdüütsch is the most important variant of Low Saxon (Low Saxon is an academic classification) and the common name of the language in Germany. If no Dutch contribute it is no wonder, when the wikipedia is more and more germanized (or shall the German learn Dutch and Nedersaksisch to balance the Dutch contribution deficits?)
You don't need all your fingers to count all regular contributors to the wiki. Why do so much people argue here about the content of the wiki and nobody of the people, who obviously know so much about the language, contributes?
I'm a little bit angry because of the behaviour of some.
--~~~~ Greets, Slomox
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