People—History—Location—Condition.
The reciprocal influence of languages affords an interesting subject of investigation, and it is the object of this essay to present an outline of a dialect which has been formed within a century, and which continues to be spoken, subject to the influences which developed it. Of such languages, English, Wallachian, and Hindûstânî, are familiar examples.
Like other languages, the dialect of German known as Pennsylvania Dutch presents variations due to the limited intercourse of a widely-scattered agricultural population, and to the several dialects brought from abroad, chiefly from the region of the Upper Rhine, and the Neckar, the latter furnishing the Suabian or Rhenish Bavarian element. The language is therefore South German, as brought in by emigrants from Rhenish Bavaria, Baden, Alsace (Alsatia), Würtemberg, German Swisserland, and Darmstadt. There were also natives from other regions, with certain French Neutrals deported from Nova Scotia to various parts of the United States, including the county (Lancaster) where the materials for this essay have been collected. These, and probably some families with French names from Alsace, are indicated by a few proper names, like Roberdeau, Lebo, Deshong and Shunk (both for Dejean), and an occasional word like júschtaménnt (in German spelling), the French justement, but which a native might take for a condensation of just-an-dem-ende.
Welsh names like Jenkins, Evans, Owen, Foulke, Griffith, Morgan, and Jones occur, with the township names of Brecknock, Caernarvon, Lampeter, Leacock ('Lea' as lay), and in the next county of Chester—Gwinedd and Tredyffrin; but there seems to have been no fusion between Welsh and German, probably because the Welsh may have spoken English. Local names like Hanōver, Heidelberg and Manheim, indicate whence some of the early residents came.
The French-American ville appears in German Pennsylvania, in Bechtelville, Engelsville, Greshville, Lederachsville, Scherksville, Schwenksville, Silberlingsville, Wernersville, Zieglerville; paralleled by the English town in Kutztown, Mertztown, Schäfferstown, Straustown; burg in Ickesburg, Landisburg, Rehrersburg; and the German dorf has a representative in Womelsdorf.
Pennsylvania German does not occur in the counties along the northern border of the state, but it has extended into Maryland, Western Virginia, Ohio, and farther west; and it has some representatives in western New York, and even in Canada. In many of the cities of the United States, such as Pittsburg, Chica’go, Cincinnăt’ĭ, and Saint Louis, recent large accessions from Germany have brought in true German, and to such an extent that the German population of the city of New York is said to exceed that of every European city except Berlin and Vienna. The newer teutonic population differs from the older in living to a great extent in the towns, where they are consumers of beer and tobacco—luxuries to which the older stock and their descendants were and are but little addicted. The numerous allusions to the 'Fatherland' to be met with, belong to the foreign Germans—the natives caring no more for Germany than for other parts of Europe, for they are completely naturalised, notwithstanding their language.
Several thousand Germans had entered Pennsylvania before the year 1689, when a steady stream of emigration set in, and it is stated that their number was 100,000 in 1742, and 280,000 in 1763. They occupied a region which has located the Pennsylvania dialect chiefly to the south-east of the Alleghenies, excluding several counties near Philadelphia. Germantown, six miles from Philadelphia, although settled by Germans, seems to have lost its German character. The language under the name of 'Pennsylvania Dutch' is used by a large part of the country population, and may be constantly heard in the county towns of Easton on the Delaware, Reading (i.e. red-ing) on the Schuylkill, Allentown on the Lehigh, Harrisburg (the State capital) on the Susquehanna, Lebanon, Lancaster, and York.
A fair proportion of the emigrants, including the clergy, were educated, and education has never been neglected among them. The excellent female boarding school of the Moravians were well supported, not only by the people of the interior, but also by the English-speaking population of the large cities, and of the Southern States—a support which prevented the German accent of some of the teachers from being imitated by the native teutonic pupils—for the education was in English, although German and French were taught. Booksellers find it to their advantage to advertise the current German and English literature in the numerous German journals of the interior, and there is a Deutsch-Amerikanisches Conversations Lexicon in course of publication, which gives the following statistics of one of the German counties.
"The German element is strongly and properly represented in Allentown, and in Lehigh county generally, where the German language has retained its greatest purity, and so strong is this element, that in the city itself there are but few persons who speak English exclusively. An evidence of this is found in the fact that in seventy of the eighty Christian congregations in the county, some of which are over one hundred years old, Divine service is conducted in the German language. Allentown has seven German churches: (two Lutheran, one Reformed, two Methodist, one United Brethren, and one Catholic); and nine German journals, of which are published weekly—Der Unabhängige[1] Republikaner (fifty-nine years old), Der Friedensbote (fifty-seven years old), Der Lecha County Patriot (forty-three years old), Der Weltbote (fifteen years old, with 12,000 subscribers), and Die Lutherische Zeitschrift. The Stadt-und Land-Bote is a daily, the Jugendfreund semi-monthly, with twenty thousand subscribers; and Pastor Brobst's Theologische Monatshefte is monthly. Since the beginning of the year 1869, the German language has been taught in the public schools."[2] The Reading Adler is in its seventy-fourth, and the Lancaster Volksfreund in its sixty-second year.—Dec. 1869.
The convenient quarto German almanacs (with a printed page of about five and a half by seven and a half inches in size), were preferred to the duodecimo English almanacs, even among the non-Germans, until the appearance of English almanacs in the German format about the year 1825.
The early settlers were extensive purchasers and occupiers of land, and being thus widely scattered, and having but few good roads, the uniformity of the language is greater than might have been supposed possible. These people seldom became merchants and lawyers, and in the list of attorneys admitted in Lancaster County, commencing with the year 1729, the names are English until 1769, when Hubley and Weitzel appear. From 1793 to 1804, of fifty-two names, three are German; from 1825 to 1835, twenty-four names give Reigart and Long (the latter anglicised). After 1860 the proportion is greater, for among the nine attorneys admitted in 1866, we find the German names of Urich, Loop, Kauffman, Reinœhl, Seltzer, and Miller. At the first school I attended as a child, there were but three English family names, and in the playground, English and German games were practised, such as 'blumsak' (G. plumpsack), 'Prisoner's base,' and 'Hink'l-wai[3] was graabscht du do?' which was never played with the colloquy translated.
Pennsylvania Dutch (so called because Germans call themselves Deutsch[4]) is known as a dialect which has been corrupted or enriched by English words and idioms under a pure or modified pronunciation, and spoken by natives, some of them knowing no other language, but most of them speaking or understanding English. Many speak both languages vernacularly, with the pure sounds of each, as in distinguishing German tōd (death) from English toad; or English winter from German winter, with a different w, a lengthened n, a flat t, and a trilled r—four distinctions which are natural to my own speech. Children, even when very young, may speak English entirely with their parents, and German with their grandparents, and of two house-painters (father and son) the father always speaks German and the son English, whether speaking together, or with others. The males of a family being more abroad than the females, learn English more readily, and while the father, mother, daughters, and servants may speak German, father and son may speak English together naturally, and not with a view to have two languages, as in Russia. Foreign Germans who go into the interior usually fall into the local dialect in about a year, and one remarked that he did so that he might not be misunderstood. Some of these, after a residence of fifteen or twenty years, speak scarcely a sentence of English, and an itinerant piano-tuner, whose business has during many years taken him over the country, says that he has not found a knowledge of English necessary.
The English who preceded the Germans in Pennsylvania brought their names of objects with them, calling a thrush with a red breast a robin; naming a bird not akin to any thrush a blackbird; and assigning to a yellow bird the name of goldfinch, but adopting a few aboriginal names like racoon, hackee and possum. The Germans did this to some extent, for blackbird saying 'schtaar' (G. staar,[5] starling,) for the goldfinch (oriole) 'goldamschl,' for the thrush (G. drossel) 'druschl,' for a woodpecker 'specht' (the German name), and for a crow 'krap.'
