Chapter III: Vocabulary

The vocabulary of PG. has but few synonyms, a single word being used where High German has several, as 'plats' (place) for G. _platz_ and _ort_. Of the German words for _horse_ (pferd, ross, gaul, etc.), 'gaul' is universal in speech, _ross_ seems not to be known, and _pferd_ is almost restricted to print.[15] A colt is not called _füllen_ as in German, but 'hutsch,' with a diminutival 'hutschli' (in Suabian _hutschel_, _hutschele_, Westerwald _husz_, Lusatian _huszche_.)

A pig is not _ferkel_ (Lat. porc-ell-us, Welsh porch-ell) but 'seili' (from _sau_), and children call it 'wuts' (Suab. butzel) a repetition of this being used (as well in vicinal English) in calling these animals. 'Kalb' (calf, pl. 'kelwǝr') is named by children 'hamǝli'[16] when a suckling. Cows are called with 'kum see! see! see hamǝli! see!' and when close at hand with 'suk suk suk' (as in for_sook_)--used also in the English of the locality.[17]

Of G. _knabe_ (boy) and _bube_, pl. _buben_, PG. takes the latter as 'buu,' pl. 'buuwǝ;' and of the G. _haupt_ and _kopf_ (head) it prefers the latter as 'kǝp.' Of the verbs _schmeissen_ and _werfen_ (to throw), _kriegen_ and _bekommen_ (to obtain), _hocken_ and _sitzen_ (to sit), _schwetzen_ and _sprechen_ (to talk), _erzählen_ and _sagen_ (to tell), PG. uses 'schmeissǝ,' 'kriighǝ,' 'hǝkǝ,' 'schwetsǝ' and 'saaghǝ' almost exclusively.

The suffix -lein, condensed to-li and -l, is the universal diminutival, as in Swisserland and South Germany--a small house being called 'heissli' and not _häus-chen_, and a girl 'meedl' and not _mädchen_. It is, however, very often associated with the adjective klee˛ (little) G. _klein_, as in PG. 'ǝ klee˛ bichli' (a little book).

German _kartoffeln_ (potatoes) is rejected for G. _grundbirnen_[18] under the form of 'krumpiirǝ,' where 'krum' is accepted by some as _krumm_ (crooked), while some regard the latter part as meaning _pears_, and others as _berries_.

=F'rleícht=, =Fileícht= (perhaps, G. vielleicht) are in use, but
the former seems the more common.

=Sauǝrampl=, G. sauerampfer (sorrel, Rumex).

=Rewwǝr=, =Krik=, =Krikli= (Eng. _river_, _creek_) have thrust
aside G. _flusz_ and _bach_.

=Laafǝ= (to walk; G. _laufen_ to run, and to walk).

=Schpring-ǝ= (to run, a Swiss usage. G. _springen_, to leap,
spring, gush).

=Petsǝ= (to pinch), Alsace pfetsǝ, Swiss pfätzen, Suab.
pfetzen.

=Tref= (Suab., a knock, blow). PG. 'ich tref dich' (I strike
thee).

=Schmuts= (a hearty kiss). Swiss, Suab., in G. _schmatz_.

=Un'ich= (under), G. unter, occurs in provincial German as unn-ig
and unt-ig; hinnig occurs also, PG. 'hinnich,' as in '=hinnich=
d'r diir' _behind the door_.

Wii m'r donaus glǝffǝ sin, bin ich hinnich iin nooch
glǝffǝ. _As we walked out, I walked behind him._

For 'hinnich,' Alsatian has hing-ǝ, as in 'M'r geen hing-ǝ
[nach den] noo dǝ goortǝ noo'--_We go along behind the garden._

=Uumǝt=, =oomǝt=, Austr. omad, Swiss amet, G. das grummet
(aftermath). Suab. ämt, emt, ömd, aumad; Bavar. âmad.

=Arik=, =arrig= (much, very), Swiss arig, G. arg (bad, cunning).

