PA German Dialect

Es Neinuhr Schtick

                                                                        
 
August 12, 2004

Ihr liewe Leit:

   Ya, wie gsaat, manniche vun denne friehe Kallem Schreiwer – wie, zum Beischpiel, der von Nieda – hen viel zu viel Englisch benutzt. Awwer es scheint ass sie gut Deitsch schwetze hen kenne; dann un wann hen sie deitsche Wadde benutzt ass sie gaar nix devun gewisst hedde, hedde sie net zimmlich viel vun der Mudderschprooch gewisst. Iss es meeglsich ass sie so viel englische Wadde benutzt hen yuscht (nee, sell is net en englisch Watt, awwer en gans alt deitsch Watt) weil ihre Leser ihre Deitsch mit viel Englisch gepeffert hen?

   Wann mer iwwer deitsche Dinger schwetze will, do brauch mer ken Englisch benutze – wennichdens net viel. Der Kaspar Hufnagel (Pierce E. Swope, 1884-1968) hot mol en Kallem in der Lebanon Daily News ghatt. Wie ihr gude Leser nau (nee, sell iss kee englsich Watt, awwer en gans alt deitsch Watt) sehne kennt, hot fascht kee Englisch benutzt:

   Wie ich en Bu waar, hen die Bauersleit schier all groose Familye ghatt. Es waare fimf Buwe un drei Meed in unsere Family. Es waar Aerwet uff der Bauerei fer all vun uns Buwe. Die glennschde hen die Oier gsucht, Vieh gedriwwe,un Wasser naus ins Feld gedraage, so ass die Schaffleit drinke hen kenne.

   Wie die Buwe wennich greeser waare, hen sie Aerwet grickt ass meh Grefde genumme hot. Mir hen die Schtell ausgemischt, Geil gschtriggelt un hen aa als die Geil zum Schmidt geridde.

   Glei noch sellem hen mir en Mannsaerwet geduh. Ich weess noch wie ich lanne hab eege un bluuge. Mir hen en Leingaul ghatt, un den hen mer gfaahre an re Zopplein. Sell iss net so gut gange fer en Weil.

   Die hattscht Aerwet waar mischt laade un Poschdelecher graawe. Nau, die menschde Buwe hen and der Aerwet halde misse. Der Daadi waar net grobb zu uns. Er hot immer mitgschafft. Awwer wann mer zu viel rumgschtanne hen un nuff and ie Sunn geguckt, hot er als gsaat, “Buwe, halt eich draa!

   Drauss uff der Bauerei hen mir en groosi Scheier ghatt. Des waar en Schweitzer Scheier, mit me Scheierbrick am hinnere End. Datt iss mer nuff uff der zwett Schtock. Am yedem End vun der Scheier waare Hoibarre, der Blatz wu mer Hoi neigepackt hot in der Hoiet Deel waar Dimmedihoi, es anne waar Gleehoi.

   Nau, wie ihr sehnt, der Kaspar hot net viel Englisch benutzt, gell? Familye, Lein, drinke sin net englische Wadde! Neddemol Englisch iss Englisch! Dimmedi? Ya, ihr habt’s gerode; Dimmedi iss Englisch.

   Un nee, End iss net Englisch end.

Macht’s gut,
Der Alt Professer
 
Dear people:

   Yes, as we have been saying, many of the early column writers – as, for example, von Nieda – used much too much English. But it seems that they could speak good Pennsylvania German; now and then they used German words that they would not have known anything about, had they not known quite a bit about the Mother Tongue. Is it possible that they used so many English Words just (no, that is not an English word, but a very old German word) because their readers peppered their PG with a lot of English?

   If you want to talk about PG things, you don’t have to use English – at least not much. Kaspar Hufnagel (actually Pastor Pierce E. Swope, 1884-1968) once wrote a column for the Lebanon Daily News. As you good readers know (no, that is not an English word, but a very old German word) can see, Kaspar used hardly any English:

   When I was a boy, the farmers almost all had large families. There was work on the farm for all of us boys. The smallest looked for the eggs, drove the cattle, and carried water out to the field so that the workers could drink.
 


   When the boys were a little bigger, they got work that took more strength. We took the manure out of the barn, curried the horses, and also sometimes rode the horses to the blacksmith.

   Right after that we did man’s work. I still remember learning to harrow and plow. We had a line horse, and we guided it with a check line. That didn’t go so well for a time.
 


   The hardest work was loading manure and digging post holes. Now, most of the boys had to stick to their work. Daddy wasn’t rough with us. He always helped along. But if we stood around too much and looked up at the sun, he used to say. “Boys, stick to your work!”

   Out on the farm we had a big barn. It was a Swiss (that is, a bank) barn, with a “barn bridge” at the back end. There we went up to the second floor. At each end of the barn were hay mows, the place where we packed in hay during the haying time. Some of it was timothy hay, the other was clover hay.

   Now, as you see, Kaspar didn’t use much English, right? Familye, Lein, drinke are not English words! Not even Englisch is English! Dimmedi? You guessed it; Dimmedi is English timothy.

   And no, End is not English end.

Take care,
The Old Professor

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