The ground-squirrel is named 'fensǝmeissli' (fence-mouselin, fence being English); a large grey squirrel is called 'eech-haas' (for eich-hase, oak-hare); and in Austria a squirrel is akatzel and achkatzel (oak-kitten). The burrowing marmot (Arctomys monax), known as ground-hog, is called 'grun'daks' (from a fancied analogy with the German dachs or badger) and in York County 'grundsau,' a translation of the English name. The English patridge (partridge, Dutch patrijs) is Germanised into 'pattǝreesǝli'—also called 'feld-hinkli' (little field-chicken),—hinkl being universally used for chicken or chickens.
The usual perversions by otōsis occur, as in the city of Baltimore, where foreign Germans say 'Ablass' for Annapolis and 'Kälber Strasze' (Street of Calves) for Calvert Street—but the citizens themselves have replaced the vowel of what with that of fat, in the first syllable of this name; and the people of New York now pronounce 'Beekman Street' with the syllable beak instead of bake according to the earlier practice.
A German botanist gave 'Gandoge' as the locality of an American plant; a package sent by express to 'Sevaber' (an English name), and a letter posted to the town of 'Scur E Quss, Nu Yourck,' arrived safely; and I have seen a handboard directing the traveller to the English-named town of 'Bintgrof.' As these present no special difficulty, they are not explained.
English rickets for 'rachîtis' is a familiar example of otōsis, and it appears in the following names of drugs furnished by a native druggist who speaks both languages, and who was able to determine the whole from the original prescriptions.
Allaways, Barrickgerrick, Sider in de ment, Essig of Iseck, Hirim Packer, Cinment, Cienpepper, Sension, Saintcun, Opien, High cyrap, Seno and mano miset, Sking, Coroces suplement, Red presepeite, Ammeline, Lockwouth, Absom's salts, Mick nisey, Corgel, Chebubs, By crematarter potash, Balderyon, Lower beans, Cots Shyneel.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Un-ab-häng-ig, un-off-hang-ing, in-de-pend-ent, Polish nie-za-wis-ty.
[2] Allentown has just completed one of the finest public school buildings in Eastern Pennsylvania.—Newspaper, February, 1870.
[3] As if 'hühn-kel weihe' chicken hawk, 'wai' rhyming with boy.
[4] In an article on (the) "Pennsylvania Dutch" in the 'Atlantic Monthly' (Boston, Mass., Oct., 1869, p. 473), it is asserted that "the tongue which these people speak is not German, nor do they expect you to call it so." On the contrary, the language is strictly a German dialect, as these pages prove. The mistake has arisen from the popular confusion between the terms Dutch and German, which are synonymous with many. In Albany (New York) they speak of the Double Dutch Church, which seems to have been formed by the fusion of a 'German Reformed' with a 'Dutch Reformed' congregation. These are different denominations, now greatly anglicised. In 1867 the Rev. J. C. Dutcher was a Dutch Reformed pastor in New York.
[5] Words in single quotations are Pennsylvania German. The system of spelling is described in the next chapter. High German words are commonly in italics, or marked G.
[CHAPTER II.]
Phonology of Pennsylvania Dutch.
§ 1. Use of the Alphabet.
In his "Key into the Languages of America," London, 1643, Roger Williams says that "the life of all language is pronuntiation"—and in the comparison of dialects it deserves especial attention. To enable the reader the more readily to understand these pages, and to compare the words with literary German, the principles of German orthography will be used as far as they are consistent, but every letter or combination is in every case to be pronounced according to the power here indicated—except in literal quotations, where the originals are followed. A single vowel letter is always to be read short, and when doubled it must have the same sound, but lengthened—but as a single vowel letter is often read long in German, and as short vowels are often indicated by doubling a consonant letter, this absurd mode is sometimes used to prevent mispronunciation through carelessness.[6] The 's' is also sometimes doubled to prevent it from becoming English 'z' with readers who, in careless moods, might rhyme 'as' (as) with has instead of fosse. In a PG. poem of Rachel Bahn, commencing with—
"Wie soothing vocal music is! Wie herrlich un wie schoe!"
most English readers would be likely to rhyme 'is' with phiz instead of hiss, which will be prevented by writing 'iss,' etc.
Although I have visited various counties of the State at distant intervals, the facts given here pertain chiefly to a single locality, so that if it is stated, for example, that 's' with its English sound in 'misery' does not occur, or that 'kǝp' (head) is used to the exclusion of haupt, it is not intended to assert that such a sound as z, or such a word as haupt, have not a local existence. In fact, although they are not recorded here, English z, w, and v, may be common enough. A German confounds met and mat, cheer and jeer, and when he becomes able to pronounce them all, he not unfrequently creates a new difficulty, and for cherry says jărry (rhyming carry), and after he has acquired sounds like English z, w, and v, they might readily slip into his German speech.
The letter b and its spirant (German w) both occur, and the latter often replaces b, in one region 'ich haw' (I have) replaces 'ich hab,' German ich habe, and 'nit' replaces 'net' (not), German nicht. The vowels of up and ope interchange, as in 'kǝch' or 'koch' (cook) 'nǝch' or 'noch' (yet); and it is difficult to determine whether the prefixes ge-and be-have the vowel of bet or but. Lastly, the nasal vowels are by some speakers pronounced pure. Should discrepancies be found upon these points, they are to be attributed rather to the dialect than to the writer—or to the two conjointly.
§ 2. The Vowels.
E. indicates English; G. German; SG. South German; PG. Pennsylvania German (or 'Dutch');.a preceding dot indicates what would be a capital letter in common print. It is used where capital forms have not been selected, as for æ.
a in what, not; PG. kat (G. gehabt) had; kats cat.
aa (ah[7]) in fall, orb; PG. haas hare; paar pair; haan (G. hahn) cock; tsaam (G. zaum) bridle.
a in aisle, height, out. In a few cases it is written â. See under the dipthongs.
æ (ä, e[1]) in fat; hær (G. Herr) Sir; dær (and d'r, G. der) the; hærn (G. hirn) brain; schtærn, pl. schtærnǝ (G. stern) star; mær (G. mähre) mare; ærscht (G. erst) first; wærts-haus (G. wirtshaus) inn.
ææ (ä, äh) in baa, the preceding vowel lengthened.[8] PG. bæær (G. bär) bear; kæær E. car.
e (ä, ö) in bet; PG. bet bed; net (G. nicht) not; apnémǝ (G. abnahme decline) PG. a wasting disease; het (G. hätte had), which, with some other words, will sometimes be written with ä (hätt) to aid the reader. In a few cases it is lengthened (as in thêre), when it is written ê, as in French.
ee (ä, äh, eh, ö) in ale; PG. meel (G. mehl) meal; eel (G. öl) oil.
ǝ (e, o, a) in but, mention;[9] PG. kǝp (G. kopf) head; lǝs (G. lasz) let, hawǝ (a short, G. haben) to have.
i (ü, ie, ö) in finny; niks (G. nichts) nothing; tsrik (G. zurück) back; míglich (G. möglich) possible; lít'rlich (G. liederlich) riotous.
ii (ih, ie, ü) in feel; fiil (G. viel) much; dii (G. die) the; riiwǝ (G. rübe) turnip; wiischt (G. wüst, ü long) nasty. It is the French î, which is sometimes used in these pages.
o in o-mit; los loose; hofnung hope. English o pronounced quickly.
oo in door, home; wool (G. wohl) well; groo (G. grau) grey.
u in full, foot; mus (G. musz) must; fun (G. von) of.
uu (uh) in fool; kuu (G. kuh) cow; guut (G. gut) good.
The true 'a' of arm does not occur, except approximately in the initial of au and ei. The proper sounds of ä, ö, ü are absent, and if these letters are used in a few cases to enable the reader to recognise words, the two former will be restricted to syllables having the vowel sound in met, and 'ü' to such as have that in fit.
