EE RR ERIE
Is Pennsylvania German a Dialect ?
By Charles Calvin Ziegler.
As a Pennsylvania German I cannot sit still when Prof. Albert Bushneil
Hart calls my mother-tongue a “so-called language,” “a barbarous compound
of German and English words in German idiom, somewhat resembling that
mixture of Hebrew and German called “Yiddish,” a “lingo” and a “jargon.”
It is evident that his knowledge of Pennsylvania German was acquired during
an automobile ride around Lancaster county, eked out by odds and ends fished
from Phoebe Gibbons’ essay on Pennsylvania Dutch (1872) and a few other
inconsequential sources. He repeats Phoebe’s “Buggy forray”—which one
expression so spelled, is enough to relegate both her and him to the realm of
incompetency in treating of our dialect. Twenty years did Phoebe dwell
with and among our people and yet did not begin to understand our speech,
and we cannot therefore expect Albert to do any better with only the exper-
ience gathered during an automobile tour.
. Professor Hart's article on the Pennsylvania Dutch in the Boston Trans-
cript, reprinted in the November number of The Pennsylvania German, is cer-
tainly very interesting and is, I believe, historically and ethnologically about
correct, But he is simply mistaken when he asserts that our speech is a mon-
grel mixture of German and English and not a German dialect. The halo of
his Harvard professorship shall not invest this old error with the brightness
of truth—not if I can help it.
Why did not the Professor, when he snatched “Buggy forray” from Phoe-
be Gibbons’ book, turn to the appendix where he would have learned some-
thing of the structure of the dialect as given by Prof. Stahr? Does he not
know that in 1872, S. S. Haldeman, then professor of Comparative Philology
in the University of Pennsylvania, wrote an essay on “Pennsylvania Dutch,”
in which he conclusively proved that our speech was a true German dialect,
different from all the rest, but very much resembling the Pfalzisch? Is he
ignorant of the scientific treatise on the Pennsylvania German dialect (1889)
by Prof. Marion Dexter Learned, formerly of Johns Hopkins, now of the Uni-
versity of Pennsylvania? After exhaustive research Prof. Learned shows
beyond all cavil that ours is a true German dialect.
Now I do not for a moment deny that the Pennsylvania Germans have ap-
propriated a considerable number of English words into their speech. The
proportion varies according to locality, the individual and the particular
theme under consideration. The infusion of English at Mauch Chunk is im-
mensely greater (judging from E. H. Rauch’s “Hand-Book”) than at Allen-
town, Lancaster and York. In his lexicon Rauch gives the number of words
in our dialect at about 5,000, of which 1,000 are English. But Rauch was a
lawyer and editor, and hence includes a multitude of English law and technic-
al words which are not at all in general use by our people. Prof. A. R. Horne,
Allentown, on the contrary gives in “Em Horne sei Buch” 5,522 words of
which only 176 are English. These two dictionaries show 20 and 3 per cent.
respectively of English infusion—an astonishing difference. In Lancaster
and York counties the English admixture seems to be quite small. According
to Prof. Learned’s investigations it is less than one per cent.
But what I want to emphasize is the fact that the Pennsylvania Germans
brought their dialect with them when they came to Pennsylvania from their na-
tive homes in the Palatinate and other sections of South Germany. The in-
fusion of English is accidental and has not changed the essential character-
istics of the dialect. It is Pennsylvania German not because of the adventi-
tious mixture of German and English, but because it always was Pennsylva-
nia German,—was so from the first,—from the period when it was brought to
Pennsylvania by thousands of immigrants from South Germany. (See Rupp’s
“Thirty Thousand Names of German Immigrants in Pennsyivania, from 1727
to 1776.”)
It seems almost useless now to contend against the misnomer “Pennsylva-
Dutch,” as it is so generally used. The fact remains, however, that there is
really no more Dutch in Pennsylvania German than in English. Persons who
speak with a far away loftiness of the Pennsylvania “Dutch” do not seem to
realize the fact that the great English language is a tree whose ramifying
branches are grafted on the trunk of the Dutch dialect called Anglo-Saxon.
