I found this on a blog about the region. Groningen is the North of the Netherlands; and not in Holland. It is a bit like Scotland, Northumbria and East Anglia all rolled into one, complete with the bagpipes (those are regularly played on the pirate radio stations).
It was written by an unnamed school student in the 1930s (before DE invaded the place and it got bombed possibly twice). Back then they taught the kids in their own dialect (which is closer to German as you would expect) as well as Standard Dutch. The age of the student is not given but s/he is probably early high school age; the academy mentioned at the start appears to have been a public funded high school for kids who are intelligent but whose parents are not that well off and need to be convinced that the child should go to school instead of working on the farm.
it shows how advanced Groningen was even in the early 20th century – not only did they have the school but also electric light in the street (and possibly power to houses), a care home for those who were deaf or dumb, their own bicycle factory, and a town clock (the kid makes the correct distinction between the “uurwaark” (timepiece) and klokken (the bells rung by it) that was accurate enough to calibrate other clocks and wristwatches ( “horlozie” == horloge) as well as a public hospital. They have since started selling fish in the fishmarket (vismaart) once again; in the 1930s it sold everything else apart from fish.
A is d’AKKEDEMIE dij opent de stoet,
doar kroamen de prefesters heur wieshaid in oet.
B is de BEURS woar ain kerel op staait,
dij doarom de ‘Kerel van Korenbeurs’ hait.
C is CATS’ BITTER en CATS’ levertroan,
As je dat pruift, loat je d’r alles veur stoan.
D is ‘t DOOFSTOMMENHUUS, dat leert jonk en old,
het zwiegen is zulver maor ’t spreken is gold.
E is ’t ELECTRISCH STROATLICHT in stad,
doarveur hebben wie nog de lanteernopsteker had.
F dat is FONGERS zien FIETSENFABRIEK,
Doarr moaken ze fietsen, ze hebben geliek.
G is ’t GEVANGENHUUS dat geft groatis loozjies,
moar ik loozjeer laiver bie Willems of Suisse.
H is d’HARMONIE dei grode soosjetait,
woar men veur ’n concert altied geern hin gaait.
I is de IESBOAN veur wintervermoak,
moar zummers den lopen doar koubaisten voak.
J is ‘JAN PLEZAIER’ om met uut rieden te goan,
met kouke en ranja, ’n haile karrevoan.
K is ons KOUKE da’s wereldbekend,
ain pond ‘wrakke latten’ dat kost moar acht cent.
L is ’t LEGER DES HAILS dei binnen overaal,
Ze kennen alles bruken, al is ’t nòg zo maal.
M bennen de MOLLEBONEN, dij moaken ze in stad
doarom hebben stadjers dij noam altied had.
N is ‘t NEISBLAD VAN T NOORDEN woarop èlk zuk abbeneert,
ook al hebben ze ’t lezen soms haildal nait leerd.
O is ’t Museum van OLDHEDEN, as gast
mout je d’r jonk hèngoan, aans hollen ze joe d’r vast!
P is ’t PLANTSOEN da’s jandorie zo’n pracht,
dat de poartjes d’r lopen te kuieren bie bie nacht.
Q is nait Grunnigs, dus wat mout je d’r met
Der is niks van te zeggen, dus gooi moar in mien pet.
R is de RENBOAN doar lopen peerden zuk dood,
of as ze loos bennen, gooien ze berieder in sloot.
S dat is t SLACHTHUUS boeten STAINTILPOORT,
doar wordt ’t vei op ’n menselieke wieze vermoord.
T is de TOREN biegenoamd ’Lange Jan’,
en ’t Peerd op zien kop wiest de windrichting an.
U dat is ’t UURWAARK met klokkemuziek,
doar zet elk zien horlozie en klokke met geliek.
V is de VISMAART, moar allennig in noam,
want vis is d’r aans nait, as met kermis in ’n kroam.
W bennen de WOAGENS, geelachtig van kleur
dij roek je in de verte al, van ‘t Grunneger odeur.
X dat is NIKS dat is goud in joen ogen,
doarmet heb ik deze keer ècht woar nait logen.
IJ is ain WOATERLOOP moar aigenlieks boeten stad
as AE wordt ’t maist schreven, din waiten ie dat.
Z is ’t ZAIKENHUUS wel hail netjes baauwd,
moar om d’r te liggen is toch moar benaauwd.
—
Met dank aan Kor Feringa.