§ 3. The Dipthongs.
ei (eu) in height, aisle, German ei, with the initial 'a' (italic) of Mr. Ellis (in his Early English Pronunciation), 'eu' has the same power in PG.
ai in boy, oil; somewhat rare, but present in the names Boyer, Moyer (from Meyer), ai (G. ei) egg; ajǝr (aajǝr, aijǝr) eggs; hai (G. heu) hay; bai (sounding like E. boy, and from E.) pie; wai (G. weihe) hawk. Literary German has it in 'bäume' trees, and 'eu' (which is properly ǝi) is usually confounded with it in German.
ǝi, which Mr. Ellis (ibid.) gives as the power of English 'ai' (aisle) in London, occurs in the PG. exclamation 'hǝi,' used in driving cows, and naturalised in the vicinal English. Slavonic has (in German spelling) huj, and Hungarian hü, used in driving swine. Compare Schmidt, Westerwäld. Idiot., p. 276.
au in house; G. haus, PG. haus. English 'ou' is thus pronounced in adopted words like 'County,' or 'Caunty,' 'Township' or 'Taunschip.'
Care must be taken not to confound the initial of these pairs, for G. and PG. 'eis' (ice) and 'aus' (out) have the same initial vowel, while 'aistǝr' would spell oyster.
§ 4. Nasal Vowels and Dipthongs.
PG. is not a harsh dialect, like Swiss. It has, however, the Suabian feature of nasal vowels,[10] but to a less extent. They will be indicated with (˛) a modification of the Polish mode. This nasality replaces a lost n (but not a lost m), and it does not pervert the vowel or dipthong, as in the French un, vin, as compared with une, vinaigre. Nor does it affect all vowels which have been followed by n, for most of them remain pure. Nasal 'ee' (in they, French é) is very common, but does not occur in French, and French un does not occur in PG. Being unaware of the existence of this feature, the writers of the dialect neglect it in the printed examples, which makes it difficult for a foreigner to comprehend them, because a word like 'aa' (the English syllable awe) would stand for G. auch (also), and when nasal (aa˛) for G. an (on); and 'schtee' would represent both the German stehe and stein, as in saying 'I stand on the stone'—
G. Ich stehe auf dem stein.—PG. ich schtee uf m schtee˛.
The following words afford examples:—
aa˛-fang-ǝ (G. anfangen) to begin; alée˛ (G. alleín) alone; schee˛ (G. schön) handsome; bee˛ (G. bein, pl. beine) leg, legs; kee˛ (G. kein) none; grii˛ (G. grün) green; duu˛ (G. thun) to do. Was hǝt ær geduu˛? (G. Was hat er gethan?) what has he done? mei˛ (G. mein, meine) my; dei˛ (G. dein) thy; nei˛ (G. hinein) within; ei˛ being the only nasal dipthong.
The obscurity arising from a neglect of the nasal vowels appears in the following lines—
"Die amshel singt so huebsch un' feih, Die lerch sie duht ihr lied ah neih;" ... "Awhaemle duht mich eppes noh."—Rachel Bahn.
Final n is not always rejected, but remains in many words, among which are—'in' in; 'bin' am; 'un' and; 'iin'(him) G. ihn (but hii˛ for G. hin thither); 'fun' (from) G. von; 'wan' (when); 'hen' (have) G. haben; 'kan' (can); 'schun' (already) G. schon.
German infinitives in-en end in-ǝ in PG., a vowel not subject to nasality, so that when G. gehen (to go) remains a dissyllable it is 'gee'ǝ,' but when monosyllabised it becomes 'gee˛'—this vowel being nasalisable. Similarly, G. zu stehen (to stand) becomes 'tsu schteeǝ' and 'tsu schtee˛;' G. zu thun (to do) may be 'tsu tuu˛'—'tsu tuuǝ' or (with n preserved) 'tsu tuunǝ,' and G. gehen (to go) may have the same phases.
§ 5. The Consonants.
The Germanism of confusing b, p; t, d; k, g, is present in PG. and they are pronounced flat, that is, with more of the surface of the organs in contact than in English—a characteristic which distinguishes German from languages of the Dutch and Low-Saxon (Plattdeutsch) type.[11] This must be remembered in reading the examples, in which the ordinary usage of these letters will be nearly followed.
The consonants are b, ch, d, f, g (in get, give), gh, h, j (English y), k, l, m, n, ng, p, r (trilled), s (in seal, not as in miser), sch (in ship), t, w (a kind of v made with the lips alone). 'ch' has the two usual variations as in recht and buch, and its sonant equivalent 'gh' (written with 'g' in German) presents the same two phases, as in G. regen and bogen. 'ng' before a vowel as in singer, hence 'finger' is fing-er and not fing-ger. 'n' before 'k' is like 'ng,' as in G. links (on the left), which is pronounced like an English syllable. Vowels to be repeated are indicated by a hyphen, as in ge-ennǝrt (altered), nei-ichkeit (novelty).
Should letters be wanted for English j, z, v, w, the first may have dzh, and the others italic z, v, w, with ks for x.
As the reader of English who speaks PG. can learn the German alphabetic powers in half an hour, PG. should be written on a German basis, and not according to the vagaries of English spelling, with its uncertainty and reckless sacrifice of analogy. In print, PG. should appear in the ordinary roman type, in which so many German books are now published.[12]
§ 6. Stein or Schtein?
The sequents sp, st, are perhaps universally converted into 'schp' and 'scht' in PG., as in 'geescht' for gehest, 'hascht' for hast, 'Kaschp'r' for Caspar, 'schtee˛' for stein, and 'schpeck' for speck, all of which are genuine German, as distinguished from Saxon, Anglo-saxon, and Hollandish, because S is incompatible before labials (w, m, p) and dentals (l, n, t) in High German. Hence, where Dutch has zwijn, smidt, and speelen, German has schwein, schmidt, and schpielen; and for Dutch forms like slijm, snee, and steen, German has schleim, schnee, and schtein; but as the German uses the conventional spellings 'spielen' and 'stein,' he is apt to fancy that a law of speech is of less importance than the flourishes of a writing-master, or the practice of a printing-office, even when his own speech should teach him the law.
That German has this feature practically, is proved by the fact that words apparently in sp-, st-, become schp-, scht-, when adopted into Russian, although this language has initial sp-, st-,—a transfer of speech rather than of spelling, which is as old as the thirteenth century, when the Old High German 'spiliman' (an actor) went into Old Slavonic as (using German spelling) 'schpiljman,' where 'spiljman' would have been more in accordance with the genius of the language.
§ 7. Vowel Changes.
Altho the pronunciation of many words is strictly as in High German, there are the following important variations. German a becomes normally the vowel of what and fall, but it has the Swiss characteristic of closing to 'o,' as in 'ool' (eel) G. aal; 'ee˛ mool' (once) G. ein mal; 'woor' (true) G. wahr; 'joor' (year) G. jahr; 'frooghǝ' (to ask) G. fragen; 'frook' (a question) G. frage; 'doo' (there) G. da; 'schloofǝ' (to sleep) G. schlafen; 'schtroos' (street) G. strasze; 'nooch' (towards) G. nach; 'hoor' (hair) G. haar, but 'paar' (pair) and others do not change.
The vowel of fat occurs in 'kschær' (harness) G. geschirr; 'hærpscht' (autumn) G. herbst; færtl (fourth) G. viertel; kærl (fellow) G. kerl.
German 'o' becomes 'u,' as in 'kumǝ' (u short, see [§ 2]) to come, Austrian kuma, G. kommen; 'schun' (already) G. schon; 'fun' (of) G. von; 'wuunǝ' (to reside) G. wohnen; 'wuu' (where) G. wo; 'sun' (sun) Austr. sunn, G. sonne; 'suu˛' and 'suun' (son) G. sohn; 'númitaag' and 'nómidaak' (afternoon) G. nachmittag; 'dunǝrschtaag' (thursday) G. donnerstag; 'hunich' (honey) G. honig.
German 'ei' is often 'ee,' as in 'heem' (home) G. heim; 'deel' (part) G. theil; 'seef' (soap) G. seife; 'bleech' (pale) G. bleich; eens (one) G. eins; 'tswee' (two) G. zwei.
