Pennsylvania Dutch: A Dialect of South German With an Infusion of English - Samuel Stehman Haldeman

In "I dit nothin out annezmore"—any is made plural, and 'did out' (for the previous 'put out') seems to be a reminiscence of the German austhun.

§ 2. The Breitmann Ballads.

In these ballads Mr. Leland has opened a new and an interesting field in literature which he has worked with great success, for previous writers wanted the definite, accurate knowledge which appears in every page of Hans Breitmann, and which distinguishes a fiction like the Lady of the Lake from a figment like Hiawatha. Here we have an attempt to represent the speech of a large class of Europèan [93] Germans who have acquired English imperfectly, and who must not be confounded with the Pennsylvania German, altho the language of the two may have many points in common.

Apart from their proper function, and under their present spelling, the Breitmann ballads have but little philologic value. Instead of being the representative of an average speech, they contain forms which can hardly occur, even when influenced by the perversity of intentional exaggeration, such as shbeed, shdare, shdory, ghosdt, exisdt, lefdt, quesdions, excepdion, and where the sonant d occurs beside the surd sh, f, and t, in the lines:—

'De dimes he cot oopsetted¹ ¹ oopsettet.

In shdeerin lefdt und righdt.² ² G. recht.

Vas ofdener³ as de cleamin shdars⁴ ³ G. öfter ⁴ shtarrss.

Dat shtud de shky⁵ py⁶ nighdt.' ⁵ sky. ⁶ G. bei.

'De dimes he cot oopsetted¹		¹ oopsettet.
In shdeerin lefdt und righdt.²		² G. recht.
Vas ofdener³ as de cleamin shdars⁴		³ G. öfter ⁴ shtarrss.
Dat shtud de shky⁵ py⁶ nighdt.'		⁵ sky. ⁶ G. bei.

In these pages an average speech is assumed as the basis of comparison, and also the average German who does one thing or avoids another in language. In such examples of bad English, surd and sonant (p,b; t,d; k,gay) must be confused, and German words like 'mit' for with, and 'ding' (rather than 'ting' or 'sing') for thing, may be introduced at discretion, as in Mr. Leland's use of ding, mit, blitzen, erstaunished (for -isht), Himmel, shlog, and others.

When German and English have the same phrase, it should be preserved, book (G. buch) has a sonant initial and a surd final in both languages; a German therefore, who brings his habits of speech into English, will not be likely to call a book a boog, poog, or pook; and Mr. Leland's habits as a German scholar have led him to write book, beer (and bier), fear, free, drink, denn, trink, stately, plow, born, dokter, togeder, hart (hard), heart, tead (dead), fought, frolic, goot, four, hat (had, hat,—but in the latter sense it should have been het), toes, dough (though), tousand, pills, etc. Under this rule, his 'ploot' and 'blood' (G. blut) should have been blut:—

benny penny dwice tvice pefore before prown brown

blace place fifdy fifty pegin begin py by

blaster plaster giss kiss pehind behint prow brow

breest priest led let plue blue sed to set

creen green mighdy mighty pone bone streed shtreet

deers tears pack n. back prave brafe veet feet

dell tell pall băll pranty brandy vifdeen fifteen

den ten peard beart preak break vine fine

dwelve tvelf pecause becauss prings bringss wide vite

benny	penny	dwice	tvice	pefore	before	prown	brown
blace	place	fifdy	fifty	pegin	begin	py	by
blaster	plaster	giss	kiss	pehind	behint	prow	brow
breest	priest	led	let	plue	blue	sed	to set
creen	green	mighdy	mighty	pone	bone	streed	shtreet
deers	tears	pack n.	back	prave	brafe	veet	feet
dell	tell	pall	băll	pranty	brandy	vifdeen	fifteen
den	ten	peard	beart	preak	break	vine	fine
dwelve	tvelf	pecause	becauss	prings	bringss	wide	vite