I've been interested in the Pennsylvania Dutch dialect for several years.  I've been dismayed that the dialect has been dying off so rapidly among non-sectarian groups.  It's time for one last big effort to keep it around, at least for another generation.

There seems to be different opinions on the fate of the dialect.  People have been calling for it's disappearance since at least the 1800's (both those that feared it would disappear and those that hoped it would).  It's role in the lives of the Pennsylvania Germans has been the subject of debate for many years and that debate continues to this day.  Still, there continues to be a strong interest in the dialect in Southeast Pennsylvania today (2005).  I've attended a local class in a township recreation center that was filled (almost 50 people!), and that was without any advertising effort!

Many of these newcomers are part of what I think of as the "missed" generation.  Their parents (or grandparents) spoke the dialect, but failed to pass it on.   It was a time after two world wars the generation had had enough with the dialect.  Although English had been taught in the public schools since 1834, their ancestors had maintained the Pennsylvania German (PG) dialect in their homes for almost 100 years.  I like to think of it as a "house" language.   It was the language to use around the house and provided a connection to their past and their community.  Even though the language of public life (schools, local government, commerce, news) was English, the PG dialect persisted.

Unfortunately, there is a new generation of people interested in learning the dialect, but finding themselves at a disadvantage.  There are a limited amount resources available and limited numbers of dialect speakers to learn from.  Many books are long out of print.  Contrast the amount of material in a local book store (or online) available to learn Spanish or French with that available for Pennsylvania German!

As I see it, there have been two groups with similar, though different goals.  First, there have been the dialect writers - people with something to say.  Dialect writers have been writing their thoughts down in the dialect since the late 1800's.  At the time they began, there was no standard way to write the dialect.  A debate over spelling in English or Germany styles has gone on ever since.  At the time they began writing, their audience was typically composed of others already familiar with the dialect, so with a little help, someone who spoke the dialect since birth would have no trouble figuring it out what was written.  However, these phonetic spellings (with completely different systems) has made it prohibitive for beginners to read.

The second group has been the academics.  Scholars have studied the dialect since Professor Haldeman's famous book in 1872.  Their goal has largely been to study and record the dialect, not necessarily encourage its use.  Many dictionaries have been created to record the word meanings and facilitate further study of the way the dialect has changed over time.  However, there seems to have evolved a disconnect between those documenting the dialect and those maintaining it.  As such, many of the writers did not learn the "standard" ways of writing the dialect and much of their work is now inaccessible.  Further, a lot of the material describing the vocabulary and grammar have been written with linguists, not beginning students, in mind.

I see this web page a  place to bring both groups together.  This is a place to provide access to basic grammar and vocabulary as well as find interesting material to read.  Of course, anyone who continues their interest with the PG dialect would be encouraged to buy other dialect materials (and reward the authors for their hard work) as well as find others with which to converse.  The goal here is to have material that is accessible to even the very new beginner with no knowledge at all of Standard German or linguistics.

Further, a goal is to provide material to practice reading and expanding someone's vocabulary.  Much of what is in print in the dialect is poetry.  While enjoyable to read, it doesn't prepare the beginning student for conversational speech.   Stories with conversation would be ideal (fictional stories typically reward the reader with both a journey and a reason to get to the ending!).

Additionally, there has been little material aimed at children and young people.  As anyone with children knows, they to have "fun" with what they're doing in order to maintain their interest.  I hope to accumulate contributions aimed at children.  Ideally, we can provide age appropriate material for all age groups and would do well to observe the types of "foreign language" books in print for other languages.  Only by engaging our young people will we be able to pass the dialect on.  I think it's too bad that the children have long been overlooked as a target audience for dialect material.

My opinion is that following the established German-style Buffington-Barba convention of spelling serves several purposes:

1. It is consistent with the larger body of material in print.
2. It is very self consistent and therefore easier to learn.
3. It provides people (especially young people) with a direct path to understanding the Standard German taught in high schools and colleges.

Imajin triing tue lirn Inglish buy yoosing ay foenetic spelling sistim.

Therefore, everything on these web pages will follow this convention.  I understand that there are still many groups and people that find the various phonetic spellings more to their liking and those may in fact serve their needs better.  However, for the "greater good", it would seem wise for us to pick one direction and throw our support in that direction.

The internet is an excellent medium with which to convey information.  Unlike printed material, there are no restrictions on page length, color, images, etc.  As such, anything that improves clarity can be used to advantage.  I believe using new and innovative ways to present the dialect will help attract and maintain interest in the dialect.  If anyone would like to help out or provide suggestions for improvement, contact me at the link below.

This web site is only about the Pennsylvania German dialect.  For information on Pennsylvania Dutch culture, antiques, etc, you'll need to do a bit more searching.  Further, there is no intent to discuss "Dutchified English," "Ferhoodled English," or other touristy subjects here.