Written by Dyami Millarson
Oerfoarm is a Frisian word that is integral to the artistic philosophy of my father Kenneth Millarson. Its Dutch equivalent is oervorm. Oerfoarm/oervorm may be translated as primal form or proto-form and the plural of this Frisian/Dutch word is oerfoarmen/oervormen. This English translation is only an approximation. The first element oer- like English proto- is always hard to render because it evokes a certain primordial feeling and it conveys a certain sense of authenticity and may imply a return to an original state of being. The prefix oer- is cognate with German ur-, which has been adopted into English due to rendition problems of the concept expressed in this affix, although it is comparable to the suffix proto- in English. Therefore, it may be more accurate to render oerfoarmen/oervormen into English as ur-forms.
The oer-concept (or ur-concept if you will) is vital for understanding my father’s artistic philosophy. Oer- may not only be a prefixed element in Frisian/Dutch, but it may also be a noun. My father has often expressed his admiration of ‘de oer’, which translates roughly to ‘that which is or feels primordial’. One peculiar example of this noun is ‘de minsklike oer’ in Frisian or ‘de menselijke oer’, which is a concept my father often spoke of, as he is fascinated with ‘the oer of humanity’.
This is not to be confused with oerminsk in Frisian or oermens in Dutch, which means ‘ur-human’ or ‘primordial human being’. The cultural concept of oer is the red thread throughout my father’s work: my father has always been interested in finding creative ways to capture or depict ‘de oer’, usually he sought to do this through 3D art. My father’s work is essentially a lifelong experiment with finding ways to accurately depict ‘de oer’ in art. It is even my father’s form belief that art must be based on ‘de oer’ and that which is not based on ‘de oer’ cannot be true art according to this philosophical definition that answers what art is.
In conclusion, all of my father’s work depict ‘de oer’ in its various, incomprehensible forms. ‘De oer’ is beyond human understanding, yet it permeates the world or universe in which we live. According to my father, we as Dutch/Frisian people have lost our connection with ‘de oer’ and his art aims to restore that connection with the incomprehensible. ‘De oer’ is awe-inspiring, it is human yet non-human in a frightening way, it is perhaps like a Lovecraftian monster that is beyond our human level of comprehension that seeks to make sense of the world. My father has always looked up into the day and night sky, gazing at the stars and other celestial bodies for inspiration. Astronomy is one of his fascinations, especially the mind-boggling mathematical figures that no human brain can actually fully comprehend. His fascination comes from his intuitive appreciation for everything related to ‘de oer’.
When we restore our connection with ‘de oer’, we start making use of an ‘untapped power’ again and we are allowing it to guide our being, for that which permeates the universe is seemingly unlimited power that no human mind can grasp and the human genius can never surpass it. This raw power allows my father to create his work, while it is the creative force of the universe; ‘de oer’ is that which creates everything and while ‘de oer’ is the originator of everything, human beings can’t ever create things that equal ‘de oer’, as ‘de oer’ is always expanding, always ahead and always running faster towards perfection than man can keep up with. Mankind can never match ‘de oer’. My father has expressed this sentiment as follows: ‘De mens kan de natuur niet evenaren.’ This translates to: ‘Mankind cannot match [the perfection of] nature.’ So, rather than fighting it, he chooses to subject himself to it and become one with ‘de oer’ for his philosophical-artistic work.
Being guided by ‘de oer’, my father has often said: ‘Ik geloof niet in kunstmatige dingen, namelijk hetgeen de mens maakt in een poging om de natuur te verbeteren.’ This translates to: ‘I do not believe in artificial things, i.e., that which man creates in an attempt to improve upon nature.’ Thus, he believes that ‘de oer’ or nature cannot be improved upon, and that ‘de oer’ or nature has already achieved a state that is more perfect than what we can ever wish to produce as human beings. Again, that is why my father embraces ‘de oer’ in his work and lets ‘de oer’ speak to him directly for the creation of his works of art.
When my father talks about communicating or interaction with ‘de oer’ in the sense that one alllows oneself to be open to what ‘de oer’ dictates or stipulates, he brings up the Dutch concept of ‘het onderbewuste’ (the subconscious mind). He believes that ‘de menselijke oer’ can be found in ‘het onderbewuste’ and that the latter is an inborn faculty of the mind for interacting with ‘de oer’. It may be seen as an primal concept of the telephone; ‘de oer’ calls humanity through ‘het onderbewuste’ and humans may choose to listen to this. If humans listen to ‘de oer’, they can unlock unmatched creative powers that are intuitive and spontaneous and natural at the same time.
