Orthography of the Low German Language

 2008-01-19


The orthography of the German language which get's used more and more in the Low German language assumes an unchangable root. Even if the spoken syllable border changes, the word root remains the same. As a result a lot of rules are neccessary for the German orthography. Since there were no prescribed rules for the Low German language until now, it lead to a muddle in the orthography. To protect against that, it is quite obvious to follow phonetic points of view.

Therefore the starting point of the documented words in my dictionary is the spoken syllable in connection with word root as it is used in the Netherlands or sometimes in the northern Low German language.
This reduces the rules for the orthography to a minimum.
  

§1 Big capitals are used for the first word of a sentence as well as for subjects and personal adresses.
§2 The starting point of the word is the spoken syllable. If the syllable border changes the orthography
changes too.
Examples: Baan = course  >>  Ba·nen = courses instead of Baa·nen; Schien = Shine  >> Schi·ne = shine
instead of Schiene; Pin = pin  >>  Pin·ne = pins; plat = flat  >> plat·te = flat
§3 The word root is taken into consideration.
Examples:  Kuorw = basket instead of Kuorf  >> Küör·we = baskets; Kring = circle instead
of Krink  >> Krin·ge = circles.
§4 Syllabifications are always made at the end of a syllable.
Example: Püüs·ter = gun.
§5 The lengthening vowel e is only used for the long spoken vowel i. It is neccessary not to confound it with the vowel-mutation ü by handwritten words.
Examples: Wien = vine; mien = my; liek = like.
§6 The lenghthening consonant h is not used.
§7 Long spoken vowels and vowel-mutations are written single at the end of a syllable.
Examples: Ve = cattle; to = to; mi = my; sü = look.
§8 Long spoken vowels and vowel-mutations are written double within closed syllables.
Examples: Muul = mouth; uut = out.
§9 Single spoken vowels and vowel-mutations are written single.
Examples: A·pe = ape; a·wat! = nonsense!
§10 Short spoken vowels and vowel-mutations are written single. So it is not neccessary to write the consonants
at the end of a syllable double.
Examples: Ülk = fitchew; of = wether; düt = this.
§11 For the squeezed e there is used the vowel e with a trema.
Examples: guët = good; Rië·kel = male dog.
§12 No double consonants are used within one syllable.

With these twelve rules all the words of the Low German language can be written clearly by taking the expressions of the pronouncing and accentuation into account.

This is valid for all kinds of the Low German Language varieties because the accentuation is the basic of the orthogaphy!