English in North America

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English in North America

• Lecture by
• Prof. Dr. Hildegard L.C. Tristram
• Winter Semester 2003/2004
• Potsdam

Ethnic Variation Ethnolects (Pennsylvania Dutch)
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Ethnic VariationGeneral
Linguistic variation in North America -
geographical, social and ethnic - Definition
of ethnicity (lt Greek ethnos) A group of
people who consider themselves to belong
together because of their acceptance of or their
adherence to a specific set of social symbols
such as extraction (origin), language, customs,
heritage, religion, laws, physical
characteristics etc.
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Ethnic VariationGeneral
North America traditional immigration
countries Conflicting policies melting pot
(Israel Zangwill, 1908) e pluribus unum,
integration, shared identities salad bowl
aggregation, multi-culturalism, separate
identities
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Ethnic VariationGeneral
salad bowl situation
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Ethnic VariationGeneral
Ethnolects integrationist (adaptationist,
assimilationist) vs retentionist immigrant
attitudes ethnic maintenance of cultural cum
linguistic identity vs acculturation and/or
assimilation for various social motivations ..
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Ethnic VariationGeneral
religious motivations (both German based) a)
retentionist Pennsylvania Dutch b) strongly
integrationist Yiddish American underprivileged
American historical legacy a) retentionist
AAVE b) moderately integrationist Chicano/a
English
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Ethnic VariationGeneral
The Amish People (Mennonites, anabaptists,
Calvinists) groups of Christian
religious fundamenta- lists who left South
West Germany, German speaking Switzerland and
north eastern France in the 18th and 19th
centuries in search of freedom to practice
their religion in agricultural self-segregation
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Ethnic VariationPennsylvania Dutch
Ethnic VariationGeneral
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Ethnic VariationPennsylvania Dutch
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Ethnic VariationPennsylvania Dutch
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Ethnic VariationPennsylvania Dutch
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Ethnic VariationPennsylvania Dutch
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Ethnic VariationPennsylvania Dutch
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Ethnic VariationPennsylvania Dutch

• Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

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Ethnic VariationPennsylvania Dutch
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Ethnic VariationPennsylvania Dutch
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania gt most Amish
are trilingual Pennsylvania Dutch (community
language, family, work, leisure) High German
(language of religious worship) English
(language of school (since 1911) and business)
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Ethnic VariationPennsylvania Dutch
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Pennsilfaanisch
Deitsch, anglicized as Pennsylvania
Dutch ?English lexified dialectal German
(Alemannic, Palatine, Western Hessian
German) ?very similiar in type (not in
token!) to Denglish
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Ethnic VariationPennsylvania Dutch
Die Schulbell ringt. Es Schulhaus hot yuscht ee
Schtubb. Der Meeschder froogt, Schwetscht du
Englisch? Ya, Tietscher, gwiss. Ich kann
Englisch schwetze, lese un schreiwe. Der
Tietscher froogt annere Kwestschyens. .. Die
Schulschtubb hot vier Wend. Vanne is es
Schwazbord (odder Blaeckbord) un en Dier. Der
Meeschder schreibt uffs Blaeckbord mit Greid. Er
yuust Feeder un Dinde uff Babier. Die groosse
Kinner kenne en Bleibensil yuuse. Sie lese alle
Daag. Sie hen en Schpellingbuch un aa annere
Bicher.