Irregular forms appear in 'maulwarf' (mole) G. maulwurf; 'blĕs' (pale, rhyming lace) G. blass; 'siffer' (tippler) G. säufer; 'schpoot' (late) G. spät, ä long; 'm'r wellǝ' (we will) G. wir wollen; 'dii úmeesǝ' (the ant) G. die ameise; 'ep,' 'eb' (whether) G. ob; 'dærfǝ' (to dare) G. dürfen; 'færichtǝrlich' (frightful) G. fürchterlich; 'ich færicht mich dat [or dart, G. dort] anǝ tsu gee˛.' I fear me to go yonder.
'Dat anǝ' is for G. dort hin, 'anǝ' being a Swiss adverb made of G. an (on, towards). 'dat' is not common in PG. and it may have been brought from abroad, as it occurs in Suabian—
"Aepfel hott ma dott gsia, wie d' Kirbiss bey üss;" (Radlof, 2, 10.)—(Man hat dort gesehen) Apples have been seen there like (G. Kürbisse, PG. kærǝpsǝ) pumpkins with us.
The foregoing 'anǝ' appears in Swiss "ume und anne" (thither and hither) where 'ume,' Austr. 'uma,' is from G. um (about). Stalder refers 'anne' to G. an-hin, and Swiss 'abe' to ab-hin. Schmid (Schwäb. Wb., p. 23) has ane, dortane, dettane. Schmeller (Bayer. Wb. 1869, p. 91) cites Graff (1, 499), for Ohg. ostana (from the East), and Grimm (3, 205).
While PG. 'alt' and 'kalt' (old, cold, a in what) have the comparatives 'eltǝr' 'keltǝr,' the influence of r in 'karts' (short), G. kurz, and 'hart' (hard), produces 'kærtsǝr' and 'hærtǝr,' instead of G. kürzer and härter. Long a becomes long u in G. samen (seed), PG. 'suumǝ.'
§ 8. Dipthong Changes.
German 'au' sometimes becomes 'aa' (in call), as in PG. 'laafǝ' (to walk) G. laufen; 'glaabǝ' (to believe) G. glauben; 'kaafǝ' (to buy) G. kaufen; 'tsaam' (bridle) G. zaum; 'traam' (dream) G. traum; 'fraa' (wife, woman) G. frau, PG. pl. 'weiwǝr,' because, as the German plural of frauen could not well make 'fraaǝ,' the plural of weib was preferred.
German 'au' remains in PG. 'plaum' (plum) G. pflaume; 'daum' (thumb); 'haufǝ' (heap); 'saufǝ' (to sup); 'haus' (house); 'taub' (dove) G. taube; 'aus' (out); 'fauscht' (fist).
German 'au' becomes 'oo' (Eng. floor) in PG. 'groo' (grey) an earlier form of G. grau; 'bloo' (blue) G. blau; and the name 'Stauffer' is sometimes pronounced 'stoof'r.'
In the plural, 'au' becomes 'ei,' as in PG. 'haus,' pl. 'heiser;' 'maus' pl. 'meis;' 'laus' pl. 'leis;' 'maul' (mouth) pl. 'meiler' G. pl. mäuler; 'gaul,' pl. 'geil,' G. pl. gäule (horses); 'sau' (sow, hog), pl. 'sei,' G. pl. säue, sauen.
When 'au' has become 'aa' the German plural äu becomes 'ee,' as in 'beem' (trees) G. bäume; 'tseem' (bridles) G. zäume.
'Floo,' G. floh (flea) pl. 'flee' for G. flöhe, is due to the fact that German long ö is replaced by ee.
German au is u in the earlier PG. 'uf' (up) G. auf, found in Swisserland and other localities; but 'haus' is not hūs, and 'maul' is not mūl as in Swiss.
§ 9. Words lengthened.
Some monosyllables are dissyllabised under the influence of trilled r, and of l (which is akin to r), as in 'Jar’ik' (York); 'Jær'ik,' German Georg (George), perhaps the only example of the Berlin change of G to (German) J.
| PG. | G. | E. | PG. | G. | E. | |
| schtar'ik | stark | strong | dar'ich | durch | through | |
| mar'ikt | markt | market | kar'ǝp | korb | basket | |
| ær'ǝwǝt | arbeit | work | bær'ik | berg | hill | |
| kær'ich | kirche | church | mil'ich | milch | milk | |
| karrich | karren | cart | kal'ich | kalk | lime | |
| geenǝ | gehen | to go | genunk | genug | enough | |
| reeghǝrǝ | regnen | to rain | wammǝs | wamms | jacket |
PG. g'seenǝ (seen) G. gesehen, occurs in South German, as in the following (Radlof 2, 100), which closely resembles PG.
.... vun der Zit an het me niks me vun em g'sehne un g'hört. From that time on, ('mĕ' G. man) one (hat) has seen and heard nothing ('mē' G. mehr) more of him.
G. Es fängt an zu regnen und zu schneien. PG. es fangt (not fängt) aa˛ tsu reeghǝrǝ un tsu schneeǝ. It begins to rain and to snow.
§ 10. Words shortened.
Condensation is effected by absorption, as of d by n in 'wunǝr' (wonder) G. wunder; and of f by p in 'kǝp' (head) G. kopf;—by the elision of consonants (an Austrian feature) as in 'wet' (would) G. wollte; 'net' (not) G. nicht.
By elision of vowels (particularly final e) as in 'schuul' (school) G. schule, 'tsammǝ' (together) G. zusammen; and by shortening vowels, as in 'siw'ǝ' (seven) G. sieben; 'gew'ǝ' (to give) G. gēben; G. heurathen (to marry), Suab. heuren, PG. 'heiǝrǝ'; G. gleich (like) PG. 'glei'; 'tsimlich' (tolerable) G. ziemlich.
| PG. | G. | E. | PG. | G. | E. | |
| niks | nichts | nothing | mr sin | wir sind | we are | |
| wet | wollte | would | géscht'r | gestern | yesterday | |
| set | sollte | should | nemmǝ | nehmen | to take | |
| knǝp | knopf | button | nam'itag | nachmittag | afternoon | |
| knep | knöpfe | buttons | geblíwǝ | geblieben | remained | |
| kich | küche | kitchen | jets[13] | jetzt | now | |
| kuuchǝ | kūchen | cake | parr'ǝ | pfarrer | preacher | |
| wǝch | woche | week | oowǝt | abend | evening | |
| wǝchǝ | wochen | weeks | weipsleit | weibsleute | women | |
| kiw'l | kübel | bucket | rei˛ | herein | herein | |
| blos | blase | bladder | nei˛ | hinein | hither-in | |
| meim | meinem | to my | draa˛ | daran | thereon | |
| anǝr | ander | other | eltscht | älteste | oldest | |
| nanǝr | einander | each other | tswíwlǝ | zwiebeln | onions | |
| unǝr | unter | under | hend | hände | hands | |
| drunǝ | darunter | ther'under | plets | plätze | places | |
| nunǝr | hinunter | down there | nummǝ[13] | nun mehr | only | |
| dro'wǝ | daroben | above | nimmǝ[13] | nimmer | never | |
| driw'ǝ | darüber | ther'over | mee[13] | mehr | more | |
| drin | darin | ther'in | noo | darnach | ther'after | |
| ruff | darauf | there up | pluuk | pflūg | plow | |
| nuff | hinauf | up there | pliighǝ | plfüge | plows | |
| sind | sünde | sin | kalénǝr | kalénder | cálendar |
As G. 'ü' becomes 'i' in PG., G. lügen (to tell a lie) and liegen (to lie down—both having the first vowel long) might be confused, but the latter is shortened in PG., as in 'ær likt' (he lies down) 'ær liikt' (he tells a lie).
| PG. Was wi't? | What wilst thou? | G. Was willst du? |
| Woo't weepe? | Woo't fight? | Woo't teare thy ſelfe?[14] |
| Ich wil fischǝ gee˛. | I will go to fish. |
| Ich hab kschriwwǝ. | I have (geschrieben) written. |
| Sin mr net keiǝrt? | Are we not married? G. Sind wir nicht geheirathet? (or verheirathet.) |
Infinitive-n is rejected, as in the Swiss and Suabian dialects. In an Austrian dialect it is rejected when m, n, or ng precedes, as in singa, rena, nehma, for singen, rennen, nehmen.—Castelli, Wörterbuch, 1847, p. 31.