My father always says that he bases his work on ‘het onderbewuste’ and he allows his ‘onderbewuste’ to guide him, which is another artistic way of his to express that ‘de oer’ is his guide for all of his artistic endeavours. When others ask him how he makes his art, he is often at loss for words, because ‘het onderbewuste’, which is the channel through which ‘de oer’ communicates directly with humanity, is not readily explained and requires philosophical initiation through art to be ‘experienced’, for art is an experience and it is the unbridled means by which ‘de oer’, the inherent and intrinsic essence of the universe and humanity, can be explored. Art allows the kind of freedom that one needs to explore the questions of life and no other means than art, which naturally offers freedom, is as adequate for exploring a topic as grand as ‘de oer’.
Art means, in my father’s sense, not freedom to the artist to bolster his ego, but freedom to ‘de oer’ to express and reveal itself to mankind. Thus, while ‘de oer’ or the universe communicates through the artist, true art contains messages that are to be deciphered by mankind; true art carries a message, even if the artist himself may not comprehend it, and therefore art is not empty, devoid of meaning, but full of deeper meaning and rich in hidden messages. It is up to mankind to make sense of art and thus to spot ‘de oer’ in the true works of art that have been produced by artists guided by ‘de oer’. My father sees himself merely as a messenger of ‘de oer’ and he leaves it up to the people to find the messages. All in all, art that lacks meaning is no message from ‘de oer’, and therefore it was made by no messenger, but someone who did not listen to ‘de oer’. People who are no messengers do not possess what may be called ‘oerbewustzijn’ (oer-consciousness), which is the state of mind of someone guided by ‘de oer’.
When my father produces works of art based on the guidance of ‘de oer’, he is searching for oerfoarmen/oervormen, which I mentioned at the beginning of this article. My father sees the artist, whom he defines as someone initiated into the ‘oerbewustzijn’, as someone engaging in a ‘zoektocht’ (quest). This ‘zoektocht’ is aimed at finding the ways to depict ‘de oer’ through shapes which he calls oerfoarmen/oervormen. Moreover, these oerfoarmen/oervormen can be found in nature and they serve as inspiration. Oerfoarmen/oervormen are not just shapes that which are depicted in art based on ‘de oer’, but they are also shapes found in the universe that we ought to be inspired by for the creation of art; ‘de oer’ speaks through ‘oerfoarmen/oervormen’. In conclusion, art is oerfoarm/oervorm-based in that it is (1) oerfoarm/oervorm-depicting, (2) oerfoarm/oervorm-inspired and (3) oerfoarm/oervorm-communicating or more clearly stated ‘communicating through oerfoarmen’.
While ‘oerfoarmen/oervormen’ is that which the ‘zoektocht’ of the artist is based on, he is searching ways to depict a higher or underlying reality that although visible is also invisible to the human eye, and the true artist seeks to also depict or render visible what is fundamentally invisible. In this way, the messenger of ‘de oer’ gives a concrete shape to metaphysics so that humans may perceive it, and thus the artist is simply a depicter of metaphysics. This truly the point of ‘vormgeving’ (giving a shape or form to something, i.e., depiction), which defines style of artist’s work. While art and metaphysics intersect, art and philosophy are one and the same in my father’s view; he rejects its distinction as artificial, and based on ‘oerbewustzijnsgebrek’ (lack of oer-consciousness). Depicting or ‘vormgeving’ is creating shapes that make the metaphysical world understandable to humans. While humans cannot normally comprehend ‘de oer’, they need messengers who convey the messages of ‘de oer’ in human form and those are the philosopher-artists, particularly in a future society that is to come and that will have restored its relationship with ‘de oer’ and that respects the work of the philosopher-artists for bringing humanity in close contact with ‘de oer’.
Foundation Operation X for languages, cultures and perspectives 
Interesting post!
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Thank you!
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Well, you’ve done your father proud. I have absolutely no idea what you are trying to say.
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Thanks for your comment. My father is a very humble and introspective man, he has no strong feelings of pride.