PG. Ich hab net gwist [Suab. gwest] dass es so arrik reeghǝrt.
_I did not suppose it to be raining so hard._

=Artlich= (tolerably) is the Swiss _artlich_ and _artig_.

=Ewwǝ=, G. adv. ēben (really, even, just), but it is PG. 'eewǝ'
when it is the adj. _even_.

Ich hab ewwǝ net gwist for sure eb ær ǝ fraa hǝt ǝdǝr
net. (_Rauch._) _I did not even know_ 'for sure' _if he has a wife
or not_.

=ámanat=, _adv._ metathesised and adapted from G. _an einem Orte_ (at
a place), a dative for an accusative _an einen Ort_ (in a place) as
used here. In the example, 'anǝ' is G. _an_ inflected, and
_zŭ_ of _zu schícken_ is omitted, as sometimes done in PG.

... wan als ǝ briif kummt f'r ámanat anǝ schikǝ ...
(_Rauch._) _When ever a letter comes for to send on_--to be sent
on.

=Henkweidǝ= (weeping willow). G. Hängebirke, is hanging birch.

=Tappǝr= (quickly), as in Schpring tappǝr _run quick_! _be in a
hurry_--thus used in Westerwald, and as _very_ in Silesia. G. tapfer
(brave, bravely), E. dapper.

=Meenǝr= (more), =Meenscht= (most), for G. _mehr_, _meist_, are
réferable to _mancher_ and a hypothetic _mannigste_. 'Mee' and
'mee˛' (more), Swiss--"Was wett i meh?" _What would I more._
"Nimme meh," _never more_. PG. 'Was wet ich mee? Nimmi mee.'
(See _Ellis_, Early English Pronunciation, p. 663, note 39.)

=Schtrublich=, =schtruwlich=. G. _struppig_ (bristly, rough), Swiss
_strublig_, PG. 'schtruwlich' (disordered, uncombed, as hair).
English of the locality _stroobly_.

=Neewich=; SG. _nebensich_, Wetterau (upper Hessia) _nêbig_, G.
_neben_ (beside).

"Naevvich der mommy ruht er now [Eng. _now_]
In sellem Gottes-acker[19] dort,
Shraegs[20] fun der Kreutz Creek Kerrich nuf, [hinauf.]
Uft denk ich doch an seller ort!"--_Rachel Bahn._

=Hensching=, G. _handschue_ (gloves, Sw. händschen) becomes a new
word with 'hen' for _hände_ (hands), the ä umlaut being used to
pluralise, but the word is singular also, and, to particularise,
a glove proper is 'fing-er hensching' and a mitten
'fauscht-hensching.' This termination is given to 'pærsching' a
peach.

=Sidder= (since), Swiss _sider_, _sitter_; Suabian and Silesian
_sider_; Scotch, etc., _sithens_.

=Schpel= (a pin), SG. _die spelle_ (a better word than G. stecknadel);
Dutch _speld_ (with _d_ educed from _l_); Lat. SPIcuLa.

=Botsǝr= (masc. a tail-less hen), Holstein, _buttars_. Provincial G.
_butzig_ (stumpy).

=Mallikǝp= (i.e. thick-headed, a tadpole). Swiss _mollig_, _molli_
(stout, blunt); Suabian _mollig_ (fleshy). Alsatian muurkrǝntl
(tadpole) from muur, G. moder, Eng. _mud_. The PG. of western New
York has taken the New England word _polliwog_.

=Blech= (tin, a tin cup); dim. 'blechli.' Blechiche Bool (a tin
_bowl_, i.e. a _dipper_, a convenient word which seems not to have
been introduced). In Pennsylvanian English, a tin cup is _a tin_.

