The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-02-08

| In her preface to the second edition our author
thinks it probable that the name Dutch" Tor Ger
| man will be discarded In time No remark could
more thoroughly Detray her want OF phiiosOphic
insight into the facts and observations records
Let US Illustrate this by familiar example. The
Dutch people OF New York are with US not
Dutcn. but Knickerbockers. The German peo
pie OF Pennsylvania are not Germans but
"Dutch" from the German word "deutsch."
In the same way their neighbors OF Scotcn-irisn
extraction are English" tits common remark
OF the Pennsylvania farmer 1--WE Dutch" and
''you English but the one has no relation to
Holland and the other none to England. The same
causes which transformed the German language
into the Pennsylvania dialect has changed the
Pennsylvania German into the Pennsylvania
Dutch. The only additional change that can hap
pen Will be the disappearance OF both terms with
the dialect that Is fast passing away
The Pennsylvania dialect Is made up OF German.
English and q few French words. Until within a
few years 1t was spoken language only, being
entirely without literature. 1t must be spelled
phoneucally being happily without a dictionary.
The German words have lost the rich flavor or the
German pronunciation. The English words par
take OF the German tongue twisting in their utter
ance. The few French WORDS, which were the
feeble contributions OF the scattered Huguenot
families. have lost nearly all trace OF their French
origin. 1t is not easy to give o philosophi.
cal explanation OF the growth Of this
dialect, which has become almost distinct
tongue within one hundred years. The
loss OF the High German flavor Is attributable TO
the fact that the dialect is based upon South Ger
man, the original settlers being mostly from
Switzerland, the Palatinate and few from Ba
varia. The relations which the dialect bears
to the language can be best Illustrated
by some literal specimen phrases. Any
one who will listen 10 two Pensyl-
vania Dutchmen conversing Will hear exclama.
tons like these-KoocE anoye tot Just look at
that for GucS einmal da! Hulty oisseli wait q
little bitD for Wart' elm oischen! Gutenoo! Good
eveningD for Guten Aoend! WI nen,mert break.
rust ha,oe es ,oie mir docs nobody want break
fast but p for Wird nienaand NIT uns F1lhstack
nefnen IS is dUdlCh d1S die Lite KAY dppettt
hd,oe! ut is strange that these people have no ap.
petlteD for Es iSt SOnderbar, daSs dieSe Le,ue Ee
mem Appetn hdoeni Konn, sitz dtch bel, una
nernyns NIT uns so gut as mers hen! Come, sit
down and eat with US as good we have itD for
KOnlna, setzet eaich, und esset NIT unS so gut acte
c Is habeni and Me7 hens vetst 0'say yetst ,oelle
nler hanle gavi We've seen 1t now; now let's go
home for Nun, erir haben es 0esehen, jetzt
tdsset Haus' gehen. Any intelligent
reader will see how far the Pennsylvania German
has departed rom the German standard. Yet we
find some OF their descendants gravely speaking OF
this dialect German. An amusing instance or
this is in an article on Pennsylvania German by
Professor Staher in the Mercersburg Rerieao. He
constantly speaks OF this conglomerate speech as
German, even when saying that the definite article
is used for deser diese, dieSes ths), and seller.
see, se French Celut, celle for jener, jene jenes
(that), and while admitting that nouns have no
changes OF form except to distinguish singular
and plural, but claiming that these, where they
exist, are the same as in High German. Had the
Professor been little more frank he would have
admitted not only that the Pennsylvania Seer
man" has lost the changes OF form in nouns but
the nouns themselves Says the author OF the
essays now under w:-"I once asked a woman
what pie crust is IN Dutch Pykroosht,' she an
swered." So 1t is with many other words. DR..
Harbaughs famous Pennsylvania Dutch poem
begins:-
''Heit Is IS 'xacty Zwansig, Johr,
Dass ich bin owwe naus;
Nau bin ich wilder ewig ZrCk
I'm schteh am Schulhaus an de Krick,
JuScht neekscht ans Dadys Haus."
exactly exactly is word constantly in the
mouths OF Professor Staher's Germans" The
Pennsylvania dialect is. as we have already
said, almost a distinct tongue formed from
the German, English and French vocabulary
just as the English language was based upon Nor
man, Saxon and Latin speech. lis English words
with their Germanic pronunciation and it's German
words with their semi-South German semi-Angli-
cised sound are its essential Ingredients. The same
thing is not true in general OF words
often used by the Dutch in speaking English. The
author of this volume gives number ofspecimens,
as ''lasty" for durable, "beStOwed" for made o
present Of. strangers" for guests "struvly" for
disneveed, $50 midd lin" for pretty well, 'cross"
n1,ar lc
examples show q singular want Of knowledge
Of the English language on the part Of
the author OF these essays. Most Of them
are not provinciasms even. Bestowed Is
is a word recognized by Webster in Its Pennsylva-
MIA meaning and its use under any circumstances
Is In better taste than the use OF donated"
Within week the Boston Post said the old elms
in fremont street were butt for the rdlcule Of
strangers. II the guests or visitors Of the New
England metropolis are strangers why are not
guests visitors OF the Pennsylvania farmer?
There are cross babies and cross mammas where
ever the English language Is spoken, and Webster
quotes Bishop Taylor as authority for this use Of
the word. "A Tasty basket" is not a more re-
markable phrase than Shakespeare's ''vasty deepu
$50 middlinn is not provinciasm but o vulgar.
ism, like .'you know how it is Yourself" Struvly
is the only word without authority or the color Of
authority. and it is good enough to be pure Saxon.
To speak Of "a struvly head" is more akin to the
genius OF English speech than to oraw upon the
Latin through old French and Spanish
for "a disheveed head" How extremely
dangerous it Is to attribute particu-
lar words to particular sections is well illus
trated by the last word cited "mind.n Scotch
soldier in India complained OF to General Have
lock by his English oficer for lmpertinence. The
impertinence consisted in the Of the word
"mind,n which, in the Scotchman's mouth, meant
only that he had forgotten his duty, but to the
Engshman was q distinct avowal that he will
fully disregarded it, In Pennsylvania the word Is
used in both senses. There are few words hich,
If not confined to Pennsylvania, are not In common
use elsewhere. One Of these is ''infaren recep-