This page has audio samples of Pennsylvania German (or Dutch) as spoken by one Amish from Franklin County and three Mennonites from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania:
I taught dance at a summer gymnastics camp in Lancaster County, PA, around 1980. I never had any interaction with the Amish (that was the group that we mostly saw near the camp), but would occasionally see Amish farmers driving up to the kitchen to deliver eggs and produce to the kitchen staff (who would then do unspeakable things to the food). I also occasionally saw them driving their horse-drawn buggies on the highways.
Location: San Francisco, Noord-Kalifornië, Noord-Amerika
Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2007 11:18 pm Post subject:
Deborah wrote:
I listened to the first two. The younger guy’s accent seems to have an American influence, but the older man (the second) sounds much more “German”.
I wrote this after hearing just a bit of each, with the volume pretty low. After listening more, I realize that they all sound well-influenced by American English, even the guy who was born in 1904.
It's not so very hard to understand all what's based upon German words. The mixture with a lot of .. well... unexpected English .. is what makes it quite taxing. They sound like English-Bavarians to me.
Location: San Francisco, Noord-Kalifornië, Noord-Amerika
Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2007 7:29 pm Post subject:
Since they sounded so American when they were speaking their Pennsylvania Dutch, I was surprised to hear a subtle Germanic tinge to the last guy's English.
Location: San Francisco, Noord-Kalifornië, Noord-Amerika
Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 1:23 am Post subject:
Funny how an American accent makes it sound so familiar. (HT or Pauline -- thanks for the translation and the move. I wasn't sure how German this dialect still was, so I didn't know what to do with it.)
Since they sounded so American when they were speaking their Pennsylvania Dutch, I was surprised to hear a subtle Germanic tinge to the last guy's English.
I visited the North earlier this summer, and I talked to several Amish. Very friendly people. They said that they speak Penn. Deutsch at home, learn formal(High) German in school, and begin learning English around 3rd grade. I noticed that the very young children, who speak little English, had a German-like accent, but the adults just sounded like typical Midwesterners to my ears.
Location: San Francisco, Noord-Kalifornië, Noord-Amerika
Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 1:41 am Post subject:
David wrote:
They said that they speak Penn. Deutsch at home, learn formal(High) German in school, and begin learning English around 3rd grade. I noticed that the very young children, who speak little English, had a German-like accent, but the adults just sounded like typical Midwesterners to my ears.
That's interesting. Presumably the very young children learn by listening to their Midwestern-sounding parents. I wonder how they get their German-like accents? Maybe they talk a lot to their older siblings who are studying German at school.
Ich frage mich warum es Pennsylvania Dutch genannt ist ?? Es scheint Deutsch ähnlicher zu sein als Niederländisch. _________________ Jag tänker alltså finns jag
jag är en svensktalande fransman och älskar svenska språket
Sprichst du Deutsch auch? Bestimmt hast du es erwähnt, aber vielleicht habe ich es nicht gelesen oder nicht bemerkt (oder vergessen ).
Ich verstehe auch nicht, warum es Pennsylvanischen Deutsch genannt ist. Vielleicht wegen der amerikanischen Einflüsse. _________________ Az alvástól megéhezem. Az evéstől elálmosodom. Az élet szép.
Incidentally, I have one that's kind of similar to that hanging on the wall behind me. I bought it from an Amish quilt shop when I was in northern Indiana last year.
Sprichst du Deutsch auch? Bestimmt hast du es erwähnt, aber vielleicht habe ich es nicht gelesen oder nicht bemerkt (oder vergessen ).
Ich verstehe auch nicht, warum es Pennsylvanischen Deutsch genannt ist. Vielleicht wegen der amerikanischen Einflüsse.
Hallo Liz !
Ja ich spreche auch Deutsch. Ich habe es mit Brieffreunden vor vielen Jahren angefangen zu lernen. Ich glaube es ist schon zwanzig Jahre her. Ich hatte auch Gelegenheit während zwei Jahren es oft zu sprechen, als ich nahe bei der Grenzen in Strassburg wohnte. Ich spreche und schreibe sehr gerne auf Deutsch. Die deutsche Aussprache ist sogar einfacher für mich als die englische. Ich weiß nicht warum. Ja, es ist ein bißchen komisch, daß sie es "Dutch" und nicht "German" nennen, weil die Deklinationen an die Deklinationen in Hochdeutsch erinnern. _________________ Jag tänker alltså finns jag
jag är en svensktalande fransman och älskar svenska språket
Incidentally, I have one that's kind of similar to that hanging on the wall behind me. I bought it from an Amish quilt shop when I was in northern Indiana last year.
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They said that they speak Penn. Deutsch at home, learn formal(High) German in school, and begin learning English around 3rd grade. I noticed that the very young children, who speak little English, had a German-like accent, but the adults just sounded like typical Midwesterners to my ears.
Well actually I'm not sure how they sound speaking German. I didn't get a chance to hear them speak it.
). 