"The long persistence of Pennsylvania German English for nearly two centuries in an English-speaking territory which was settled by English, Scotch-Irish and Welsh as early as by Germans, naturally brought about a certain contact between English and German language that influenced both, the generally spoken English and the specific dialect formation that languages borrowed from each other"--Back cover

Seminar paper from the year 1993 in the subject American Studies - Linguistics, grade: 1,7, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (Englische Philologie), course: Varieties of American English, language: English, abstract: The long persistence of Pennsylvania German English for nearly two centuries in an English-speaking territory which was settled by English, Scotch-Irish and Welsh as early as by Germans , naturally brought about a certain contact between English and German language that influenced both, the generally spoken English and the specific dialect formation that languages borrowed from each other. This paper is an attempt to show in how far this language contact has caused mutual language borrowings, which were by no means restricted to vocabulary items but also extended to phonological and syntactic features, having as well influential effects on intonational patterns.

"The phonological differences found in the informants' varieties of English are reflected in the differences in the areas of language use and language attitude. In the final chapter, findings gained from the study of the latter two areas are used to suggest an explanation of the "Pennsylvania German paradox." An attempt is made to integrate the phonological findings into a larger theory of language change and to make predictions about future linguistic developments."--BOOK JACKET.

A collection of studies on the role of English in German-speaking countries, covering a broad range of topics.

Devoted to the history, biography, genealogy, poetry, folk-lore and general interests of the Pennsylvania Germans and their descendants.

Cover -- Half-title -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- INTRODUCTION: Pennsylvania German Studies -- PART 1 HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY -- 1. The Old World Background -- 2. To the New World: Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries -- 3. Communities and Identities: Nineteenth to the Twenty-First Centuries -- PART 2 CULTURE AND SOCIETY -- 4. The Pennsylvania German Language -- 5. Language Use among Anabaptist Groups -- 6. Religion -- 7. The Amish -- 8. Literature -- 9. Agriculture and Industries -- 10. Architecture and Cultural Landscapes -- 11. Furniture and Decorative Arts -- 12. Fraktur and Visual Culture -- 13. Textiles -- 14. Food and Cooking -- 15. Medicine -- 16. Folklore and Folklife -- 17. Education -- 18. Heritage and Tourism -- 19. Popular Culture and Media -- References -- Contributors -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- Y -- Z -- Color plates follow page

The Penn State University Press is pleased to introduce Metalmark Books, a joint imprint of the Press and the Office of Digital Scholarly Publishing at the University Libraries at Penn State. Books published under this imprint are selected from the collections of the University Libraries. They may be viewed online or ordered as paperbacks. Initially, books published under the Metalmark imprint will be chosen from the Libraries' extensive Pennsylvania holdings. Over time, the scope will broaden to include other significant out-of-print titles.

This comprehensive anthology of original Pennsylvania German writings makes accessible a literature that is becoming increasingly rare. The Buffington/Barba system of German sound values has been applied to help the reader understand and appreciate the selections, which provide a view to virtually every facet of Pennsylvania German life.