Is Low German the same as Low German? Some speakers of Low German suspect that the term Plattdeutsch was probably not refined enough for academics to make this language the subject of their research. Therefore, another, more serious term had to be used: Low German. And indeed, the term Low German has been used pejoratively for centuries. Low German is regarded as something inferior, especially by speakers of High German in the north. But what is Low German actually? And why does Low German still have such a bad reputation among many people today?

Low German is not Low German. Low German is a part of Low German, which as a historical language is just as old as High German and English. Low German comprises three language periods: Old Low German (800-1150), Middle Low German (1150-1600) and New Low German (since 1600). Old Low German was the language of the Saxons who lived in what is now Lower Saxony, Holstein and Westphalia. It goes back to an older language, West Germanic, from which English also developed. As the language of the Hanseatic League, Middle Low German rose to become the supra-regional lingua franca in the Baltic Sea region and neighbouring areas. In the 15th and 16th centuries, it was replaced as a supra-regional language and written language by High German. From then on, Low German was referred to as 'Plattes German' or Plattdeutsch, which initially meant the generally understood vernacular language.

The question remains as to why Low German has such a bad reputation. There are at least two reasons for this: Firstly, Low German was long regarded as the language of peasants or uneducated sections of the population; secondly, it was long seen as bad, awkward German. Both views have contributed significantly to the decline of Low German since the 19th century and continue to do so today. However, neither view is tenable. On the one hand, the connection between level of education and the use of Low German is increasingly disappearing. At the University of Oldenburg, bachelor's and master's theses are now written in Low German. Secondly, from a linguistic point of view, there is no evidence to suggest that Low German is inferior. In particular, the accusation that Low German has an inferior grammar is untenable. Consider, for example, the lack of distinction between dative and accusative. In Northern Low Saxon, there is only one form for the accusative form den Tisch and the dative form dem Tisch, namely den Disch . However, the coincidence of the cases says nothing about the quality of the grammar, but is rather a sign of linguistic change. English, too, does not distinguish between the dative and the accusative, not even between the nominative and the accusative, although it did so in earlier times. On the other hand, Low German is accused of appearing coarse or crude compared to High German. However, as a primarily spoken language, Low German should not be compared with Standard German, especially not in its written form. Many of the characteristics that we attribute to Low German are also found in spoken, regional forms of High German. Low German is therefore not a bad German. And being able to speak Low German alongside High German is an educationally relevant skill that should finally be recognised in daycare centres and schools.