Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2020 March 12

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March 12

Language

Hell! I'm a german human. How can i change the language?? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Yvonne0204 (talk • contribs) 02:40, 12 March 2020 (UTC)

By speaking differently, perhaps? —Tamfang (talk) 03:37, 12 March 2020 (UTC)

Try clicking here. 93.136.81.202 (talk) 04:33, 12 March 2020 (UTC)

Hah! I didn't know naked de: worked like that! --jpgordon^{𝄢𝄆 𝄐𝄇} 04:54, 12 March 2020 (UTC)

If you want to consult the English-language Wikipedia while having most menus and other widgets in German, you can set your language preference on your Special:GlobalPreferences page.  --Lambiam 05:50, 12 March 2020 (UTC)

← There's also a settings icon associated with 'Languages' on the sidebar to the left (I haven't tried it, though). 2606:A000:1126:28D:84FB:8212:21C8:8005 (talk) 05:58, 12 March 2020 (UTC)

It only changes the language preference for the current Wikipedia.  --Lambiam 16:12, 12 March 2020 (UTC)

Speaking obfuscation

A long time ago, I have stumbled upon that there are some speaking obfuscation ways such as adding syllables, changing sounds, etc. to make it harder for unauthorized people to understand what they are speaking.

What are articles on that? I forgot all detail including a proper term for it, so I can't find it anymore. Fortunny (talk) 20:15, 12 March 2020 (UTC)

Language game, Cant (language), and Pig Latin#In other languages may be relevant. Deor (talk) 20:42, 12 March 2020 (UTC)

Thank you, I was looking exactly for it. Fortunny (talk) 10:48, 14 March 2020 (UTC)

Doaitse (Dutch given name)

Noted computer scientist Doaitse Swierstra recently passed away,[1] RIP. When I had come across his name before I had assumed it was a normal Dutch given name, but now I notice all the search hits for "Doaitse" seem to be about him. Does anyone know the origin or meaning of this name? Thanks. 2601:648:8202:96B0:54D9:2ABB:1EDB:CEE3 (talk) 21:40, 12 March 2020 (UTC)

I can't tell you anything about the etymology, but the name seems to be Frisian rather than Dutch proper (see multiple web finds about a 19th-century Frisian poetry collection titled "Doaitse mei de Noardsde Balke" ('Doaitse with the northern harp') [2]. This [3] explains it as a "Frisian male given name", pointing to a Friesch Woordenboek [Frisian Dictionary] IV: 66/67 as a further source. Fut.Perf. ☼ 22:02, 12 March 2020 (UTC)

This reference on Friesian onomastics lists Doaitsen and variants thereof as a name for females. There seems (it is in Dutch, which I do not speak) to be an etymology. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 09:04, 13 March 2020 (UTC)

OK from that source, there is this listing (which the listing for Doaitse seems to refer to, but it's hard to work out)

• "Doaitske. In Ned. spell. Dooitske, Doitske. In misspell. Dooitsche. G. Dooitsema, Doitsema, Doitsma, Doyt-sma. P. Doaitsewiel, Dooitsewiel (ook Dooi-tjewiel geschreven), meerke onder Tietjerk."

Translated that would be:

• "Doaitske. In Dutch spelling Dooitske, Doitske. In misspeling Dooitsche. G. Dooitsema, Doitsema, Doitsma, Doyt-sma. P. Doaitsewiel, Dooitsewiel (also written as Dooi-tjewiel ), small lake below Tietjerk." Fgf10 (talk) 09:16, 13 March 2020 (UTC)

I don't think that lake near Tytsjerk is related. It's just the next entry in the list. My guess, it's a wiel (a particular type of lake) named after somebody called Doaitse, who may have lived nearby. PiusImpavidus (talk) 17:22, 13 March 2020 (UTC)

Thanks for finding that. The relevant entry can be translated as:

"Doaitse, Doaitsen. In Dutch spelling: Dooitse , Dooitsen , Doitse , Doitsen. Misspelled as Dooitze , Dooitzen, Doitze, Doitzen. Doytse, Doitzo, Doyttye, Doytge, Doytege, Doytze, Döythye, Doytje. Diminutive of Doaije"

Doaije, in turn, is listed on p.VII as an example among many names that are apparently shortened versions of other, originally Germanic names, but whose exact origins have been obscured. Fut.Perf. ☼ 09:49, 13 March 2020 (UTC)

Thanks everyone. It's interesting that my own web search (duckduckgo) didn't find any of this. I guess I'll break down and try google tomorrow. Did anyone notice if there is anyone else notable with this name? 2601:648:8202:96B0:54D9:2ABB:1EDB:CEE3 (talk) 10:20, 13 March 2020 (UTC)

Googling for "Doaitse(n) -Swierstra" finds a Dutch medical professional seemingly writing on sexual abuse in doctor - patient relations. The nl:WP does not seem to have an article on her.

There is also a racing horse (?, maybe a pedigree stud, so more sex of questionable consensuality) of that name and an old Frisian songbook from the 1850s entitled Doaitse with the Nordic bear. No idea about any notability... --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 14:10, 13 March 2020 (UTC)

According to this site (a good source when looking at names from the Netherlands), there were less than 5 people named Doaitse in the Netherlands in 2014, all male, never as first name, so the name is very rare. For less than 5 people, the site gives no detailed statistics for privacy reasons. It's suggested that the name ultimately derives from Liudolf, an old Germanic name. The name is indeed Frisian, and so is Swierstra. In Frisian names, diminutives are often used to turn masculine names into feminine names, but Frisian isn't always fussy about the gender of names. PiusImpavidus (talk) 17:22, 13 March 2020 (UTC)