It is an immense and wonderfully compounded pot-pie with Dutch for the
under-crust. It doesn’t take much erudition to prove this. From my diction-
aries I gather within a few minutes this list of words which might easily be
extended:
English Dutch German Pa. German
calf kalf kalb kalb
that dat das des
water water wasser wasser
land land land land
father vader vater vatter, daadi
mother moeder mutter mutter, mammi
sister zuster schwester schweschter
brother broeder bruder bruder
house huis haus haus
what wat was was
it het es es
hood (hat) hoed hut hut
cat kat katz katz
foot voet fuss fuss’
great groot gross gross
hand hand hand hand
God God Gott Gott
ox 0s ochs ochs
sheep schaap schaf schoof
hound (dog) hond hund hund
ground grond grund grund
wot (know) weet weiss wees
good goed gut gut
blood bloed blut blut
plant plant pflanze planz (p-b)
book boek buch buch
sleep slaap sehlaf schloof
week week woche woch
over over neber iwwer
tame tam zam zaam
wild wild wild wild
to prate praten, } sprechen schpreche }
talk } spreken schwetze
letter letter buchstaben buchschtaawe
of alphabet }
boor (farmer) boer bauer bauer
Don’t you see the family resemblance in these words? All Teutonic.
And you will notice that the relationship between English and Dutch is closer
than between Dutch and Pennsylvania German. Prof. Hart surely knows
Grimm’s law of consonantal changes, in accordance with which Pennsylvania
German is at once seen to belong to the das branch and English to the dat
branch of the Teutonic languages. The former is German, the latter Dutch.
Talk about “barbarous compounds!” What was the English during the
400 years after the Norman Conquest, when Anglo-Saxon and N orman-French
were being stirred in the pot and forced to combine? And consider all the
elements that have been added to the mixture ever since; why, the combination
isn’t homogeneous yet.
“Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire, burn; and cauldron, bubble.”
How poor the English would be had. it not borrowed and incorporated
thousands and thousands of words from every language under the sun!
It is, to say the least, not fair to describe a dialect, as Prof. Hart has done,
by presenting its unusual, abnormal elements and thus making it appear lu-
dicrous to the uninformed. Every language has its funny aspects, but these
are not the language itseif. A man may make a grimace occasionally, but
that is not his natural expression. :
1 suppose people will continue to call us the Pennsylvania “Dutch” and
perpetuate the old erroneous idea that our speech is only a curious compound
of High German and English; but whenever I catch any one doing it—be he
professor or clodhopper—TI shall take a shot at him.
mmm
The Northern Cross Will be Visible in
September Skies.
On September 23 at 1:44 p.m,
Greenwich Civil time, the sun will
cross the Equator going south in the
constellation of Virgo. a
Autumn will then begin in the
Northern Hemisphere and spring in
the Southern Hemisphere.
The planet Mars, which has been
too close to the sun to be seen for
some weeks, will be in conjunction
with the sun on September 13. It will
be at its greatest distance from the
earth on September 4, when it will be
about 247,800,000 miles away.
One of the features of the skies on
September nights, says a bulletin by
the American Nature Association, is
the Northern Cross in the Milky Way,
surrounded by a field of stars of great
beauty. From mid-latitudes of the
Northern Hemisphere at nine o’clock
Tomorrow
\ Alright
A vegetable
aperient, adde
tone and viger to
the digestive and
eliminative system,
improves the appe~
tite, relieves Sick
Headache and Bil-
fousness, corrects
Constipation.
—
in the evening, one may see athwart A i PX
the merkiizn, snd directly gyerkead, AR =
this cross in the constellation of Cyg- >
nus, the Swan. Adjoining it on the Chips off the Old | Block
East, is the small constellation of Ly-
ra, the Harp, with its brillian Vega.
The Northern Cross is large. and
crude and irregular in outline.
* One-third the regular dose. Made
of same ingredients, then candy
coated. For children and adults.
SOLD BY YOUR DRUGGIST
C. M. PARRISH
BELLEFONTE, PA.
——For good, reliable news always
read the “Watchman,”
Tells When to Treat Peach Borer.