I am not sure whether you like reading philosophy, but have you ever looked into Plato’s theory of forms? Plato’s philosophical perspective is based on Greek culture of course, my father’s on Frisian/Dutch culture, and I can assure you that both of these philosophies are not identical, but I thought that this coincidentally similar concept in Greek philosophy might help you out with understanding my father’s philosophy. Perhaps I should write an article comparing my father’s Dutch/Frisian perspective on forms and Plato’s Greek perspective on forms. Would you be interested in reading such a blog post?
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I am somewhat familiar with Plato. That sound interesting.
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Not an approach I follow, but an interesting one.
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Thanks for the feedback. What is the approach you follow?
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My artform is storytelling (novels, screenplays, songs, memoir), and I focus on the complexities of modern human thought and feelings, rather than striving for something pre-human or primal.
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I am curious to see your father’s artwork, however.
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Glad to hear you are curious. My father’s work has always inspired me, I grew up in a creative environment. I am currently working on digitalising some photos of my father’s work from the 80s and 90s. I will share it here.
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Thank you for sharing your approach to art. I believe emotion is primal and many thoughts are driven by powerful emotions. In my humble opinion, all roads lead to Rome: whilst many artists may not realise it, they may still be following this approach. My father has simply been trying to make it explicit and thus explain something complex with concepts that naturally came to him in a Dutch/Frisian cultural setting.
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Really interesting. The way you write of de oer is reminiscent of a Martin Buber – Ich und Du. I will look forward to diving into your father’s art. Thank you
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Martin Buber’s work is definitely intriguing! I need some time to upload the pictures of my father’s work here, I have been working on it these days. You are welcome, thank you for leaving a comment!
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I read the article several times. Although I still don’t understand what it means. But I have to say that your father’s interpretation of art is awe inspiring. For example, art should not be empty, but meaningful. Artists should also take responsibility to understand art.🤭🤭🤭🤔🤔🤔confusedddsdddddddddddddd.
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Is it perhaps possible that you identify what you are confused about? If you could tell me specifically what you do not understand, I might be able to write a follow-up article intended to hopefully clear up the initial confusion.
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Interesting. I often feel that my dreams which of course are in the form of images are communicating invisible meaning. They can seem jumbled and nonsensical but if I file them away and pull them out and meditate on them I can sometimes find the thread of meaning running through them which of course holds a message for me. I would agree with your father that man can’t possibly match or improve upon the perfection of nature. I think the beauty of nature is a visible expression of the invisible beauty of goodness and love. too would love to see examples of his art.
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Reblogged this on worldtraveller70.
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This is beautiful. This is almost life changing to me. I’ve been struggling with my own works of art for awhile, when I set upon Surrealist literature as a method of expressing the “oceanic feeling” and it’s the closest I’ve come to being satisfied with my work.
These are some serious insights that have me rethinking about the nature of art, and I think it makes a lot of sense with my ties to Thelema and the philosophy I espoused in my book “Nihilatry: The Fleeting Carnality of the Dark Arts” in which I depict life itself as the canvas to a carnal artform. You’ve done more justice to that idea here than I did in my book. This clarifies a lot for me on a sort of existential level, I’m very moved.
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Wow! I know nothing of the language you used to describe this philosophy, but it is my philosophy. This is what I believe and is my approach to the arts and philosophy. I have attempted to express such ideas but have yet to come close to your articulation. It resonates with me so strongly!
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I love the idea of primordial and unhumanness which in turn could be aliveness. Must think on this a while. Thanks.
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This post was of particular interest to me. I believe that certain people who are deeply spiritual, no matter their religious background can experienced communion with a primordial state. I believe this to be a God-given gift. I happened to be raised Catholic. Why can some people and not everyone? That I do not understand.
I would agree with your father on this point, “Mankind cannot surpass the perfection of nature.” God is the Master artist and the universe is His canvas.
It is always interesting to read another’s POV. Thank you for sharing.
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Your father has a fascinating approach to life and one which I empathize. I think I use ‘de oer’ to create my fairy stories. On a darker note I can sense when someone is near death. Perhaps we have lost a way of communication that animals have.
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Wow! You have quite a mission! Anything to encourage communication between people, especially of differing backgrounds is valuable.
Laura
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Perhaps your father has also read the “Tao te Ching”.
