Feel a bit sorry, that the interesting reports, sometime narrative, sometimes
scientifically, about the "Plattdeutsch" stopped a bit. That`s because the pure
genealogical dates are only the frame, which become life, if this is filled with
some history. In that direction there were a lot of good and appreciable contri-
butions. I have another one for the history of the "Niederdeutsch", which i had
to translate myself, cause there is no one up to yet. So forgive mistakes. I give
it for safety in both languages:
"Das literarische Leben in Niedersachsen steht vom 13. bis ins 16.Jh.im Zeichen
des Niederdeutschen, das in dieser Zeit zu einer hochentwickelten Schriftssprache
wird und in der Geschichtsschreibung (St�dtechroniken), Rechtsb�chern, Volkslied
und Volksbuch (Eulenspiegel, Reinke de Vos) bedeutende Leistungen aufweist. Die
niederdeutsche Sprache verliert in dieser Zeit an Raum im Gebiet s�d�stlich des
Harzes, breitet sich aber weithin im K�stenbereich der Ostsee aus und erobert
auch Ostfriesland, wo die friesische Sprache bis auf Reste verschwindet."
Translation HPA:
The literary life in Lower Saxony from 13.th to 16th century is in the Sign of
the "Niederdeutsche", which becomes in this time a highdeveloped written language
and shows important achievements in hisroriography (chronicles of towns), civil
codes, folk-song and -writings( for example "Eulenspiegel, Reineke de Vos).The
"niederdeutsche" speech looses in her spread in this time in the region
south-east of the "Harz", but gains furthermore in the coast-regions of the
"Ostsee" and conquers even "Ostfriesland", where the language of the "Friesen"
vanishes up to some rest.
The source is: Geschichte des Landes Niedersachsen. Ein �berblick. von
Schnath,L�bbing, M�hmann und Engel, W�rzburg: Ploetz-Verlag 1962., Seite 29
So it is not the mewest one, it gives a good summary for the period before the
Plattdeutsch became the common term for it.
Nice day to all Hans Peter Albers