Pennsylvania Dutch is one of the hardest dialects to study, and yet has an extremely interesting history as well as a significant impact on the English language of the Pennsylvania area. Study of Pennsylvania Dutch is difficult for researchers because of the scarcity of books printed in it. The language had been preserved largely by word of mouth and lacks a traceable history through written works, making it difficult to trace its development (Follin, 1929, p. 455). However, what there has been much research on is how it differs from modern German, also called High German, and also how Pennsylvania Dutch and English have mutually affected each other. Researchers can even tell which dialects Pennsylvania Dutch evolved from and whence in Europe they came. Also, researchers have also been successful in finding information relating how the language has been impacted by the culture of its native speakers, who in the majority are the Amish and Mennonites. The ancestors of today’s speakers of Pennsylvania Dutch likely immigrated to Pennsylvania in the early 1700s. In 1709 especially, as well as afterward, there was a great rush of Swiss and German immigrants to the Pennsylvania area (Tolles, F.B., 1957, p. 130). The main reason for this sudden surge of immigrants is the want for both religious and personal freedom (Springer, O., 1943, p. 31). Because the pre-United States area was not under as strict rule, they thought of it as an opportunity to be able to display their faith somewhere without discrimination and persecution. The speakers of Pennsylvania Dutch are not even Dutch. Rather, it is a soft South German from Bavaria, also known as the Palatinate. The name “Pennsylvania Dutch” is derived from the German word meaning ... ... middle of paper ... ...e: Pennsylvania German evidence for the matrix language turnover hypothesis. Language in Society, 25(4), 493-514. Huffines, M.L. (1984). The English of the Pennsylvania Germans: A reflection of ethnic affiliation. The German Quarterly, 57(2), 173-182. Kurath, H. (1945). German relics in Pennsylvania English. Monatshefte für deutschen Unterricht, 37(4/5), 96-102. Moelleken, W.W. (1983). Language maintenance and language shift in Pennsylvania German: A comparative investigation. Monatshefte, 75(2), 172-186. Oswald, M. (2010). Death of the Dutchy?. Retrieved from http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/PADutch.html. Springer, O. (1943). The study of the Pennsylvania German dialect. The Journal of English and Germanic Philology, 42(1), 1-39. Tolles, F.B. (1957). The Culture of Early Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, 81(2), 119-137.
In the article “Do You Speak American?,” Robert MacNeil is trying to reach the american public, especially those who do not have a complete understanding of the ongoing changes that are happening to the English that is spoken throughout the United States. He uses a multitude of examples to prove this very fact. For one he wants to inform the people that one reason for this change is that average people now have more influence in the way language is spoken.Which to him is a good thing. He enjoys the new evolution that American English has undertaken. He believes that it is a step in the right direction. Another, example he uses are the changes different regions and/or group of people have made on the English language. He uses the different accents and dialect to show the growth and improvement that occurred. Even though, some linguist view these changes as wrong, MacNeil views them as necessary and as something that is unique to the United States. In essence, a necessary growth that only makes the United States grow into a better country. Thus, making it more diverse.
Zietman, Rhoda G. "Biography of James Arthur Kjelgaard." 4 November 2013. Literary and Cultural Heritage Map of Pennsylvania. 11 April 2014 .
This is a project about the U.S.A. we have to do this for the subject history. We have to answer a main Question. As main question I chose; what was the influence by the Dutch on the New Netherlands? I chose this question because I thought this would be an interesting thing about the history of the New Netherlands. I’m going to use sub questions to answer the main question. The three sub questions are about the drive for the Dutch to look for new colonies, what did the Dutch get from the New Netherlands and what did they bring to the New Netherlands and what was the influence of the colony on the hinterland. For my research on the sub questions I had to use the internet. This three question will be worked out beneath
While both the people of the New England region and of the Chesapeake region descended from the same English origin, by 1700 both regions had traveled in two diverse directions. Since both of these groups were beset with issues that were unique to their regions and due to their exposure to different circumstances, each was forced to rethink and reconstruct their societies. As a result, the differences in the motivation, geography, and government in the New England and Chesapeake regions caused great divergence in the development of each.
In Richard Lederer’s article “All American Dialects”, he states the ironic truth that “most of us are aware that large numbers of people in the U.S. speak very differently than we do.” (152) How is it that one language can have so many speech communities? It is because of the way our nation was developed. Our language is a mixture of culture and lifestyle that has diverted our English dialect, so that each region’s speech is unique. How I speak can define who I am, determine what I do, and locate exactly where I’m from in the U.S. This is the value of my, and my language’s speech communities. If one was to travel to Germany they would be constantly hearing German. What they wouldn’t notice is that each city within Germany tends to have their
Often when looking at American history, people tend to lump all the characters and actors involved as similar. This is especially the case in regards to Early American Colonial history. Because the Puritan communities that grew rapidly after John Winthrop’s arrival in 1630 often overshadow the earlier colony at Plymouth, many are lead to assume that all settlers acted in similar ways with regard to land use, religion, and law. By analyzing the writings of William Bradford and John Winthrop, one begins to see differing pictures of colonization in New England.
In the article " Do You Speak American?" the audience is the general American public. MacNeil purpose here is to inform the general American public of the differences of the English dialect. He does this by looking at the changed backgrounds, races, and experiences people have that can impact their specific dialect. MacNeil talks about how the words each evolving social orders, innovations, and impacts change the way English are talked and comprehended across the country. All through MacNeil's article he talks about diverse dialects found in the middle of blacks and whites, and accents that change from area to locale. In this article, McNeil converses with the assorted American population by expressing numerous examples of the change in English
Lefler, Hugh T., and William S. Powell. Colonial North America. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1973.
Donald Kagan, Steven Ozment, Frank M. Turner. The Western Heritage. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2001.
The statistics of those not speaking English could lead to the idea that English is diminishing in certain sections of the United States. An example of this is shown in the article “Why the U.S. Needs an Official Languag...
Kunitz, Stanley J, and Howard Haycraft, eds. American Authors 1600- 1900. New York: Wilson, 1966. Print.
German immigrants were deeply religious people. In fact many immigrants came to America to escape religious persecution in Germany. The immigrants, however, splintered into many different religious groups. Some of the most common German religions were Lutheran, Catholic, and Free thinkers. (# 3 pg. 45) Many of the new German Americans exerted great energ...
Woolard, Kathryn A. “ Language Variation and Cultural Hegemony: Toward an Integration of Sociolinguistic and Social Theory.” American Ethnologist. Vol. 12, No. 4 (November 1985), pp. 738-748. 31 May 2010. Print.
Clark, Virginia P., Paul A. Eschholz, and Alfred F. Rosa. Language: Introductory Readings. 7th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2008. Print.
The settlement of the British Isles by north Europeans followed by Norman French paints the backdrop to this essay which will focus on the period between the early 15th and 17th centuries, when a'standard' English language evolved. It will show that modern-day English is very different to that first introduced to the British Isles, but by identifying changes through time, its continuity can be demonstrated. Finally, it will suggest that present day English is in a position analogous to that which existed before the Norman invasion, when there were many varieties and dialects, and that this may lead to its decline as a global language, due to decreasing intelligibility. The beginnings of English can be found in the occupation of England from the 5th century by north and west German ethnic groups who brought their 'indigenous dialects' (Seargeant, P. 2012, p. 1). The Oxford English Dictionary defines English as 'Of or related to the West Germanic language spoken in England and used in many varieties throughout the world' (Seargeant, P. 2012, p. 7).