The length of some vowels is doubtful, as in 'rot' or 'root' (red, like English rŏte or rōde), 'so' or 'soo,' 'nochbǝr' or 'noochbǝr,' 'ǝmol' or 'ǝmool,' 'ja' or 'jaa,' 'sii' or 'sĭ' (she, they, ĭ in deceĭt, not in sit). Compare English 'Sēe!' and 'Sĕe thêre!'
Accent in PG. agrees with that of High German. When indicated, as in danóot or danoot' (for the 'oo' represent a single vowel, as in Eng. floor), it is to afford aid to the reader not familiar with German accent.
FOOTNOTES:
[6] For example, as the vowel of German schaf is long, the PG. word 'schafleit,' which occurs in a quoted passage farther on, would be likely to be read 'schaafleit' (sheep-people or shepherds) instead of 'schaffleit' (work-people), although it is stated that in the spelling used, a vowel must not be made long unless its letter is doubled. "This tendency, and a trick of reading words like nisbut, relation, qismut, fortune, as if written nizbut, qizmut, should be carefully guarded against.... Even is, as, rusm, will, in spite of the caveat, ... become again in his mouth iz, az, ruzm, rather than the iss, auss, russm, intended."—Gilchrist, 1806.
[7] High German letters which represent PG. sounds are in parentheses.
[8] The long vowel used by native speakers in Bath, Somersetshire, England.
[9] These two powers are not quite the same.
[10] Indicated in 1860 in my Analytic Orthography, §§ 661-3, and in my note to A. J. Ellis's Early English Pronunciation, 1869, p. 655, note 2, col. 2. "The lost final n is commonly recalled by a nasal vowel."
[11] The real physiological generation of these flat consonants is very difficult for an Englishman to understand. Dr. C. L. Merkel, of Leipzig, a middle-German, confesses that for a long time he did not understand the pure b, d, not having heard them in his neighbourhood. He distinguishes (Physiologie der Menschlichen Sprache, Leipzig, 1866, pp. 146-156), 1. The "soft shut sounds" or mediæ, characterized by an attempt to utter voice before the closure is released, 2. "the half-hard shut sounds" or tenues implosivæ, characterized by a sound produced by compressing the air in the mouth by the elevation of the larynx, the glottis being closed, which "therefore acts like a piston," followed by the sudden opening of the mouth and glottis, allowing the vowel to pass, (this is his description of the flat sounds, which he says Brücke, a Low-Saxon, reckons among his mediæ), 3. "the hard explosive shut sounds," characterized by a shut mouth and open glottis through which the unvocalised breath is forced against the closing barrier more strongly than in the last case, but without pressure from the diaphragm, 4. "the aspirated or sharpened explosive sound," in which the last pressure occurs with a jerk. The compound English distinction, p, b; t, d; k, g, seem almost impossible for a middle and south-German to understand.—A. J. E.
[12] On the inconsistencies of Rauch's Orthography on an English basis, see my note 2, p. 655 of Ellis's Early English Pronunciation.
[13] Swiss forms.
[14] Hamlet, act 5, sc. 1, speech 106; folio 1623, tragedies, p. 278, col. 2.
[CHAPTER III.]
Vocabulary.
The vocabulary of PG. has but few synonyms, a single word being used where High German has several, as 'plats' (place) for G. platz and ort. Of the German words for horse (pferd, ross, gaul, etc.), 'gaul' is universal in speech, ross seems not to be known, and pferd is almost restricted to print.[15] A colt is not called füllen as in German, but 'hutsch,' with a diminutival 'hutschli' (in Suabian hutschel, hutschele, Westerwald husz, Lusatian huszche.)
A pig is not ferkel (Lat. porc-ell-us, Welsh porch-ell) but 'seili' (from sau), and children call it 'wuts' (Suab. butzel) a repetition of this being used (as well in vicinal English) in calling these animals. 'Kalb' (calf, pl. 'kelwǝr') is named by children 'hamǝli'[16] when a suckling. Cows are called with 'kum see! see! see hamǝli! see!' and when close at hand with 'suk suk suk' (as in forsook)—used also in the English of the locality.[17]
Of G. knabe (boy) and bube, pl. buben, PG. takes the latter as 'buu,' pl. 'buuwǝ;' and of the G. haupt and kopf (head) it prefers the latter as 'kǝp.' Of the verbs schmeissen and werfen (to throw), kriegen and bekommen (to obtain), hocken and sitzen (to sit), schwetzen and sprechen (to talk), erzählen and sagen (to tell), PG. uses 'schmeissǝ,' 'kriighǝ,' 'hǝkǝ,' 'schwetsǝ' and 'saaghǝ' almost exclusively.
The suffix -lein, condensed to -li and -l, is the universal diminutival, as in Swisserland and South Germany—a small house being called 'heissli' and not häus-chen, and a girl 'meedl' and not mädchen. It is, however, very often associated with the adjective klee (little) G. klein, as in PG. 'ǝ klee˛ bichli' (a little book).
German kartoffeln (potatoes) is rejected for G. grundbirnen[18] under the form of 'krumpiirǝ,' where 'krum' is accepted by some as krumm (crooked), while some regard the latter part as meaning pears, and others as berries.
F'rleícht, Fileícht (perhaps, G. vielleicht) are in use, but the former seems the more common.
Sauǝrampl, G. sauerampfer (sorrel, Rumex).
Rewwǝr, Krik, Krikli (Eng. river, creek) have thrust aside G. flusz and bach.
Laafǝ (to walk; G. laufen to run, and to walk).
Schpring-ǝ (to run, a Swiss usage. G. springen, to leap, spring, gush).
Petsǝ (to pinch), Alsace pfetsǝ, Swiss pfätzen, Suab. pfetzen.
Tref (Suab., a knock, blow). PG. 'ich tref dich' (I strike thee).
Schmuts (a hearty kiss). Swiss, Suab., in G. schmatz.
Un'ich (under), G. unter, occurs in provincial German as unn-ig and unt-ig; hinnig occurs also, PG. 'hinnich,' as in 'hinnich d'r diir' behind the door.
Wii m'r donaus glǝffǝ sin, bin ich hinnich iin nooch glǝffǝ. As we walked out, I walked behind him.
For 'hinnich,' Alsatian has hing-ǝ, as in 'M'r geen hing-ǝ [nach den] noo dǝ goortǝ noo'—We go along behind the garden.
Uumǝt, oomǝt, Austr. omad, Swiss amet, G. das grummet (aftermath). Suab. ämt, emt, ömd, aumad; Bavar. âmad.
Arik, arrig (much, very), Swiss arig, G. arg (bad, cunning).
PG. Ich hab net gwist [Suab. gwest] dass es so arrik reeghǝrt. I did not suppose it to be raining so hard.
Artlich (tolerably) is the Swiss artlich and artig.
Ewwǝ, G. adv. ēben (really, even, just), but it is PG. 'eewǝ' when it is the adj. even.
Ich hab ewwǝ net gwist for sure eb ær ǝ fraa hǝt ǝdǝr net. (Rauch.) I did not even know 'for sure' if he has a wife or not.
ámanat, adv. metathesised and adapted from G. an einem Orte (at a place), a dative for an accusative an einen Ort (in a place) as used here. In the example, 'anǝ' is G. an inflected, and zŭ of zu schícken is omitted, as sometimes done in PG.
