May 13 23:18
7 days ago
German term
einem was auf den Spannerl hinrichten
German to English
Social Sciences
History
This is from a local history of Friesenheim in Baden concerning the serfs of nearby Schuttern and a complaint they filed in 1725:
"Früher hätten die Knechte und Buben bei der Ablieferung im Kloster immer einen Trunk bekommen, und der Meier, der konnte trinken, soviel er wollte. Jetzt richten sie einem was auf den Spannerl hin."
I get the main gist of this complaint. FORMERLY, the farm hands always received a drink when they delivered tribute to the monastery, and the farmer could drink as much as he wanted, but NOW, the people at the monastery don't provide these drinks.
Unfortunately, the entire phrase "Jetzt richten sie einem was auf den Spannerl hin" is unclear to me. Any ideas?
"Früher hätten die Knechte und Buben bei der Ablieferung im Kloster immer einen Trunk bekommen, und der Meier, der konnte trinken, soviel er wollte. Jetzt richten sie einem was auf den Spannerl hin."
I get the main gist of this complaint. FORMERLY, the farm hands always received a drink when they delivered tribute to the monastery, and the farmer could drink as much as he wanted, but NOW, the people at the monastery don't provide these drinks.
Unfortunately, the entire phrase "Jetzt richten sie einem was auf den Spannerl hin" is unclear to me. Any ideas?
Proposed translations
(English)
| 3 +1 | little bench/tray |
Bartosz Pelka
|
| 3 | "Now they just give you one for the road..." |
Andrew Bramhall
|
References
| *** |
Johanna Timm, PhD
|
Proposed translations
+1
9 hrs
Bartosz Pelka
Poland
Poland
Native in English
Works in field
Poland
Translator since 2006 into PL/EN
Native in: Polish 
, English 
Works in: English to Polish, Polish to English, Chinese to Polish, and 15 more.
Selected
little bench/tray
"Spannerl" could be a small table, tray, or bench—especially in Southern dialects.
"Now they just set something out on the little bench for you."
or more loosely:
"Now they just place something down on the tray for you."
"Now they just set something out on the little bench for you."
or more loosely:
"Now they just place something down on the tray for you."
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Steffen Walter
: Could well be. The former generosity has vanished, as it were.
20 mins
|
| neutral |
philgoddard
: Possible, but I think you need references. I agree that 'richten...hin' may mean 'put' or 'leave' (or could it be 'point to'?), but I can't find anything for 'Spanner(l)'.
8 hrs
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you. Your information, coupled with Johanna Timm's observations, led me to the answer: "einem was auf den Spannerl hinrichten: = "to sparingly serve someone food or drink""
10 hrs
Andrew Bramhall
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in English
United Kingdom
Flair and accuracy tailored to your text
Native in: English
Works in: Spanish to English, German to English
Related KudoZ points
:
20
"Now they just give you one for the road..."
i.e,a drink to send you on your way with ;not literal I know,but that is a possible inference to be drawn IMO.
Reference comments
1 day 17 hrs
Johanna Timm, PhD
Canada
Canada
Native in German
Canada
Friendly, fast & certified!
Native in: German (Variants: Austrian, Germany, Swiss, Platt / Nieder (Low German))
Works in: English to German, German to English, German
Related KudoZ points
:
60
Reference:
***
Instead of unlimited drinks, they were now probably just offered a snack served on a small wooden board.
1. Hinrichten: bayrisch: dafür sorgen, dass etwas in richtiger Weise angeordnet, für jemand anderen vorbereitet ist
https://www.sprachnudel.de/woerterbuch/hinrichten#google_vig...
https://www.sueddeutsche.de/bayern/kratzers-wortschatz-das-h...
Use of accusative instead of expected dative (auf dem Spannerl anrichten), likely due to dialect.
2. Spannerl: probably derived from “Span” -->Spanholz (particle board); *-erl= diminuitive
1. Hinrichten: bayrisch: dafür sorgen, dass etwas in richtiger Weise angeordnet, für jemand anderen vorbereitet ist
https://www.sprachnudel.de/woerterbuch/hinrichten#google_vig...
https://www.sueddeutsche.de/bayern/kratzers-wortschatz-das-h...
Use of accusative instead of expected dative (auf dem Spannerl anrichten), likely due to dialect.
2. Spannerl: probably derived from “Span” -->Spanholz (particle board); *-erl= diminuitive
Note from asker:
| This was VERY helpful! I did some searching in Grimm's dictionary, and found this: "3) einem auf einem span etwas geben, kärglich mit speise versehen, ihn mit wenigem abspeisen:" That seems to fit perfecting. |
| Oops. "perfectly" not "perfecting"! Not sure how that typo came about... |
Discussion
I think I know now why: "Mit der politischen Orientierung nach Österreich ab 1504 wurde der Abt des weiterhin formell der Bamberger Kirche gehörenden Klosters zum Ende des 17. und Beginn des 18. Jahrhunderts praktisch Mitglied der vorderösterreichischen Landstände. Der Turm der barocken Kirche wurde in den Jahren 1722–23 unter Abt Placidus II. Hinderer (1708–1727) errichtet. Sein Bau wird dem Vorarlberger Baumeister Peter Thumb zugeschrieben, auch wenn es keine ausreichenden Belege dafür gibt. Auch den barocken Klosterneubau errichtete ab 1722 Peter Thumb. Österreichisches Militär schlug 1743 Unruhen unter den Schutterner Bauern nieder."
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kloster_Schuttern
Just seemed a bit odd, but I assume the reports quoted by the (original) author were written down by those in authority so this makes sense then.
Best
https://dl.ub.uni-freiburg.de/diglit/ortenau1968/0085?sid=5b...
While I basically agree with Johanna about -erl as a diminutive form, what irks me a bit is that the dialect spoken in and around Friesenheim belongs to the Alemannic family, as the town lies in the deep southwest of Germany:
https://alemannisches-institut.de/website.php?id=deralemanni...
Heck, the author of the original piece even has his own Wiki page in Alemannic German, it seems: https://als.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oskar_Kohler
But the -erl diminutive originates somewhere else:
"Im mittelbairischen Dialektraum wird das Diminutiv bevorzugt mit -erl (z. B. Sackerl, Hunderl, Hoserl, Stüberl), auch nur mit -l (z. B. Gansl) gebildet."
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diminutiv
Cf. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mittelbairische_Dialekte
By contrast:
"Im alemannischen Dialektraum wird das Diminutiv in der Regel mit -li gebildet: z. B. Platz – Plätzli. Besonders in höchstalemannischen Mundarten gibt es auch weitere Varianten wie -ji und -tschi, siehe dazu im Artikel -li."
[see first Wiki link]
Bit confusing.
Best