About this time of the year peach
growers are eager to make applica-
tions of paradichlorobenzine for con-
trol of the peach borer. Many
orchardists who have inquired as to
the proper time to treat the trees
have been told that because the ma-
jority of the eggs are laid during ear-
ly September, treatments are delayed
as long as possible. Experiences have
shown that work which is done from
September 10 to the middle of Octo-
ber gives the best results. By this
$1,000,
merchandise.
TATA TA TATA TAS TNL
A Vs
starts.
INAS
The First National Bank
BELLEFONTE, PA.
time the majority of the eggs are laid
and the young worms hatched, but
little damage has been done to the
Joes and the small borers are easy to
Care should be taken in using the
paradichlorobenzine to keep the ring
at least one inch away from the tree
and to remove the material from the
trees before the ground freezes so
that any injury which might result
from unvolatilized substance will not
cause harm during the winter months.
Directions for making these treat-
ments may be obtained from county
agent, R. U. Blaney.
000.00
¢ have More Than a Million Dollars Loaned Here
at home, to thousands of borrowers.
Think what this million dollars is doing
—building homes, stocking farms, buying
In a hundred ways doing
what money alone can do.
And we Can Arrange to Lend a
Million More as Occasion Arises
September 23rd is the
date onwhich Our Annual
Two-Weeks $1.50 Sale
Watch for
later announcements
F. P. BLAIR & SON
JEWELERS
Bellefonte, Penna.
ocal taxes seem to be going higher
and higher—in some cases they ap-
pear to rise like airplanes. Wise is
the town and its officials who aim for
prudent economy and do not place too
heavy a burden on the people. At
your service in all banking matters.
| THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK
STATE COLLEGE, PA.
MEMBER FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM
in the morning.
Leave Buffalo—_ 9:00 P. M
Automobile Rate~$7.50.
Send for free sectional puzzle chart of
the Great Ship “SEEANDBEE” and
32-page booklet.
The Cleveland & Buffalo Transit Co.
Cleveland, Ohio
Your Rail Ticket is
Good on the Boats
A restful night on Lake Erie
Makes a pleasant break in your journey. A good bed in a clean,
cool stateroom, a long sound sleep and an appetizing breakfast
Steamers “SEEANDBEE”-“CITY OF ERIE”-“CITY OF BUFFALO”
Daily May Ist to November 15th
. Eastern
Arrive Cleveland *7:00A.M.| Standard Time
*Steamer “CITY OF BUFFALO?” arrives 7:30 A. M.
Connections for Cedar Point, Put-in-Bay, Toledo, Detroit and other points.
Ask your ticket agent or tourist agency for tickets via C & B Line. New Tourist
Leave Cleveland—9:00 P. M.
Arrive Buffalo —*7:00 A. M.
‘The Great Ship
“SEEANDBEE" =
Length, 500 feet,
Breadth, 98 feet
6 inches.
Fare, $5.50 ie
The New Things
...For Fall....
Are Ready Now at Faubles
Stetson and Mallory Hats
Emery Shirts
Jim Dandy Suits for Boys
Fall Suits for en
The Largest. Assortment. we have ever
shown. Priced Honestly—all sold with
the Fauble Guarantee ——
Your Money Back if you are
Not Pleased...Let us Show you
- od
Lyon & Co. Lyon & Co.
New Fall Goods Ready
FOR THE EARLY BUYERS
All the new, bright colors in the 54 inch
cloths; all wool, stylish stripes, and the
solid colors ; also the new side bands.
from $12.50 up; any
New and Special Fall Coats
number of new styles.
NEW SCARFS are most fascinating—Double Scarf in
crepe de chene ; hand-painted design in all the new shades.
Roomy Pouch-Shaped Bags of suede,
New Hand Bags patent leather and brocades, in tan,
grey, brown and black.
Lyon & Co. « Lyon & Co.
EXCEPTIONAL VALUES
in New Fall Curtains and Draperies
New Tapestry for doing over the living room suit or chairs
that may look a little shabby after the Summer wear.
We have on sale Shoes,
For the School Kiddies Dresses, Wash Suits, Hose,
Socks, Shirts and Sweaters, at prices that will surprise you.
September Clearance
of all Summer Goats, Dresses and Piece Goods
Must. Go ----Regardless of Cost,