... wan als ǝ briif kummt f'r ámanat anǝ schikǝ ... (Rauch.) When ever a letter comes for to send on—to be sent on.
Henkweidǝ (weeping willow). G. Hängebirke, is hanging birch.
Tappǝr (quickly), as in Schpring tappǝr run quick! be in a hurry—thus used in Westerwald, and as very in Silesia. G. tapfer (brave, bravely), E. dapper.
Meenǝr (more), Meenscht (most), for G. mehr, meist, are réferable to mancher and a hypothetic mannigste. 'Mee' and 'mee˛' (more), Swiss—"Was wett i meh?" What would I more. "Nimme meh," never more. PG. 'Was wet ich mee? Nimmi mee.' (See Ellis, Early English Pronunciation, p. 663, note 39.)
Schtrublich, schtruwlich. G. struppig (bristly, rough), Swiss strublig, PG. 'schtruwlich' (disordered, uncombed, as hair). English of the locality stroobly.
Neewich; SG. nebensich, Wetterau (upper Hessia) nêbig, G. neben (beside).
"Naevvich der mommy ruht er now [Eng. now]
In sellem Gottes-acker[19] dort,
Shraegs[20] fun der Kreutz Creek Kerrich nuf, [hinauf.]
Uft denk ich doch an seller ort!"—Rachel Bahn.Hensching, G. handschue (gloves, Sw. händschen) becomes a new word with 'hen' for hände (hands), the ä umlaut being used to pluralise, but the word is singular also, and, to particularise, a glove proper is 'fing-er hensching' and a mitten 'fauscht-hensching.' This termination is given to 'pærsching' a peach.
Sidder (since), Swiss sider, sitter; Suabian and Silesian sider; Scotch, etc., sithens.
Schpel (a pin), SG. die spelle (a better word than G. stecknadel); Dutch speld (with d educed from l); Lat. SPIcuLa.
Botsǝr (masc. a tail-less hen), Holstein, buttars. Provincial G. butzig (stumpy).
Mallikǝp (i.e. thick-headed, a tadpole). Swiss mollig, molli (stout, blunt); Suabian mollig (fleshy). Alsatian muurkrǝntl (tadpole) from muur, G. moder, Eng. mud. The PG. of western New York has taken the New England word polliwog.
Blech (tin, a tin cup); dim. 'blechli.' Blechiche Bool (a tin bowl, i.e. a dipper, a convenient word which seems not to have been introduced). In Pennsylvanian English, a tin cup is a tin.
In old English, 'than' represented than and then, and PG. has 'dann' for both G. dann (then) and denn (for); and also 'wann' for wann (when) and wenn (if), as in Rachel Bahn's lines—
Ich hab ewwǝ net gwist for sure eb ær ǝ fraa hǝt ǝdǝr net. (Rauch.) I did not even know 'for sure' if he has a wife or not.
... wan als ǝ briif kummt f'r ámanat anǝ schikǝ ... (Rauch.) When ever a letter comes for to send on—to be sent on.
| "Doch guckt 's ah recht huebsch un' nice | Doch gukt 's aa recht hipsch un 'neis' |
| Wann all die Baehm sin so foll ice—" | Wan al dii beem sin so fǝl eis— |
| Yet it looks (auch) also right fair and 'nice'When all the trees are so full of ice. | |
| "Forn bild der reinheit is 's doh, | F'r 'n bild dǝr reinheit[21] iss ǝs doo, |
| In fact, mer kenne sehne noh, | 'in fækt,' m'r kennǝ seenǝ noo, |
| Dass unser Hertz'[22] so rein muss seih, | dass unser hærts so rein[21] muss sei˛, |
| Wann in des Reich mer welle neih." | wann in des reich m'r wellǝ nei˛. |
For a picture of purity is it (da) here, 'in fact' (wir können sehen darnach) we can perceive therefrom, that our heart must be as pure, (wenn in das reich wir wollen hinein) If we would enter into the kingdom.
Baschtǝ (to husk maize), from 'bascht,' G. bast (soft inner bark, E. bast), applied in PG. to the husk of Indian corn.—Rachel Bahn (1869) thus uses it—
"Die leut sie hocke 's welshcorn ab, Dii leit sii hackǝ 's welschkarn ap, 'S is 'n rechte guhte crop, 's iss 'n rechte guute 'crap,' (fem.) Un' wann's daer genunk werd sei, un wan 's dærr genunk wært sei˛, Noh bashte sies un' fahres eih." noo baschtǝ sii 's un faarǝ 's ei˛.
| "Die leut sie hocke 's welshcorn ab, | Dii leit sii hackǝ 's welschkarn ap, |
| 'S is 'n rechte guhte crop, | 's iss 'n rechte guute 'crap,' (fem.) |
| Un' wann's daer genunk werd sei, | un wan 's dærr genunk wært sei˛, |
| Noh bashte sies un' fahres eih." | noo baschtǝ sii 's un faarǝ 's ei˛. |
The people they (ab-hacken) chop off ('s, das) the maize, (es ist) it is a right good 'crop,' and when (es) it becomes (dürr genug) dry enough, they (darnach) afterwards husk it and (fahren) haul it in.
Greisslich (to be disagreeably affected). SG. grüselig, G. gräszlich (horrible), E. grisly.
Noo, danoo', danoot', nord, G. darnach (then, subsequently).
Bendl (a string), schuubendl (shoe-string). Swiss bändel.
Schteiper, n. (Lat. stîpes), a prop, as of timber. G. nautical term steiper, a stanchion. Schteiperǝ, v.t. to prop; to set a prop.
Fǝrhúttǝlǝ, v. intrans. 'Ich bin f'r-huttlt,' (I am confused, perplexed.) 'Ich denk dii bissnǝss iss 'n bissli f'r-huttlt.' (I think the 'business' is a bit mixed up.) G. verhūdeln (to spoil, bungle.)
Paanhaas, as if, G. pfanne-hase (pan-hare). Maize flour boiled in the metsel-soup, afterwards fried and seasoned like a hare. (Compare Welsh rabbit.) The word is used in English, conjointly with scrapple.
Loos (a sow), as in Swiss and Suabian.
Laad, fem. (coffin), toodlaad, toodǝlaad, as in Alsace. G. die lade (chest, box, case). PG. bettlaad, Suab. bettlade, for G. bettgestell (bedstead).
Schtreel, m. (a comb), Swiss, Alsatian, Suab. der strähl. But G. striegel, PG. striegel, PG. strigl, is a currycomb.
Aarsch, the butt end of an egg, as in Suabian.
Falsch (angry), as in Swiss, Bavarian, and Austrian. PG. Sel hǝt mich falsch g'macht. That made me angry.
Hoochtsich, Alsat. hoochtsitt, G. hochzeit (a wedding).
Heemǝln, Swiss heimeln (to cause a longing, to cause home feelings).
| "Wie hämelt mich do alles a'! | Wii heemlt mich doo allǝs aa˛! |
| Ich steh, un denk, un guck; | ich schtee, un denk, un gukk; |
| Un was ich schier vergessa hab, | un was ich schiir f'rgessǝ hab, |
| Kummt wider z'rück, wie aus seim Grab, | kummt widd'r tsrik, wii aus seim graab, |
| Un steht do wie e' Spook!" Harb. | un schteet doo wii ǝ schpukk! |
(G. Wie alles da anheimelt mich) How all here impresses me with home, I stand, and think, and look; and what I had almost forgotten, comes back again as out of its grave, and stands here like a ghost.
Drǝp, pl. drep (simpleton, poor soul). "O du armer Tropff!" (Suabian). Radlof, 2, 10. "Die arma Drep!"—Harbaugh.
Schwalme (Swiss, for G. schwalbe, a swallow).
Jaa (O. Eng. yes), is used in answer to affirmative questions.
Joo (O. Eng. yea), is used in answer to negative questions. See Ch. viii. § 1, ¶ 12, and § 3, ¶ 2.