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Interesting. I had no idea that so many languages existed. I suppose I’ve always thought of them as various dialects rather than separate language. Your perspective (your father’s) of art seems complicated in description, but I believe it comes down to the fact that God is a creator and he made us in his image so we are creative to whatever extent we allow it in ourselves. Primal to me is simply the beginning, base, root of the matter. “In the beginning, God created…” God certainly gives us the ability to create in so many fascinating ways. Thank you for sharing and checking out my blog.
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I read the article but kept looking for examples of your dad’s art? Interesting ideas expressed 🙏🐕♒️
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Primal forces are existing in the world whether we recognize them or not. I respect the love you have for dad and a couple of his works surely would have been useful to your narrative 🙏🐕♒️
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“The first element oer- is always hard to render in English because it evokes a certain primordial feeling and it conveys a certain sense of authenticity and may imply a return to an original state of being.”
Thank you Dyami,
For decades I’ve tried and tried to find the words for this, in English, as it’s the only language I really know. And could know more of! I feel a little better now 🙂
I’ve studied “primal” and “mother” especially, for a long while, in any direction I could find. I see the roots in everything in the present, I don’t see how it’s possible to separate the primal and the present, in any medium or creation, and have it be completely true, authentic, or finished, or… I don’t think I have the perfect word for that either.
I would love to see some of your Dad’s art. I’m a bit of an artist myself, and I do very much understand and use your Dad’s philosophy. Putting it in words has escaped me. I know when I see it, feel it, or not. I can see it most everywhere in everything. I’ve always thought of it as circles. I think I want to use the word alchemy as part of it. When my creation completes that circle, it is a very special piece to me, it becomes something more than it’s ingredients.
The rest can be enjoyable too, but certainly different.
I think I find it in juggling. When all of those circles and objects spin together in balance and unison, it feels like I and everything are a part of it’s energy, it feels right, complete, continuing, an old force behind and far beyond me. And once the smooth spinning begins, it’s a beautiful frightening monster threatening disaster with every turn, especially if the objects might bite! I’ll likely never be able to do that feeling justice in words, either. Which leads me to believe it is one in the same.
So, I like your lovely word very much. I feel it in what you’ve written here, it is delicious. Thank you for writing this. I can’t say I’ve studied philosophy much. My dear old dad is a Doctor of Philosophy, an Organic Chemist, maybe I learned even more from him than I thought 🙂
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Most fascinating work!
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Language preservation is a noble aim. Each language is such a treasure.
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It’s mostly interesting to know the perspectives of the older generation. Would’ve been nice, though, if you posted photos of father’s art to go with this article. Also, I wonder what things – other than art – that the word “oerfoarm” is used for.
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This is very fascinating, how one word in one language does not exist in another. My German cousins tell me that in German they join words to express themselves. I thought this was pretty cool.
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An interesting theoretical explanation about your father’s philosophical thoughts on art. I’m also interested to hear your personal views on this concept.
Allow me to express some of my own thoughts with regards to your writing. I disagree with the idea that art is the only universal concept of expression of the subconscious: art is a visual expression of feelings and there are many ways to express the subconscious. Art is but one of them.
To explore this a little further I wonder what the definition of the subconscious is. According to Cambridge the subconscious is the part of your mind that notices and remembers information when you are not actively trying to do so and influences your behaviour though you do not realize it. Information is facts or details about a person, company, product, etc. So our subconscious picks up on facts or details of our surroundings (inner/outer), even when we’re not actively aware of it. You could call this a deeper level of informative communication and it’s an inherent part of the human brain.
To recap: art is a visual expression of feelings and the subconscious is a part of the brain that every person taps into, which notices and remembers information and influences your behaviour though you may not realize it. Now how can we connect these two definitions? If an artist taps into his/her subconscious he/she conveys visual information about his/her feelings (internal) or the feelings of another person (external), that influences the behaviour of the artist or of the other person, even when the artist or the other person is not aware of it.
Of course, I’m interested to see the work of your father. Does he have any recent work that you can upload?
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I assume you are referring to these two paragraphs:
* * * START QUOTE * * *
When my father talks about communicating or interaction with ‘de oer’ in the sense that one alllows oneself to be open to what ‘de oer’ dictates or stipulates, he brings up the Dutch concept of ‘het onderbewuste’ (the subconscious mind). He believes that ‘de menselijke oer’ can be found in ‘het onderbewuste’ and that the latter is an inborn faculty of the mind for interacting with ‘de oer’. It may be seen as an primal concept of the telephone; ‘de oer’ calls humanity through ‘het onderbewuste’ and humans may choose to listen to this. If humans listen to ‘de oer’, they can unlock unmatched creative powers that are intuitive and spontaneous and natural at the same time.