In old English, 'than' represented _than_ and _then_, and PG. has
'dann' for both G. _dann_ (then) and _denn_ (for); and also 'wann'
for _wann_ (when) and _wenn_ (if), as in Rachel Bahn's lines--

"Doch guckt 's ah recht huebsch un' Doch gukt 's aa recht hipsch un
nice 'neis'
Wann all die Baehm sin so foll ice--" Wan al dii beem sin so fǝl eis--

_Yet it looks_ (auch) _also right fair and 'nice'_
WHEN _all the trees are so full of ice._

"Forn bild der reinheit is 's doh, F'r 'n bild dǝr reinheit[1] iss
ǝs doo,
In fact, mer kenne sehne noh, 'in fækt,' m'r kennǝ seenǝ
noo,
Dass unser Hertz'[22] so rein muss dass unser hærts so rein[21] muss
seih, sei˛,
Wann in des Reich mer welle neih." wann in des reich m'r wellǝ
nei˛.

_For a picture of purity is it_ (da) _here, 'in fact'_ (wir können
sehen darnach) _we can perceive therefrom, that our heart must be
as pure_, (wenn in das reich wir wollen hinein) IF _we would enter
into the kingdom_.

=Baschtǝ= (to husk maize), from 'bascht,' G. _bast_ (soft inner
bark, E. bast), applied in PG. to the husk of Indian corn.--Rachel
Bahn (1869) thus uses it--

"Die leut sie hocke 's welshcorn ab, Dii leit sii hackǝ 's welschkarn
ap,
'S is 'n rechte guhte crop, 's iss 'n rechte guute 'crap,'
(fem.)
Un' wann's daer genunk werd sei, un wan 's dærr genunk wært sei˛,
Noh bashte sies un' fahres eih." noo baschtǝ sii 's un faarǝ 's
ei˛.

_The people they_ (ab-hacken) _chop off_ ('s, das) _the maize_, (es
ist) _it is a right good 'crop,' and when_ (es) _it becomes_ (dürr
genug) _dry enough, they_ (darnach) _afterwards husk it and_
(fahren) _haul it in_.

=Greisslich= (to be disagreeably affected). SG. grüselig, G. gräszlich
(horrible), E. grisly.

=Noo=, =danoo'=, =danoot'=, =nord=, G. darnach (then, subsequently).

=Bendl= (a string), schuubendl (shoe-string). Swiss bändel.

=Schteiper=, n. (Lat. stîpes), a prop, as of timber. G. nautical term
_steiper_, a stanchion. =Schteiperǝ=, v.t. to prop; to set a prop.

=Fǝrhúttǝlǝ=, v. intrans. 'Ich bin f'r-huttlt,' (I am confused,
perplexed.) 'Ich denk dii bissnǝss iss 'n bissli f'r-huttlt.' (I
think the 'business' is a bit mixed up.) G. verhūdeln (to spoil,
bungle.)

=Paanhaas=, as if, G. _pfanne-hase_ (pan-hare). Maize flour boiled in
the metsel-soup, afterwards fried and seasoned like a _hare_. (Compare
Welsh _rabbit_.) The word is used in English, conjointly with
_scrapple_.

=Loos= (a sow), as in Swiss and Suabian.

=Laad=, fem. (coffin), toodlaad, toodǝlaad, as in Alsace. G. die lade
(chest, box, case). PG. bettlaad, Suab. bettlade, for G. bettgestell
(bedstead).

=Schtreel=, m. (a comb), Swiss, Alsatian, Suab. der strähl. But G.
striegel, PG. striegel, PG. strigl, is a currycomb.

=Aarsch=, the butt end of an egg, as in Suabian.

=Falsch= (angry), as in Swiss, Bavarian, and Austrian. PG. Sel
hǝt mich falsch g'macht. _That made me angry._

=Hoochtsich=, Alsat. hoochtsitt, G. hochzeit (a wedding).

=Heemǝln=, Swiss heimeln (to cause a longing, to cause home
feelings).

"Wie hämelt mich do alles a'! Wii heemlt mich doo allǝs aa˛!
Ich steh, un denk, un guck; ich schtee, un denk, un gukk;
Un was ich schier vergessa hab, un was ich schiir f'rgessǝ hab,
Kummt wider z'rück, wie aus seim Grab, kummt widd'r tsrik, wii aus seim
graab,
Un steht do wie e' Spook!" _Harb._ un schteet doo wii ǝ schpukk!

