May 17, 2014

OP EN DEL - "up and down" or "back and forth"

For this lesson, let's look at the West Frisian phrase op en del, meaning "up and down" or "back and forth."

Op is said with a long "oh" as in "slope." It can mean "up," "on," or "upon," but has other meanings as well. You can see a list here. OHP.

En is Frisian for "and." It is said with an "eh" as in "end." EHN.

Del can mean "down" or "underneath" or "horizontal" or "flat." Say it like the first part of the word "delta," a flat feature occurring down at the end of a river.  DEHL.

Here is a example from Hallofryslân Woordenboek:

Hy rint de keamer op en del.
He walks up and down the room; i.e. he paces.

Hy is a cognate for "he" and can be said like the English word "high." 

Rint is from the infinitive verb rinne, "to walk" or "to run." It is pronounced with the "ih" vowel in "grin." RIHnt.

De means "the" and is said with a schwa. DUH. 

Keamer is the Frisian word for "room." Stress is on the first syllable, and it takes an "ih" vowel followed by a short schwa in the first syllable, and schwa in the second syllable. KIHuh-muhr.

And here is op en del in a more complex sentence from Frisian Wikipedia:

Ljouwerteradiel is in agraryske gemeente, mar der wenje ek in soad op-en-del-reizgers.
Ljouwerteradiel is an agricultural municipality, but many commuters also live there. 

in soad... "many"
op-en-del-reizgers - "back-and-forth travelers, i.e., commuters"