My father always says that he bases his work on ‘het onderbewuste’ and he allows his ‘onderbewuste’ to guide him, which is another artistic way of his to express that ‘de oer’ is his guide for all of his artistic endeavours. When others ask him how he makes his art, he is often at loss for words, because ‘het onderbewuste’, which is the channel through which ‘de oer’ communicates directly with humanity, is not readily explained and requires philosophical initiation through art to be ‘experienced’, for art is an experience and it is the unbridled means by which ‘de oer’, the inherent and intrinsic essence of the universe and humanity, can be explored. Art allows the kind of freedom that one needs to explore the questions of life and no other means than art, which naturally offers freedom, is as adequate for exploring a topic as grand as ‘de oer’.
* * * END QUOTE * * *
A few things are going on here:
1. My father allows himself to be guided by ‘het onderbewuste’
2. ‘Het onderbewuste’ is the channel through which ‘de oer’ communicates with humanity
3. Art is the unbridled means through which ‘de oer’ can be explored
4. No other means than art is as adequate to explore a topic as grand as ‘de oer’
‘De oer’ may be loosely translated as ‘primal force’ and ‘ancient law’ (law as in a pattern that repeats itself regularly, not a human law). ‘De oer’ permeates humanity, but is also not limited to humanity; it exists inside and outside humantiy, it is everywhere.
‘De oer’ is itself invisible, and the artist may render it visible so that humans may understand.
The artist is the messenger between ‘de oer’ and ‘humanity’, which is basically the essential role for the artist in the coming centuries. This is the philosophical answer as to why art is needed now and in the future; it explains why art is not useless. Art is for maintaining the bond between ‘de oer’ and humanity, art helps us basically preserve a primal balance or order and there will be unforeseen negative consequences in case we ignore art as a protector of our universe in much the same way that Atlas carries his burden; through art, we can seek, find and prove ‘higher consciousness’ as human beings. As soon as humans developed higher consciousness, they developed art. Higher consciousness is a burden produced by ‘de oer’, and the artist carries that burden like Atlas does carry his; contrary to the unfortunate image of the artist as a chaotic or upsetting force, the true artist does not upset balance, but knows how to seek, find and prove balance with his work that is dedicated to and inspired by ‘de oer’.
‘De oer’ itself may be experienced through ‘het onderbewuste’ by anyone, but the role of the artist is to be a messenger as he seeks to pick up on the message of ‘de oer’ through ‘het onderbewuste’.
‘De oer’ is the ‘mysterious, incomprehensible thing’, it is not animate but inanimate. Thus, when an artist accepts his role as messenger, he is using art to express the message of an inanimate thing. ‘Message’ has a different meaning here. It means knowledge acquired about an inanimate primal force through the intermediary ‘onderbewuste’.
Messenger (boodschapper in Dutch) might not even be the best word to describe an artist, but rather translator/interpreter (vertolker in Dutch). Of course, the sense of bringing a concept to humanity is something that makes the notion of ‘messenger’ suitable, yet the ‘communication’ that is taking place is not between animate beings but between an inanimate primal force and animate human beings influenced by that force.
‘De oer’ may be regarded as somewhat akin to the abstract English concept of ‘nature’, this is a concept that is hard to explain. ‘Nature’ is a big picture concept like ‘de oer’. In fact, ‘de oer’ and nature may be regarded as overlapping. However, while nature may be confined, ‘de oer’ is everywhere, as it is limitless, borderless unlike nature. ‘De oer’ can be found in cities as well as in nature, human artchitecture can be an artistic exploration of ‘de oer’ for instance as well as the shapes in which a tree has grown can tell us something about ‘de oer’ and is therefore to be regarded as ‘profoundly inspiring for the artist’.
Yet another example is the fact that symmetry exists in lifeforms on earth, this pattern may be seen as being dictated by ‘de oer’, it is essentially a ‘message’ from ‘de oer’ which the artist may explore further.
What makes the artist useful in the modern day and age – as well as what will make him useful far into the future – is the exploration of ‘de oer’. Art is not meaningless patterns, but it is about finding and conveying (the essence or meaning of) ‘oerfoarmen’, which one may translate as ‘primal forms’ or ‘primal patterns’.
