> Secondly, pre-WW1 newspaper were definitely NOT in Alsatian, for a > simple reason: Alsatian dialect is NOT written. Its written form > is ... German. Even today there is no standard and widely used > writing for Alsatian. My last comment on this thread. Prior to Luther creating a standard for German, Alsatian certainly had a written form. Or perhaps multiple forms. So it would not be correct to say Alsatian has no written form. Certainly there are words unique to Alsatian, and when I say the papers were written in Alsatian, perhaps, I'm not speaking as clearly as I should. What I really meant to say is that the papers would be in Standard German with many borrowed words from both French and uniquely Alsatian words. Although spellings would probably vary and of course the two main dialects manifesting themselves in either the northern Franconian form or southern Allemanic form. Although, I don't ever recall saying Alsatian had any standard to it. THat was probably one of Luther's major complaints. Thanks for being patient with me. ;)

I suggest an online resource concerning the translation of the Bible into German including Martin Luther's (who used the Hebrew (for the OT) and Greek, plus the Latin Vulgate.　 http://www.bible-researcher.com/luther02.html a chapter taken from Philip Schaff's History of the Christian Church (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1910). Last year when I visited a gg grandmother's birthplace, Niederroedern, most of the people I met (children excluded, because I didn't have the chance to talk with any) still speak French, German and Alsatian. I attended the Lutheran service of Reformation Sunday. Both German and French were used and the sermon was in German. In fact, I went to speak to an elderly woman in French and she replied in German that she could speak only German! I also attended the Catholic service which was exclusively in French, probably because the priest (no resident priest now) was from Africa. And yes, the church is used by both, one of remaining some 50 in the Bas Rhin who do that within the simultaneum. Gloria and don't think my last name is strange. My husband is Japanese and a Lutheran theologian. My father's side if the family - Roman Catholic originating from Lorraine. And other ancestors - German, Irish and English. On Nov 13, 2008, at 5:12 PM, brian@amason.net wrote: >> Secondly, pre-WW1 newspaper were definitely NOT in Alsatian, for a >> simple reason: Alsatian dialect is NOT written. Its written form >> is ... German. Even today there is no standard and widely used >> writing for Alsatian. > My last comment on this thread. Prior to Luther creating a standard > for > German, Alsatian certainly had a written form. Or perhaps multiple > forms. > So it would not be correct to say Alsatian has no written form. > Certainly > there are words unique to Alsatian, and when I say the papers were > written > in Alsatian, perhaps, I'm not speaking as clearly as I should. What I > really meant to say is that the papers would be in Standard German > with > many borrowed words from both French and uniquely Alsatian words. > Although > spellings would probably vary and of course the two main dialects > manifesting themselves in either the northern Franconian form or > southern > Allemanic form. > Although, I don't ever recall saying Alsatian had any standard to > it. THat > was probably one of Luther's major complaints. > > Thanks for being patient with me. ;) > > -- > Resources for Alsace-Lorraine list members: > http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~valorie/Alsace-Lorraine-L.htm > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ALSACE-LORRAINE-request@rootsweb.com > with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and > the body of the message