Read Ebook: Pennsylvania Dutch: A Dialect of South German With an Infusion of English by Haldeman Samuel Stehman Ellis Alexander John Editor

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Ebook has 206 lines and 39548 words, and 5 pages

"Doch guckt 's ah recht huebsch un' Doch gukt 's aa recht hipsch un nice 'neis' Wann all die Baehm sin so foll ice--" Wan al dii beem sin so f?l eis--

"Forn bild der reinheit is 's doh, F'r 'n bild d?r reinheit iss ?s doo, In fact, mer kenne sehne noh, 'in faekt,' m'r kenn? seen? noo, Dass unser Hertz' so rein muss dass unser haerts so rein muss seih, sei?, Wann in des Reich mer welle neih." wann in des reich m'r well? nei?.

"Die leut sie hocke 's welshcorn ab, Dii leit sii hack? 's welschkarn ap, 'S is 'n rechte guhte crop, 's iss 'n rechte guute 'crap,' Un' wann's daer genunk werd sei, un wan 's daerr genunk waert sei?, Noh bashte sies un' fahres eih." noo bascht? sii 's un faar? 's ei?.

... dem nochb?r sei? gaul . See the quotation from Sch?pf.

G. G. PG.

"Der wind, horch yusht, wie er D'r wint, harich juscht wii aer drum drum bloss'd,... bloost,... Gar nix for ihm fersichert is, Gaar niks f'r iim f'rsich?rt iss, Er nemmt sei aegner waek aer nemmt sei, eegn?r week, Dorch ennich rissly geht er neih, darich ennich rissli geet aer nei, Un geht ah nuf die staek." un geet aa 'nuf dii schteek.

''S is noch so 'n anre glaener 's iss noch so 'n anre gleen?r drup, dr?p, Mit so mah grosse dicke kup, mit soo m? gross? dikk? k?p, Der doh uf English screech-owl daer doo uf eng-lisch 'skriitsch-aul' haest, heest, Der midde drin hut ah sei nesht.' daer midd? drin h?t aa sei nescht.

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. ?n grosser dicker kopp, Dat., Gen. ?m? gross? dick? kopp.

FOOTNOTES:

Of words not occurring in print, the Swiss, Bavarian, and Suabian form bruntsen replaces harnen and its synonyms.

Scarcely legitimate, the PG. word for a grave-yard being kaerich-hof.

Diagonally.

This word is correct without the elisive mark, which perverts the syntax.

The Rev. D. Ziegler.

GENDER.

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.

FOOTNOTES:

Such italics for English words are no part of the original.

This mode of indicating words is used to avoid corrupting the text with italics.

As this essay is passing through the press, I add the following examples, which are all in print.

Primitive bread was probably rather heavy than light--if a mnemonic view may be taken.

? 1. THE ENGLISH INFUSION.

Pennsylvania German has long been recognised as a dialect with certain English words, which are sometimes inflected in the German manner. Sportive examples were quoted in the last century, and one is occasionally cited as characteristic, which occurs in Joh. Dav. Sch?pf's Travels published at Erlangen, in 1788, and thus quoted by Radlof, but in German characters:--

"Mein Stallion ist ?ber die Fehnsz getscheumpt, und hat dem Nachbor sein whiet abscheulich ged?matscht."

In the Price-current we find--

In the humorous department we find--

The next examples are condensed from journals of various localities, all printed in the German character. The spelling and use of italics as before.

FOOTNOTES:

See note 1 on next page.

Any place where liquor is retailed is called a saloon, and in a certain town a cabin with a single room is labeled DON JUAN WALLING'S SIGN EMPORIUM.

Neuter for feminine, as in Bavarian and Austrian.

These four words are printed in Roman type.

D'r 'Tschaerli' h?t jung k'ei?rt un h?t ? fleissigh? fraa krikt.

Mr. Rauch, in his partly English spelling, has--

.aer h?t aa behaapt dass m?r set sich net 'ruul?' l?ss? bei sein?r fraa, un dass dii weiw?r niks wiss? fun denn? sach?, un dass es kens fun eer? 'bissn?ss' iss wii ?n mann 'woot,' ?d?r wii ?ft aer als drinkt.

In short, I will make all so even that the heart in one's body must laugh; I will also trick the devil that he none can lead astray-- chop for him both his horns off that he cannot thrust again.

... des land is aa frei f'r mich soo guut dass f'r dich.

... net wennich?r dass siw? hun?rt f'r dich un mich.

'aer will haw? dass ich bei iim aa?ruuf in Fildelfi, un duut dass wann s tsu mein?r 'atfaentitsch' waer wann ich kumm.

Selli frook h?t mich sch?r gaarli schwits? mach?, und ich hab kfiilt juscht graad dass wann ich mich f?l hees?r huld?r tee ks?ff? het un 'gmikst' mit 'taensi' kats?kraut un 'bebb?rmint.'

The next is from the description of a willow-tree with the 'nesht' branches broken by ice.

.aer gukt net gans soo schtattlich mee aer gukt net gans soo gross un schee, dass wii aer h?t dii an?r woch wuu 'r all sei? nescht h?t katt? noch.

... fiil ann?ri hen hart prowiirt sich farn? naus schaff?.

Dii meed hen kee? soo klee?ni 'bann?ts' katt dii niks sin f'r hits ?d'r kelt; ?s waar? rechtschaff?n? 'bann?ts,' dass m'r aa see? h?t kenn?, oone dii brill uf duu?.

PG. Sometimes distinguishes between the present tense and the aorist, as in Swiss--"er thuot choh" --

FOOTNOTES:

The Rev. D. Ziegler, transliterated by himself.

Gem?lde aus dem Pennsylvanischen Volksleben ... von L. A. Wollenweber. Philadelphia und Leipzig. Sch?fer und Konradi, 1869.

Harbaugh's Harfe. Gedichte in Pennsylvanisch-Deutscher Mundart. Philadelphia, Reformed Church Publication Board, 1870.

Lancaster Pa. WEEKLY ENTERPRISE , with a weekly article by Mr. Rauch.

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