"Sin dii sachǝ dei˛? Jaa, sii sin." (Are the things thine? Yes, they are.) "Sin dii sachǝ net dei˛? Joo, sii sin." (Are the things not thine. Yea, they are.) "Bischt du net g'sund? Joo, ich bin."[23] (Are you not well? Yea, I am well.)
saagt, G. sagt (he says): secht, as if G. sägt, for sagte (he said), as if it were a strong verb.
Gleich, to like, be fond of, Eng. to like, but perhaps not Eng. See Ch. viii., ¶ 3. PG. ær gleicht 's geld—he loves money.
Glei, adv. (soon).—ær kummt glei—he comes (will be here) directly. Swiss gly and gleich have the same meaning.
Abartich, bartich, Ch. viii., § 3, ¶ 6 (adj. unusual, strange); (adv. especially). G. abartig degenerate.
"Der duckter sogt eara complaint wær ... conclommereashen im kup, so dos se so unfergleichlich schwitza mus in der nacht, abbordich wan se tsu gedeckt is mit em fedder bet."—Rauch, Feb. 1, 1870. The doctor asserts her 'complaint' to be ... 'conglomeration' in the head, so that she must sweat uncommonly in the night, Particularly when she is covered [tsu is accented] in with the feather bed.
Biibi, piipi, biibǝli; Swiss bibi, bibeli, bidli (a young chicken). Used also to call fowls—the second form in the vicinal English, in which a male fowl is often called a hé-biddy.
The Swiss use in PG. of the genitive form des of the article, instead of the neuter nominative das, causes little or no confusion, because this genitive is not required, and its new use prevents confusion between das and dasz. Where German uses des, as in Der Gaul des (or meines) Nachbars (the horse of the, or my, neighbor), PG. uses a dative form—
... dem (or meim for meinem) nochbǝr sei˛ gaul (the neighbor his horse). See the quotation (p. 28) from Schöpf.
PG. inflects most of its verbs regularly, as in 'gedenkt' for G. gedacht, from denken (to think). In the following list, the German infinitive, as backen (to bake), is followed by the third person of the present indicative (er) bäckt, PG. (ær) 'bakt' (he bakes). The PG. infinitive of blasen, braten, fragen, rathen, dürfen, verderben, is 'bloosǝ, brootǝ, frooghǝ, rootǝ, dærfǝ, f'rdærwǝ.' 'bloosǝ' (to blow) and 'nemmǝ' (to take) occur below, in the extract from Miss Bahn.
| G. | G. | PG. | G. | G. | PG. | |
| blasen blow, | bläst | bloost | lesen read, | liest | leest | |
| braten bake, | brät | broot | lassen let, | läszt | lǝsst | |
| brechen break, | bricht | brecht | messen measure, | miszt | messt | |
| dreschen thrash, | drischt | drescht | nehmen take, | nimmt | nemmt | |
| dürfen dare, | darf | dærf | rathen advise, | räth | root | |
| fahren drive, | fährt | faart | saufen tipple, | säuft | sauft | |
| fallen fall, | fällt | fallt | schelten scold, | schilt | schelt | |
| fragen ask, | frägt | frookt | schlafen sleep, | schläft | schlooft | |
| essen eat, | iszt | esst | schwellen swell, | schwillt | schwellt | |
| fressen devour, | friszt | fresst | sehen see, | sieht | seet | |
| geben give, | giebt | gept | stehlen steal, | stiehlt | schteelt | |
| graben dig, | gräbt | graapt | tragen carry, | trägt | traagt | |
| helfen help, | hilft | helft | verderben spoil, | verdirbt | f'rdærpt | |
| laufen run, | läuft | laaft | vergessen forget, | vergiszt | f'rgesst |
| "Der wind, horch yusht, wie er drum bloss'd,... | D'r wint, harich juscht wii ær drum bloost,... |
| Gar nix for ihm fersichert is, | Gaar niks f'r iim f'rsichǝrt iss, |
| Er nemmt sei aegner waek | ær nemmt sei, eegnǝr week, |
| Dorch ennich rissly geht er neih, | darich ennich rissli geet ær nei, |
| Un geht ah nuf die staek." | un geet aa 'nuf dii schteek. |
The wind, just listen how it therefore (an expletive) blows, ... quite nothing is secure for (on account of) him, he takes his (eigener weg) own way; through (einig, einiges) any crack he goes (hinein) in, and goes also (hinauf) up the (stiege) stair.
The reader of PG. may be puzzled with 'ma' as used in "ous so ma subject ... mit ma neia Rail Road" (Rauch); 'fun mǝ' or 'fun ǝmǝ,' Ger. dative von einem, Old High German 'vone einemo;' G. dem, Ohg. 'demo;' G. meinem, Gothic 'meinamma,' which accounts for the final PG. vowel. Miss Bahn writes it 'mah'—
| "'S is noch so 'n anre glaener drup, | 's iss noch so 'n anre gleenǝr drǝp, |
| Mit so mah grosse dicke kup, | mit soo mǝ grossǝ dikkǝ kǝp, |
| Der doh uf English screech-owl haest, | dær doo uf eng-lisch 'skriitsch-aul' heest, |
| Der midde drin hut ah sei nesht." | dær middǝ drin hǝt aa sei nescht. |
There is yet such another little fellow, with such a large thick head, this here in English is called 'screech-owl,' the middle therein [of the tree] has also its nest.
Remarking on "grosse dicke kup" in the second line, my reverend friend Ziegler sends me the following declensions of the united article and adjective. The dative is used for the genitive, as will appear in the chapter on Syntax.
Nom., Accus. ǝn ('n) grosser dicker kopp, Dat., Gen. ǝmǝ ('mǝ) grossǝ dickǝ kopp.
Singular.Nom. der root wei˛ . . . . . iss guut. The red wine is good. Gen. dem rootǝ wei˛ . . . . . sei˛ farb is schee˛. Dat. dem rootǝ wei˛ . . . . . hab ich 's tsu fǝrdankǝ. Acc. dii rootǝ wei˛ . . . . . hat ær gedrunkǝ.
Plural.Nom. dii rootǝ wei˛ . . . . . sin guut. The red wines are good. Gen. dennǝ rootǝ wei˛ . . . . . iir farb etc. (G. der rothen Weine Farbe ist schön.) Dat. dennǝ rootǝ wei˛ . . . . . hab ich 's etc. (G. den rothen Weinen.) Acc. dii rootǝ wei˛ . . . . . hat ær, etc.
| Nom., Accus. | ǝn ('n) grosser dicker kopp, | ||
| Dat., Gen. | ǝmǝ ('mǝ) grossǝ dickǝ kopp. | ||
Singular. | |||
| Nom. | der root wei˛ | . . . . . | iss guut. The red wine is good. |
| Gen. | dem rootǝ wei˛ | . . . . . | sei˛ farb is schee˛. |
| Dat. | dem rootǝ wei˛ | . . . . . | hab ich 's tsu fǝrdankǝ. |
| Acc. | dii rootǝ wei˛ | . . . . . | hat ær gedrunkǝ. |
Plural. | |||
| Nom. | dii rootǝ wei˛ | . . . . . | sin guut. The red wines are good. |
| Gen. | dennǝ rootǝ wei˛ | . . . . . | iir farb etc. (G. der rothen Weine Farbe ist schön.) |
| Dat. | dennǝ rootǝ wei˛ | . . . . . | hab ich 's etc. (G. den rothen Weinen.) |
| Acc. | dii rootǝ wei˛ | . . . . . | hat ær, etc. |
FOOTNOTES:
[15] Of words not occurring in print, the Swiss, Bavarian, and Suabian form bruntsen replaces harnen and its synonyms.
[16] Seemingly akin to Swiss ammeli, mammeli (a child's sucking-glass), whence mämmelen (to like to drink). G. amme (a wet-nurse), in Bavaria, also a mother.
[17] PG. des kalb sukt (this calf sucks,) G. saugt.
