22 November 2016

The versatile BRUD-word

'Boerenbruiloft' (farmers' wedding) in North-Holland, by J.P. van Horstok, ca. 1808

Het zinryk Bruiwoort, en het geen men deriveert 
Van bruien, dient wel om zyn zinrykheit geleert: 
't Is springen, lopen, doen, verquisten, domineren, 
't Is klimmen, snyen, en verquanzelen, bezeeren, 
Quaatmaken, futzelen, verderven, plagen, gaan, 
En smyten, schoppen; … 't is ook foppen, steken, slaan; 
't Is komen, seggen; en 't is kappen, vliegen, vallen, 
Etcetera, ja dat noch 't mooisten is van allen, 
Vrouw-eeren; is 't niet recht? wie heeft van sulk een woort, 
Zo zinryk, ergens in de werelt meer gehoort? 
("Vol-Geestige Werken" S. van Rusting, 1712)

Some OLB-'skeptics' theorise that the manuscript was created by an individual or a small group of individuals who wanted to make fun of the religious and/or cultural-historical establishment in the Netherlands or more specifically in its province Friesland. They would have to agree that the creator(s) must have had an extensive knowledge of the Dutch language and its older varieties.

One of the words that would have been perfectly suitable to make fun and jokes is the verb bruden/ bruien. The alleged creator(s) would have known this most versatile word and he would not have missed the opportunity to use it. However, as we see in the below fragments, in OLB it is only used in two ways: go/ leave/ journey and spoil/ corrupt/ pervert.

Dictionaries about bruden/ bruien:

Richthofen (Old-Frisian, 1840): Brida


Weiland (Dutch, 1859): Bruijen


WNT (Dictionary of Dutch language, composed later) gtb.inl.nl/bruien (many different meanings here)

possibly related nouns:
BRVD (mud, mess, waste) - 1 (see forum 4 March 2015: link)
BRUD (also spelled BRÉID; bride) - 3,6 (see blogpost: link)

verbs:

(varieties of BRUDA: go/ leave/ journey; total: 11 ~ Note: also see BRIT/ BRITH)
(with HINNE; away:)
HINNE BRÛDA - 2,4
BRÛDON/BRUDON (STOLKES) HINNE - 8,11
BRÛDE HINNE - 12,15
BRUDA HINNA - 17
(with WÉI; away:)
BRÛDON WÉI - 9
WÉI BRÛDA - 16
(other:)
BRÛDE - 7
BRÛDON - 18

(varieties of VRBRUDA: spoil/ corrupt/ pervert; total: 10)
VRBRUDA (inf.) - 5
VRBRUD, VRBRÛD (perf.) - 10,19,22
VRBRÛDE (adj. derived from verb) - 13
VRBRUDA/VRBRÛDA ( ,, ) - 21,23,24
VRBRÛDE (inf.) - 14
VRBRÛDING (noun derived from verb) - 20

######

1 [004/05]
ANDA BRVD SITTE

2 [018/12]
SA MÜGON HJA HINNE BRÛDA

3 [028/27]
SA MÉI SIN BRUD ...

4 [030/15]
HY MÉI HINNE BRÛDA SA.R KVMEN IS

5 [038/15] (see other blog post)
THRVCH WANKÉTHINGA WISTON HJA ALLE TO WISA ÀND TO VRBRUDA.
Ottema: "verbreiden" was misprint; corrected as "verbruyen"

6 [041/12]
... EN BRUD TO SÉKA

7 [041/22]
TILTHJU HI UT OF LANDE BRÛDE

8 [055/04]
(HJA) BRÛDON STOLKES HINNE

9 [056/15]
THA GODA BRÛDON WÉI

10 [061/11]
WAS THÉR HWA FON VS FOLK THÉR.ET ALSA ÀRG VRBRUD HÉDE
O: verbruid

11 [067/03]
BRUDON HI STOLKES HINNE

12 [074/07]
THRÉ MONATHA ÀFTER BRÛDE GÉRT HINNE

13 [078/27]
THÀT VRBRÛDE ÀND VRBASTERDE SLACHT
O: verwende

14 [080/04]
THAT HJARA SÉDE VRBRÛDE KOSTE
O: verloren gaan

15 [086/28]
BRÛDE HJA HINNE

16 [110/15]
TILTHJU THJU FLÁTE WITHER WÉI BRÛDA

17 [120/23]
WI ... BRUDA HINNA

18 [156/17]
FON WAL.HALLA.GÁRA BRÛDON HJA ALINGEN THÉRA SÛDER HRÉNUM

19 [161/16]
THJU TÁLE ... IS ... VRBRÛD
O: verdorven

20 [161/24]
VRBRÛDING VSRA RÉNE TÁLE
O: verontreiniging

21 [197/12]
VSA VRBRUDA BROTHARUM
O: verbasterde

22 [205/14]
THA JUTTAR WÉRON SUNT LÔNG VRBRUD
O: verdorven

23 [209/07]
MITH HULPE FON THA VRBRÛDA FÁMNA
O: ontaarde

24 [210/30]
HJARA VRBRUDA LÉRE
O: verfoeijelijke

19 November 2016

translation variety example

Some OLB-'skeptics' argue that the language of the OLB is simply Old-Frisianised 19th century Dutch. Strong arguments can be made against that. For example, there are many sentences that are still not clear. The example below shows how much variety there is between the existing translations. 

