JDR Dragoon Wrote:For centuries the Rhine and the Danube formed the northern border of the Roman Empire and therefore also the border between civilization and the barbarians.
I knew it! I live (just) north of the Rhine. This explains a lot...
Plattdeutsch is also known as Niederdeutsch. Only a fistful of centuries ago the two languages were often referred to as
Nederduits and
Hoogduits, where the latter meant German and the former meant Dutch.
Certainly Dutch descends (literary according to some :whis:) from old German. Which you still can see in a name like Bremerhaven.
Haven (harbour) (or harbor according to some :whis:) is Dutch, the German word being
hafen.
Similarities with Danish are also abundant. Bataljon, Opklaring, etc. I actually I think the Dutch are descendants of Danes that moved here quite a bigger fistful of centuries ago.
Which concludes our lecture for tonight. For tomorrow you will all write a 10-page essay on Dutch Courage in context of your own Wargaming Deeds™ (
)