[18] This name seems to have been originally applied to the crooked tubers of the Jerusalem artichoke, and humming-bird was probably applied to moths of the genus Sphinx (named from the form of the larva) before the bird bearing this name was known in Europe.
[19] Scarcely legitimate, the PG. word for a grave-yard being kærich-hof.
[20] Diagonally.
[21] By analogy these words should be rei˛ and rei˛heit, but as they are scarcely PG. they are given as High German.
[22] This word is correct without the elisive mark, which perverts the syntax.
[23] The Rev. D. Ziegler.
[CHAPTER IV.]
Gender.
§ 1. Gender of English Words in Pennsylvania German.
German gender and declension might be said to be in a state of barbarism, were it not that some of the languages of savages have refinements which are wanting in the tongues of civilised people. German gender being in a high degree arbitrary and irrational, there seem but few principles applicable to introduced words, and yet, the linguistic instinct produces a measure of uniformity. The clear distinction in modern English between a spring and a well, does not exist between the German der quell (and die quelle, PG. 'dii qkel') and der brunnen, but German has der spring also, which may be used alone, or compounded in springquell or springquelle. Influenced by English, PG. uses 'dii schpring' for a natural spring of water, keeping 'd'r brunnǝ' for a well, 'tsig-brunnǝ' for a draw-well with a windlas and bucket—but also 'laafǝndǝ brunnǝ' for a spring.
As a German says 'dii' for the English article the, which he hears applied to everything singular and plural, and as this die is his own feminine and plural article, he will be likely to say 'dii fens' for the fence, 'dii set' (set, of tools, etc.), 'dii faundri' (foundry), 'dii bænk' (bank of a stream), 'dii færm' (farm), 'dii plantaaschǝ' (plantation), 'dii témǝti' (timothy hay), 'dii portsch,' 'dii schtæmp' ('stämp' in print, for G. der stempel), 'dii watsch' (timepiece), 'dii bel hat geringt' (the 'bell' has 'rung'), "Stohrstube ... mit einer offenen Front," (Store-room with an open front), "die Fronte[24] des Hauses" (the 'front' of the house), "Die Sanitäts Board," "Eine Lot Stroh," "Eine Lotte Grund," etc. All of these are feminine in PG., together with the English nouns alley, road, borough, square (of a town), fair, forge, creek (a stream), climate, bowl, vendue, court (at law), law, lawsuit, jury, yard (of a house),—
Als Herr Yost ... einen groszen Neufundländer Hund in seiner Yard[1] anders anbinden wollte, fiel ihn das Thier an ... der Hund wieder an ihn sprang, und ihn gegen die Fenz[25] drängte, ... Der Pennsylvanier, Lebanon, Pa. Sept. 1, 1869.
Of the masculine gender are river (PG. 'rewǝr'), bargain, crop, beef (but 'gedörtes beef' makes it neuter), carpet, turnpike (or pike), store, gravel, shop, smith-shop, shed, and of course words like squire, lawyer, and "assignie."
Of the neuter gender are "das främ" (frame), "das flaur" (flour, influenced by G. das mehl), das screen, das photograph, das piano, das supper, das buggy.
Wishing to know the gender of the preceding English words in another county, the list was sent to the Rev. Daniel Ziegler, of York, Pa., who assigns the same genders to them, adding der settee, die umbréll, die parasol, die bréssǝnt (prison), das lampblack, das picter (picture), das candy, das cash, das lumber (building timber), das scantling, das pavement, das township.[26]
German die butter (butter) is masculine in PG. as in South Germany and Austria; and die forelle (the trout) is PG. 'dær fǝrél.' G. die tunke (gravy) is neuter under the form 'tunkǝs' in PG., which makes the yard measure feminine, although in Germany (and in print here), it has been adopted as masculine.
Variations in grammatic gender are to be expected under the degenderising influence of English, but at present the German genders usually remain, as in der stuhl (chair), der pflug (plough, PG. 'pluuk'), der trichter (funnel, PG. 'trechtǝr'), der kork (cork, PG. karik), der indigo, der schwamm (spunge), die egge (harrow, PG. 'eek,' sometimes 'êk'), die bank (bench), die wiese (meadow, PG. 'wiss'), die kiste (chest or chist, PG. kist), das tūch (cloth), das messing (brass, PG. 'mĕs,' like Eng. mace), das füllsel (stuffing, PG. 'filtsl').
§ 2. The German Genders.
In various aboriginal languages of America there are two genders, the animate and the inanimate—with a vital instead of a sexual polarity; and while German can and does associate gender and sex, its departure from this system is marked by objects conspicuously sexual, which may be of the neuter gender, and by sexless objects of the three genders.
It is easy to see why das kind (the child) is neuter, but under the ordinary view of the rise of grammatic gender, it is not easy to see why, in modern German, der leib (body) should be masculine, and das weib (woman, wife) of the same gender as the child—why die liebe (love) should be feminine, and der friede (peace) masculine. In German, the genders are incongruous, in English they are congruous, the masculine and feminine being correlatives, with correlative relations to the neuter also, and by dropping the false nomenclature of the German genders, we may be able to get a more philosophic view of them as they now exist, independently of the Old High German system of gender and declension, which accounts for their later condition.
If we adopt strong for the German masculine gender, there would be nothing gained if the feminine were called weak, but with the first as strong, the second as soft, and the third as dull, we would have three terms which do not suggest correlation or sex, and we might see nothing irrational in the fact that man might be of the strong, and woman of the dull gender; and that peace might be strong, and love soft.
Of the strong gender are mann, dieb, freund, mord, mund, hase (of energetic action), aal, salm, fisch, tisch ([Greek: diskos]), käse (CASEUS), schnee, klei, stock, fink (a strong-billed bird), apfel (naturally harsh), stahl, stiefel, schuh, strumpf, fusz, keil, bart, baum, daum, dorn,[27] punkt, stich, beginn, rubin, diamant, klump, kummer, verstand, name, tag, halm (a rough material), floh, krebs, skorpion, hummer, hals, fels, saft, bau, rath, werth, zoll, flusz, Rhein, raub, acker, bogen.
Of the soft gender are birne, hand, historie (Lat. -IA), liebe, hoffnung, wohnung, stadt, burg (implying also jurisdiction), sonne, gluth, milch, rahm, amsel, drossel, butter, feder, gans, maus, ratte, luft, frucht, nacht, macht (as if personified), armuth, kraft, furcht, kunst, haut, frau, wurst, schnur, bahn, marsch, welt.
Of the dull gender are weib, grab, brod,[28] blei, eisen, gold, silber, zinn, (but der zink,) geld, feld, land, vieh, pferd (the type being agricultural), rind, joch, pech, haar, auge, bein, dorf, ding, mensch, mädchen, volk, hirn, leben, wort, buch, gesetz, herz, gemach, loth, glück, werk, beil, messer, schwert, glas, fenster, feuer, licht, wetter, wasser, bier, malz, kraut, lamm, ei, haupt, kalb, loch.
FOOTNOTES:
[24] Such italics for English words are no part of the original.
[25] This mode of indicating words is used to avoid corrupting the text with italics.
[26] As this essay is passing through the press, I add the following examples, which are all in print.
Der charter, deed (legal), humbug, lunch or lunsch, ein delikater Saurkraut-Lunch. Revenuetarif, crowd, fight, molasses, Select-Council, crop (fem. with Miss Bahn). Im Juli—schreit der Whipper-will.
Die jail, legislatur, Grandjury or grand Jury, ward (of a city), lane, toll, gate, pike or peik, bill (legislative), Cornetband or Cornet Band, eine grosze Box (of medicine), gefängniszbox, platform, manufactory, shelfing, counter.
Das County, committee or comite, picnic, screen (coal-screen), law (also fem.), trial, verdikt, basin (reservoir), Groszes Raffle für Turkeys und Gänse,.... ausgeraffelt werden.
[27] From a Gothic masculine in -us,—das horn being from a Gothic neuter in -n.
[28] Primitive bread was probably rather heavy than light—if a mnemonic view may be taken.