(Prior phrase in Sandbach's translation: "They cunningly made themselves masters of our laws and customs, and ..." ~ The object of the following phrase is, thus: our laws and customs ~ VSA ÉWA ÀND SETMA)


[038/15]
THRVCH WANKÉTHINGA WISTON HJA ALLE TO WISA ÀND TO VRBRUDA

1-Ottema (Dutch, 1872/1876):
door listen en drogredenen wisten zij alles te bewijzen en te verbreiden verbruyen*.
(*correction in the back of the 1872 edition, sadly missed by Sandbach and not corrected in reprint of 1876)

2-Sandbach (English, 1876):
by craft and subtlety were able to explain and spread them around.
3-Wirth (German, 1933):
durch falsche Auslegungen wußten sie alles zu weisen und umzudeuten.
4-Overwijn (Dutch, 1951):
door bedriegelijke redeneringen wisten zij alles te duiden en te bederven.
5-Jensma (Dutch, 2006):
door wanspraak wisten ze alles te verdraaien en te verbruien.
6-De Heer (Dutch, 2008):
door wanspreken wisten zij alles te duiden en te verbruiden.
7-Raubenheimer (English, 2011):
by fallacies they wished to explain everything and expand thereon.
8-Menkens (German, 2013):
durch Trugreden/ Wahnsprache wußten sie alles umzudeuten und zu entstellen.
9-Lien (Norse, 2013):
gjennom falsk tale visste de å anvise og forderve alt.

WANKÉTHINGA (noun plur.)
D: listen en drogredenen (ruses and fallacies) - 1
D: bedriegelijke redeneringen (fallacies) - 4
D: wanspraak ('vainspeech') - 5*
D: wanspreken ('vainspeaking') - 6*
E: craft and subtlety - 2
E: fallacies - 7
G: falsche Auslegungen (false explanations) - 3
G: Trugreden/ Wahnsprache (fallacies/ 'vainspeech') - 8*
N: falsk tale (speak falsely) - 9

* Translations 5, 6 and 8b are the most literal, but the words are obsolete, unclear and seemingly inappropriate.

WISA (verb)
D: bewijzen (prove, establish) - 1
D: duiden (interpret) - 4,6
D: verdraaien (distort) - 5
E: explain - 2,7
G: weisen (point out?) - 3
G: umzudeuten (reinterpret) - 8
N: anvise (point out) - 9

VRBRUDA (verb)
D: verbruyen/verbruien/ verbruiden ( ,, ) - 1,5,6D: bederven (corrupt, pervert) - 4
E: spread around - 2*
E: expand thereon - 7*
G: umzudeuten (reinterpret) - 3
G: entstellen (distort) - 8
N: forderve (corrupt, pervert) - 9

* The misprint in Ottema' translation as 'verbreiden' (spread/ propagate) was corrected in the back of the 1872 edition but sadly not in the reprint of 1876. Sandbach copied the mistake and so did Raubenheimer.

Main question i.m.o. is how to interpret WISA.

My own provisional translation:
they managed to explain and distort them all through misinterpretations.

10 November 2016

outsmarting all earlier translations

The following may seem just a detail, but it once more shows how all previous translations can still be further improved.

[029/26]
SAHWERSA THÉR SWETHNATA ET SÉMNE KYVA ÀND SANA
If any of our neighbours quarrel and fight...


VR ENZE SÉKA THA VR LÁND

(transliteration Ottema/ Sandbach: vr enga sêka, tha vr lând)

Note that the red and blue marked translations differ significantly from each other:

translation original language English
Ottema 1872 over eenige zaak (anders) dan over land over any matter (other) than land
Sandbach 1876 - about any matter except land
Wirth 1933 über andere Sachen als Land over other matters than land
Overwijn 1951 over een of andere zaak zoals over land over any matter such as land
Jensma 2006 over andere zaken dan over land over other matters than land
De Heer 2008 over enige zaken zoals over land over some matters such as land
Raubenheimer 2011 - over any matter other than land
Lien 2013 over noen (andre) saker enn over land over some (other) matters than land
Menkens 2013 über einzelne Dinge/Sachen wie über Land(besitz) over individual matters such as land(-ownership)


I think THA does not mean 'other than'/ 'except' or 'such as' here, but  'or' (Dutch: of/ dan wel), as it does in the following fragments, also written by Minno:

[030/10] ET WÍRING.GA THA TO AL.MAN.LAND
at Wyringga or at Almanland
[030/30] THÀT.ET FOLK VS LÉT DVATH THA BISTÉLLETH
that the folk does us harm or steals from us

 Thus, the translation would be:

over any cause* or over land 

(* or: case; plural in original; Dutch/ German: zaak/ Sache)