Pennsilfaanisch Deitsch
Pennsylvania German
Indo-European (Germanic, West, German)
Pennsylvania German (Pennsilfaanisch Deitsch) descends from Palatine German dialects brought to colonial Pennsylvania in the 18th century, now sustained by Amish and Old Order Mennonite communities. Vibrant L1 transmission within these communities means the language is *growing*, not declining; intensive English contact has introduced loanwords but the High-German-dialect grammatical core is intact.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Pennsylvania German
Water
Wasser
/vasər/
Fire
Feier
/faɪər/
Sun
Sunn
/sʊn/
Moon
Muun
/muːn/
Star
Schteern
/ʃteːrn/
Mother
Mudder
/mʊdər/
Father
Daadi
/daːdi/
I
ich
/ɪç/
You
du
/du/
Name
Naame
/ˈnaːmə/
Eye
Aag
/aːk/
Hand
Hand
/hant/
Heart
Hatz
/hats/
Love
liewe
/liːvə/
Tree
Baam
/baːm/
House
Haus
/haʊs/
Dog
Hund
/hʊnt/
Cat
Katz
/kats/
Eat
esse
/ɛsə/
Drink
drinke
/dɾɪŋkə/
One
eens
/eːns/
Two
zwee
/tsveː/
Hello
Hallo
/haloː/
Thank you
Denki
/dɛŋki/
Good
gut
/ɡuːt/
Computer
Computer
/ˈkɔmpjuːtɐ/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Indo-European (Germanic, West, German) languages
| Meaning | Pennsylvania German | East Franconian | German (Austrian) | German | German (Luxembourgish) | Early New High German (Luther-era) | German (Swiss) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | Wasser /vasər/ | Wasser /vasːə/ | Wasser /vasɐ/ | Wasser /vasɐ/ | Wasser /vasɐ/ | Wasser /ˈvasːər/ | Wasser /ˈvasər/ |
| Fire | Feier /faɪər/ | Feier /faɪɐ/ | Feuer /fɔɪɐ/ | Feuer /fɔɪ̯ɐ/ | Feuer /fɔɪ̯ɐ/ | Fewr /foɪ̯r/ | Feuer /ˈfɔɪ̯ər/ |
| Sun | Sunn /sʊn/ | Sunn /sʊn/ | Sonne /sɔnə/ | Sonne /zɔnə/ | Sonne /zɔnə/ | Sonne /ˈzɔnə/ | Sonne /ˈsɔnə/ |
| Moon | Muun /muːn/ | Maa /maː/ | Mond /moːnt/ | Mond /moːnt/ | Mond /moːnt/ | Mond /moːnt/ | Mond /moːnt/ |
| Star | Schteern /ʃteːrn/ | Stern /ʃtɛrn/ | Stern /ʃtɛʁn/ | Stern /ʃtɛʁn/ | Stern /ʃtɛʁn/ | Stern /ʃtɛrn/ | Stern /ʃtɛrn/ |
| Mother | Mudder /mʊdər/ | Mudder /mʊdɐ/ | Mutter /mʊtɐ/ | Mutter /mʊtɐ/ | Mutter /mʊtɐ/ | Mutter /ˈmʊtər/ | Mutter /ˈmʊtər/ |
| Father | Daadi /daːdi/ | Vadder /fadɐ/ | Vater /fɑːtɐ/ | Vater /faːtɐ/ | Vater /faːtɐ/ | Vater /ˈfaːtər/ | Vater /ˈfaːtər/ |
| I | ich /ɪç/ | i /i/ | ich /ɪç/ | ich /ɪç/ | ich /ɪç/ | ich /ɪç/ | ich /ɪx/ |
| You | du /du/ | du /du/ | du /duː/ | du /duː/ | du /duː/ | du /duː/ | du /duː/ |
| Name | Naame /ˈnaːmə/ | Nama /ˈnamɐ/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ |
| Eye | Aag /aːk/ | Aach /aːx/ | Auge /aːɡə/ | Auge /aʊ̯ɡə/ | Auge /aʊ̯ɡə/ | Aug /aʊk/ | Auge /ˈaʊɡə/ |
| Hand | Hand /hant/ | Hand /hand/ | Hand /hɑnt/ | Hand /hant/ | Hand /hant/ | Handt /hant/ | Hand /hant/ |
| Heart | Hatz /hats/ | Herz /hɛrts/ | Herz /hɛɐts/ | Herz /hɛʁts/ | Herz /hɛʁts/ | Hertz /hɛrts/ | Herz /hɛrts/ |
| Love | liewe /liːvə/ | Liebe /liːbə/ | Liebe /liːbə/ | Liebe /liːbə/ | Liebe /liːbə/ | Liebe /ˈliːbə/ | Liebe /ˈliːbə/ |
| Tree | Baam /baːm/ | Bauma /baʊmaː/ | Baum /baːm/ | Baum /baʊ̯m/ | Baum /baʊ̯m/ | Bawm /baʊm/ | Baum /baʊm/ |
| House | Haus /haʊs/ | Haus /haʊs/ | Haus /haʊs/ | Haus /haʊ̯s/ | Haus /haʊ̯s/ | Hauß /haʊs/ | Haus /haʊs/ |
| Dog | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ |
| Cat | Katz /kats/ | Katz /kats/ | Katze /kɑtsə/ | Katze /katsə/ | Katze /katsə/ | Katze /ˈkatsə/ | Katze /ˈkɑtːsə/ |
| Eat | esse /ɛsə/ | esse /ɛsə/ | essen /ɛsn̩/ | essen /ɛsn̩/ | essen /ɛsn̩/ | essen /ˈɛsːən/ | essen /ˈɛsn̩/ |
| Drink | drinke /dɾɪŋkə/ | trinke /trɪŋkə/ | trinken /tʁɪŋkŋ/ | trinken /tʁɪŋkn̩/ | trinken /tʁɪŋkn̩/ | trincken /ˈtrɪŋkən/ | trinken /ˈtrɪŋkn̩/ |
| One | eens /eːns/ | ans /ans/ | oans /ɑːns/ | eins /aɪ̯ns/ | eins /aɪ̯ns/ | eyn /aɪ̯n/ | eins /aɪ̯ns/ |
| Two | zwee /tsveː/ | zwaa /tsvaː/ | zwei /tsvai/ | zwei /tsvaɪ/ | zwei /tsvaɪ/ | zwey /tsvaɪ/ | zwei /tsvai/ |
| Hello | Hallo /haloː/ | Grüß Gott /ɡrʏs ɡɔt/ | Servus /zɛɐvʊs/ | Hallo /haloː/ | Hallo /haloː/ | Gott zum Gruß /ɡɔt tsʊm ɡruːs/ | Hallo /haˈloː/ |
| Thank you | Denki /dɛŋki/ | Vergelt's Gott /fɛɐɡɛlts ɡɔt/ | Danke /daŋkə/ | danke /daŋkə/ | danke /daŋkə/ | Danck /daŋk/ | danke /ˈdaŋkə/ |
| Good | gut /ɡuːt/ | guad /ɡuə̯d/ | gut /ɡuːt/ | gut /ɡuːt/ | gut /ɡuːt/ | gut /ɡuːt/ | gut /ɡuːt/ |
| Computer | Computer /ˈkɔmpjuːtɐ/ | Computer /kɔmˈpjuːdɐ/ | Computer /kɔmˈpjuːtɐ/ | Computer /kɔmˈpjuːtɐ/ | — | Rechenmeister /ˈrɛçənˌmaɪstər/ | Computer /komˈpjuːtər/ |
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