Texas German language

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Texas German
Texasdeutsch
Native toTexas
RegionTexas German Country
EthnicityTexas Germans
Native speakers
70,000 (1972)[1][2]
Language codes
ISO 639-3–
GlottologNone
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IETFde-u-sd-ustx

Texas German (German: Texasdeutsch, pronounced [ˈtɛksasˌdɔʏtʃ]) is a group of German language dialects spoken by descendants of mid-19th century German settlers, Texas Germans. They settled the Texas German Country, running from Houston to the Hills Region, and founded the towns of Bulverde, New Braunfels, Fredericksburg, Boerne, Pflugerville, Walburg and Comfort in the Texas Hill Country; Muenster in North Texas; and Schulenburg, Brenham, Industry, New Ulm and Weimar in East Texas.[3][4]

History and documentation

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File:Badeker Karte des Staates, Texas 1849 UTA.jpg
A Texas German map, Karte des Staates Texas

While most heritage languages in the United States die out by the third generation, Texas German is unusual in that most German Texans continued to speak German in their homes and communities for several generations after settling in the state.[5] The State of Texas recognized German as having equal status to Spanish from 1846[6] up until World War I.

In 1907, there were approximately 90,000 (2.57% of the state's population)[7] Texas German speakers in Texas, and by 1940, it increased to about 160,000 (2.49%).[7] By the 1960s, only about 70,000 (0.73%)[7] speakers remained. Today, there are estimated to be only about 5,000 (0.017%)[8] speakers left, the vast majority of whom are in their 70s or older. Texas German is expected to die out by 2035.[9]

Starting in 1893, Texas schools mandated English-only instruction, and required children to learn English in school regardless of what language they spoke at home.[10] Due to the assimilation of these communities and strong anti-German sentiment during both World War I and World War II, Texas German speakers decided to stop transmitting the language to their children, and shifted towards speaking only English.[11]

Currently, Dr. Hans Boas at the University of Texas is recording and studying the dialect,[12] building on research originally performed by Dr. Glenn Gilbert of Southern Illinois University Carbondale in the 1960s.

It's an odd mixture of English and 19th-century German," says Boas ... "Hardly any of the Texas Germans speak alike. There's a lot of variation in the dialect. Texas German borrows about 5 to 6 percent of its vocabulary from English.'[13]

Boas' book on the language, The Life and Death of Texas German, describes the German dialects which may have been the source of the language spoken in Texas.[14]

A short documentary project named "All Güt Things" was produced about Texas German in 2016.[5]

An episode with the title "Texas German" was published on the podcast Yellow of the Egg in 2022, where Dr. Hans C. Boas (Director of the Texas German Dialect Project) was a guest.

Current distribution and population

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As of the U.S. 2000 Census, some 1,035 people report speaking German at home in Fredericksburg,[15] the town with the largest community of Texas German speakers, representing 12.48% of the total population, 840 in New Braunfels,[16] 150 in Schulenburg,[16] 85 in Stonewall,[17] 70 in Boerne,[16] 65 in Harper,[18] 45 in Comfort[19] and 19 in Weimar,[16] all of which except for Schulenburg and Weimar, lie in the traditional Texas German heartland of the Hill Country. Gillespie County, with the communities of Fredericksburg, Harper, Stonewall, and Luckenbach, has a German-speaking population of 2,270, 11.51% of the county's total. In all, 82,100 German-speakers reside in the state of Texas,[16] including European German speakers.

Comparisons with German and English

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Texas German is adapted to U.S. measurement and legal terminologies. Standard American German words typically were invented, introduced from other German dialects of the region, or English loanwords were introduced for words not present in 19th-century German. Dialect leveling is also found throughout many of the American German dialects including Texas German.[20] In some cases, these new words also exist in modern Standard German, but with a different meaning. For instance, the word Luftschiff (used for "airplane") means airship in Standard German.

The table below illustrates some examples of differences:

American English Texas German Literal translation Standard German Literal translation
skunk Stinkkatze stink cat Stinktier stink animal
airplane Luftschiff airship Flugzeug flight thing
blanket Blanket blanket (borrowing) Decke blanket, cover
gone all empty; gone leer; alle empty; used up

See also

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References

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  14. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  15. ^ MLA Language Map Data Center results, Fredericksburg, Texas, all languages
  16. ^ a b c d e Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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  18. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  19. ^ MLA Language Map Data Center results, Comfort, Texas
  20. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).

Sources

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  • Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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