The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1890-01-16
The Pennsylvania Dutch.

lue IeulOulC ll1inlpTunJ DrOuEnt
with him to Pennsylvania only the
limited vocabulary Of the German
peasant nearly 900 years ago. His
pronunciation of the native tongue
was often inaccurate, of the English
worse, and the deviation from the
vernacular has increased with every
generation until all semblance of the
original is in many cases lost. "Dop-
per-" meaning hurry; 'nooner," un-
der; "fartich" done or finished, are
q few examples of many words not
easily accounted for. Neither a
German or an Englishman would
make much of "croombeera. The
former would say kartoffel, the lat
ter potato. But our Pennsylvania
Dutchman examines the tuber, and
after much smelling and tasting, de-
cides that it is a berry. "If it isn't
a berry was der dihenker is it ?" said
one of them to me the other day,
and "croombeera,' he calls il, doubt
less led to his word, in spite of my
friends explanation, through fog
gy recollection of his remote ances.
tors, who named it die grundbirne
the ground pear. With words de-
noting hesitancy or doubt the Penn
sylvania Dutchman is well provided
from over the Rhine, but when he
wishes to express the idea of GER
tainty, promptness, quickness, or
quicllness of perception he is obliged
to use the language of his Anglo
Saxon neighbor, from whom he
learned about all he knows of these
qualities.
To the same source also does he
go for his profanity, once he be-
comes really ugly. But that proves
notls oncw way orthe other. The
Ehghshis, after an, the only Ian
guage in which u man can swear and
get anything like satisfaction. The
proverb which bids US beware the
fury of the patient man il II good
one to remember in dealing with
him, for he is slow to wrath. He is
essentially peasant; in its original
and least offensive meaning, II boor.
He has no word denoting courtesy.
In good will and friendliness he
abounds; of the little social amcni-
ties and court graces which add so
much to the life of all other civilized
people he knows nothing. For ex-
ample: Although it may be stated as
n generalization that all of them can
speak English, association with them
is likely to prove embarrassing if
you do not know their language.
You may be an invited guest at their
house, but all conversation among
themselves will be in their own
Dutch, without Translation or apol-
gies to you. And they are great
takers. 1t would seem impossible
for rudeness to go further yet no
otfense has been intended, and they
would not comprehend your indig-
nation if expressed
OF course they do not neglect you,
and will talk much to you. But
every comment not particularly ad-
dressed to you will be in their own
language. They will argue and dis
pute among themselves with great
volubihty upon the subject in hand,
but no matter how deeply you may
be interested III the matter you will
have to guess at what they are say
ing. You become indignant and
feel like picking up your hat and
leaving, but that would be a great
mistake if it is at all near meal
time. You will never get Il better
dinner than they serve to the farm
hands every day of the year. Stay
to dinner or supper and you will
forgive them everything.
Talk about your French cooks
humbug Leaving out the one item
of beef, which they boil, roast OF
fry until it is as dry, fiat and taste
less as chip, the Pennsylvania
Dutch women are the best cooks in
the world. If the beef is unsatis-
factory you can have slice of fried
ham that would almost convert a
vegetarian potatoes will be whipped
into a mountain of savory cream
the big Lima beans will dissolve at
the touch of the tongue F.; the corn,
tomatoes, asparagus-al things that
ever grew in garden or in field
have lost not one breath of their
fresh and dainty flavor. The bread