Wichie has been voted the Sweetest Drenthe Word of this year. The Drenthe word for girl – also known in parts of the province as morgenie or maegie – defeated, among others, smokkie and tutebekkie.
Regional language official Arja Olthof announced the winner this morning on Radio Drenthe. According to Olthof it was a neck-and-neck race. “There wasn’t that much difference between numbers 1, 2 and 3.”
Regional language organization Huus van de Taol has been holding an election for the most beautiful Drenthe word for several years. Last year it was feduzie, which means trust. Huus van de Taol adjusted the election this year and, together with RTV Drenthe, now looked for ‘a word that sounds sweet’ or ‘a pet name for a partner, child, good friends or (pet) animals’.
First you could submit your own word. Five words were received most often: smokkie (kiss), poppie (baby), prugeltie (small, naughty child), tutebekkie (cutie) and wichie. After an exciting voting week, the last nominee turned out to have the most votes.
The word wichie was submitted most often, also in combination with lief or nuver. But the word for girl is not the same throughout the province. In the southwest of Drenthe the word maggie is used, and in the west there is also a sound change and it becomes maegie. The word also shows the variation within the regional language in sound and vocabulary.
Remarkably, many contributors of the word do not live in Drenthe itself. Many people from Drenthe outside their own province still use this term of endearment or remember this word from their parents or grandparents. Non-Drenthe residents with a Drenthe partner also submitted it.