Tweants

Infobox Language
name = Tweants
familycolor = Indo-European
states = Netherlands [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=twd Ethnologue entry] ]
region = Northeast, Overijssels province.
speakers = 338000 (2003)
fam1 = Indo-European
fam2 = Germanic
fam3 = West Germanic
fam4 = Low Franconian
fam5 = Low Saxon
nation = Netherlands (as part of Low Saxon)
iso1 =
iso2 = gem [Germanic, other]
iso3 = twd

Tweants (Dutch: "Twents") is a West Dutch Low Saxon group of dialects spoken by approximately 62% of the population of Twente, a region in the Dutch province of Overijssel bordering on Germany. Its speakers also refer to Tweants as "plat" or simply "dialect". A widespread misconception is the assumption that it is a variety of Dutch. It is, however, a variety of Dutch Low Saxon, recognised by the Dutch government as a regional language according to the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. As such, it enjoys some loose stimulation from the part of the government. This does not go as far, however, as the legal protection granted to Frisian, a local language in the Netherlands.

Pronunciation and characteristics

Tweants does not have a standardised pronunciation or spelling; all towns and villages in Twente have their own local variety, which, although they are mutually intelligible and similar, makes it hard to be tagged as a single dialect. Due to this fragmentation, and the lack of a standard variety, many speakers of Tweants mostly do not refer to their language as "Tweants" or "Dutch Low Saxon", but call it by the locality their variety is from (e.g. a person from Almelo would say he speaks "Almeloos" rather than "Tweants"). Another possibility is that speakers combine these two possibilities: a speaker from Rijssen could say he speaks "Riesns Tweants". There are, however, a number of characteristics that are shared across all varieties.

Tweants shares many features with multiple varieties of British English. This can to some extent be ascribed to historical events, that evoked language contact.
*Tweants, like upper class British English, has a linking -r, or intrusive -r.
*Another distinct feature of Tweants is the "swallowing" of final "-en" syllables (especially in infinite verb forms), which can also be referred to as "syllabic -n". This may be compared to British RP pronunciation of "mutton", which is pronounced somewhat like "mut-n", although Tweants applies this to all verbs:
** The infinite verb "to eat", which in Dutch is "eten" (pronounce: ay-tən) , is "etn" (pronounce: etn).
*Tweants is to a great extent non-rhotic. Speakers do not pronounce final /r/ in words consisting of more than one syllable, if no clarity or emphasis is required. In monosyllabic words, the /r/ is not pronounced before dental consonants.
*Tweants uses extensive lenition in its spoken form. All strong consonants can be pronounced as their weak counterparts in intervocalic position (e.g. "better" can be pronounced either as /"betə"/ or /"bedə"/).
*Tweants has little or no diphthongisation, mostly found in loanwords from Dutch.

Native speakers have a distinct accent when speaking Dutch, and are hence easily recognised. Particularly the distinct pronunciation of the 'O' and 'E' is renowned, and is somewhat similar to the Hiberno-English pronunciation of the 'O' and the 'A'. Tweants is also known for its wealth of proverbs, of which the following are only a fraction:
*"Loat mear kuuln, t löp wal lös" – Never mind, it will sort itself out.
*"As de tied koomp, koomp de ploag" – When the time comes, the trouble comes. Don't worry before the trouble starts.
*"Iej könt nich bloazn en t mel in n moond hoaldn" – Literally, you cannot blow and keep the flour in your mouth. 'Bloazn' also means 'to brag', so its real meaning is the same as "put your money where your mouth is"
* "Hengeler weend" – Wind from Hengelo, a haughty attitude.

Tweants in present-day Twente

Tweants is not used or taught in schools, a circumstance that can be ascribed to the traditionally prevalent belief that Tweants - like other dialects spoken in the Netherlands - is a boorish speech variety the use of which bespeaks little intelligence or sophistication.

It was, and still is, also believed to impede the proper acquisition by children of Standard Dutch. Parents generally acquiesced in this attitude and tried to teach their children to speak Dutch. Those parents, however, were used to speaking Tweants, which influenced especially their pronunciation of Dutch, and to a lesser extent their syntax and choice of vocabulary.

Dutch is still the prevailing and most prestigious language in Twente. This is why a majority of parents up till recently neglected to teach their children about their heritage, although there has lately been a resurgence of interest in the local language.

Because Twente is an attractive place for investment, many companies establish themselves in Twente and attract people from other parts of the country who do not speak Tweants. This aggravates the decline of the Tweants language. In the countryside, however, many people still speak it or at least understand it.

Recently, Tweants has enjoyed a resurgence because of an increasing tolerance for and pride in local culture, including local language. The resurgence enjoys the opinion of linguists who believe that that children who are brought up bilingually (In this case with Dutch and Tweants) are more receptive to other languages. The increasing interest in Tweants is expressed by writers, musicians and local television and radio, and people have been inspired to start speaking and teaching Tweants again. This renewed interest, mirrored by other local languages in the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe, is referred to as the "dialect renaissance". An important stimulant for trend was a 2000s soap in Tweants, "Van Jonge Leu en Oale Groond" ("Of young people and old land"). The soap, focussing on a rural part of Twente, combined local traditions and culture with the life and aspirations of young people, emphasising how people can lead modern lives while cherishing and being rooted in local traditions. Originally broadcast by local television, it was later broadcast on national television with subtitles.

Cultural expressions in Tweants

Tweants, like the other Dutch Low Saxon dialects, has had a literary tradition since the nineteenth century when Romanticism sparked an interest in regional culture. Some of the better-known authors include:
* Johanna van Buren (poet, wrote in a Sallaans-Tweants border dialect)
* Theo Vossebeld (poet)
* Willem Wilmink (poet, songwriter)
* Herman Finkers (comedian)
* Anne van der Meijden (minister)

Since the start of the dialect renaissance, Tweants has increasingly been used as a written language, although this is still almost entirely reserved to the province of literature. Works have been translated into Tweants to stress that Tweants is as sophisticated and expressive as any other language, and to put its own aesthetic properties to use.

A renowned Dutch comedian, Herman Finkers, even translated his last shows into Tweants, using the motto "finally accentless", to indicate that he can finally sound natural in his mother tongue. A number of comic books and a children's television programme have been translated into Tweants to critical success.

Reverend Anne van der Meijden, a long-standing promotor of the use of Tweants, has translated the Bible into Tweants on the basis of the original languages. He also preaches sermons in Tweants.

Twentse Welle, formerly the Van Deinse Instituut, in Enschede is an organisation that maps, monitors, promotes and develops teaching material for Tweants, Tweants identity and the culture of Twente.

References