Art can truly be complementary to philosophy, religion and science because it delves into a realm that deserves to be explored. Art is the missing fountain of human knowledge in the modern age; it is an essential aspect that we ought not to ignore if we are serious about philosophy or religion or science, for instance. An artist may be compared to a shaman on account of his journey to acquire knowledge of ‘de oer’. People may see the artist as a kind of messenger, translator/interpreter, shaman or even priest, but it ought to be remembered that the artist has his own role for humanity that is unique, and words such as those mentioned before are merely familiar concepts we are using to compare the work of the artist to; the artist is an unknown factor, he deviates from the others and the quality of being different is what makes him misunderstood and elusive.
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Your writing is impressively intriguing and has a certain level of intellect that is admirable. Although I couldn’t quite understand, I did follow it to the very end! In a quest to understand I suppose ha!
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Need not read more than a few paragraphs. Very bemusing to your father indeed. Love/light.
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I do not think he spends endless time on this subject, as it’s relatively easy to grasp in Dutch. However, although the premise is relatively simple in a Dutch cultural context, complexity arises when Dutch terms need to be explained in English. Similar translation problems arose when people started translating the Bible, for instance, and that is why endless commentaries exist. It takes time to find the best ways to explain certain terms in another language. English does not have the concepts such as ‘de oer’ and ‘de oerfoarm’. One solution, as was also discovered by the Bible translators, is to simply import some foreign terminology. ‘Amen’ is one example of a foreign concept that was imported, it is somewhat hard to explain just like ‘de oer’ and ‘de oerfoarm’.
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Language seems to take away from it’s meaning in my experience. You’ve done a great job working with English which as you know, doesn’t do well to express ABBAs work.
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Languages have different words. However, they have equal potential to express all concepts. It just takes a little bit of puzzling and this article is a first attempt at solving that puzzle in the case of my father’s work.
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How wonderful the way your father inspires you! Your love for him shines through in this post.
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Languages open doors to the world, other cultures, other peoples and make one a more tolerant individual. Did your father have a preferred medium to express his “art?” This article brought me back to my years of study in Heidelberg during which I began the art of translating. Trying to be precise and yet convey the meanings of words in English, for example, was an act of love. Today my art forms are still the word, music, sewing and creating, and choral music. Thank you for sharing such a great art form with us. “__”
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Thank you for your wonderful response, you really understood the article. 😊 I assume your experience with the art of translation helped you grasp this post properly. 👍 As you might have guessed, the post itself was intended as a work of art while, like you suggest, translation is an art form as well. I posed your question to my father: he said his preferred mediums of visualising/presenting the ‘oerfoarmen’ (proto-forms) are fashion, architecture, furniture, painting, and poetry. As a designer, he produced exclusive painted couture wedding clothes and he produced furniture (such as painted curtains) as well. Characteristic of the Millarson/Operation X brand was/is that he painted/paints all of his designs in order to visualise/present the ‘oerfoarmen’, while painting is essential to his philosophy about the visualisation of the ‘oerfoarmen’. His poetry also alludes to the ‘oerfoarmen’ and is often accompanied by mental visualisations, he thinks in 3D on a linguistic level as well and intuitive 3D-thinking is what helps him to visually present the ‘oerfoarmen’ to his intended audience. My father’s artistic work is directly related to our current work with regards to supporting endangered local languages, cultures, and peoples; currently, we are on an adventure of looking for and finding the ‘oerfoarmen’ among these indigenous languages, cultures and peoples. We hope you will stay interested in our blog! ☺️
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Thank you once more for the explanation behind your father’s vision of art and art forms. With five degrees in German and travel to many countries over the years, languages are near and dear to my heart. It is so nice to meet and follow your blog adventures. Have a creative week and be well. Note: I found the German word “Gemütlichkkeit” to be difficult to translate into English. While I understand what translators do with that word, it just doesn’t seem to convey the precise meaning. Sometimes one needs an entire sentence to convey the one word. “”__””
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Interesting. It made me think about what Romans 1:19-20 says: basically that God has revealed himself to mankind through creation. I am a Christian. I feel that when I pray and spend time with the Lord, He inspires me to write (my form of art).
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I wonder would your father have thought of languages less shaped by reason. With less thought put into grammar and spelling, where the language is perhaps more primitive as closer to the oer?
(Ben trouwens ook Nederlands)
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Thank you! I remember reading The Brothers Karamazov and the madness of Dmitri while Dostoyevsky narrates the awful act. While I read that I transcended into something else, Dostoyevsky brought me somewhere, maybe that is the oer? Other novelists can do that too, create something apart from the words on the page. I think I see it in Monet’s waterlilies as well. Thank you!!
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Reblogged this on From guestwriters and commented:
Hoe dikwijls hebben wij in het Nederlands het niet over oerdingen, oervormen enz. en gaan wij zelfs op zoek naar dat oergebeuren of die oervormen?
Ook willen sommigen het oerwezen in zichzelf ontdekken.
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This is amazing. I have heard Elizabeth Gilbert’s talk on how we are only conduits from intelligences from above to communicate through us. I really loved that concept because it does not allow man the take unnatural pride in the work he produces. Thanks for sharing. This is really deep.
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Die Afrikaanse taal is besonders na aan die Friese taal – ons gebruik ook die woord ‘oer’ soos byvoorbeel ons sal noem dat iets ‘oer-oud’ is, of dat iets uit die ‘oertyd’ uitkom. Ek kan redelik gemaklik die artikels lees op u blog, net hier en daar is daar a woord wat nie baie duidelik is nie. Ek vind dat die Flaamse taal ook redelike maklik is om te verstaan, maat Nederlands is bietjie moeiliker om te volg.
Groete uit Suid Afrika en ek wens u ‘n Voorspoedige Nuwe Jaar!
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Dankie vir u baie interessante opmerkings oor die verhouding tussen Afrikaans en Fries, die gebruik van ‘oer’ in Afrikaans is beslis relevant vir hierdie artikel!
Toe ek in 2021 Afrikaans studeer het, het ek opgemerk dat daar ‘n paar interessante ooreenkomste tussen Afrikaans en Fries is.
Die Friese voorsetsel oer stem byvoorbeeld meer ooreen met die Afrikaanse voorsetsel oor as met die Nederlandse voorsetsel over. (Oer het dus twee betekenisse in Fries: dit stem ooreen met die Afrikaanse woorde oer en oor.)
Daar is ‘n magdom Friese tale. Daar is 3 Friese taalfamilies: Wes-Fries, Oos-Fries en Noord-Fries. Die Afrikaanse voorsetsel oor kan vertaal word in Hindelooper Fries, Molkwerumer Fries en Wes- en Oos-Terschellinger Fries (al hierdie is Wes-Friese tale) as oer, na Schiermonnikoger Fries (vermoedelik ‘n Wes-Friese taal, moontlik met sommige Oos-Friese invloede) as ieuwr, na Sagelterlander Fries (‘n Oos-Friese taal) as uur, na Wangero(o)ger Fries (‘n Oos-Friese taal) as ᚢᚱ (wat as ūr getranslitereer kan word), na Helgolander Fries (‘n Noord-Friese taal) as oawer, na Noord- en Suid-Goesharder Fries, Halliger Fries, Föhr-Amrumer Fries en Karrharder Fries (dit is almal Noord-Friese tale) as auer, na Middel-Goesharder Fries (‘n Noord-Friese taal) as äär, na Sylter Fries (‘n Noord-Friese taal) as aur, na Bökingerharder Fries (‘n Noord-Friese taal) as ouer, en laastens na Wiedingharder Fries (‘n Noord-Friese taal) as aar.
Die Friese taal wat ek in hierdie artikel gebruik het, is die grootste Friese taal met die meeste sprekers en behoort tot die Wes-Friese taalfamilie. Ek noem hierdie taal Geafrysk of Shire Frisian in Engels. Gea beteken shire. Dit is moeilik om die woord gea, wat ten nouste met die Friese landskap verbind is, te vertaal. Ek dink shire is ‘n redelik goeie vertaling vir gea want dit klink magies, gea het ‘n kulturele lading met ‘n magiese konnotasie. Ek is in die versoeking om die woord gea onvertaal te laat en sommer die taal Geafries in Afrikaans te noem. Wat dink u is die beste Afrikaanse vertaling vir gea of shire? Landstreek, provinsie, landskap of iets anders?
Groete uit Friesland en ek wens u ook ‘n Gelukkige Nuwe Jaar!
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