(G. Wie alles da anheimelt mich) _How all here impresses me with
home, I stand, and think, and look; and what I had almost
forgotten, comes back again as out of its grave, and stands here
like a ghost._

=Drǝp=, pl. =drep= (simpleton, poor soul). "O du armer Tropff!"
(Suabian). _Radlof_, 2, 10. "Die arma Drep!"--_Harbaugh._

=Schwalme= (Swiss, for G. schwalbe, a swallow).

=Jaa= (O. Eng. yes), is used in answer to affirmative questions.

=Joo= (O. Eng. yea), is used in answer to negative questions. See Ch.
viii. § 1, ¶ 12, and § 3, ¶ 2.

"Sin dii sachǝ dei˛? _Jaa_, sii sin." (Are the things thine?
_Yes_, they are.) "Sin dii sachǝ _net_ dei˛? _Joo_, sii sin."
(Are the things _not_ thine. _Yea_, they are.) "Bischt du _net_
g'sund? _Joo_, ich bin."[23] (Are you _not_ well? _Yea, I am
well._)

=saagt=, G. _sagt_ (he says): =secht=, as if G. sägt, for sagte (he
said), as if it were a strong verb.

=Gleich=, to like, be fond of, Eng. to _like_, but perhaps not Eng. See
Ch. viii., ¶ 3. PG. ær gleicht 's geld--_he loves money_.

=Glei=, adv. (soon).--ær kummt glei--_he comes_ (will be here)
_directly_. Swiss _gly_ and _gleich_ have the same meaning.

=Abartich=, =bartich=, Ch. viii., § 3, ¶ 6 (adj. unusual, strange);
(adv. especially). G. _abartig_ degenerate.

"Der duckter sogt eara complaint wær ... conclommereashen im kup,
so dos se so unfergleichlich schwitza mus in der nacht,
_=abbordich=_ wan se tsu gedeckt is mit em fedder bet."--_Rauch_,
Feb. 1, 1870. _The doctor asserts her 'complaint' to be ...
'conglomeration' in the head, so that she must sweat uncommonly in
the night,_ PARTICULARLY _when she is covered_ [_tsu_ is accented]
_in with the feather bed._

=Biibi=, =piipi=, =biibǝli=; Swiss bibi, bibeli, bidli (a young
chicken). Used also to call fowls--the second form in the vicinal
English, in which a male fowl is often called a hé-biddy.

The Swiss use in PG. of the genitive form _des_ of the article, instead of the neuter nominative _das_, causes little or no confusion, because this genitive is not required, and its new use prevents confusion between _das_ and _dasz_. Where German uses _des_, as in _Der Gaul des_ (or _meines_) _Nachbars_ (the horse of the, or my, neighbor), PG. uses a dative form--

... dem (or meim for meinem) nochbǝr sei˛ gaul (the neighbor
his horse). See the quotation (p. 28) from Schöpf.

PG. inflects most of its verbs regularly, as in 'gedenkt' for G. _gedacht_, from _denken_ (to think). In the following list, the German infinitive, as _backen_ (to bake), is followed by the third person of the present indicative (er) _bäckt_, PG. (ær) 'bakt' (he bakes). The PG. infinitive of _blasen_, _braten_, _fragen_, _rathen_, _dürfen_, _verderben_, is 'bloosǝ, brootǝ, frooghǝ, rootǝ, dærfǝ, f'rdærwǝ.' 'bloosǝ' (to blow) and 'nemmǝ' (to take) occur below, in the extract from Miss Bahn.

G. G. PG.

blasen _blow_, bläst bloost
braten _bake_, brät broot
brechen _break_, bricht brecht
dreschen _thrash_, drischt drescht
dürfen _dare_, darf dærf
fahren _drive_, fährt faart
fallen _fall_, fällt fallt
fragen _ask_, frägt frookt
essen _eat_, iszt esst
fressen _devour_, friszt fresst
geben _give_, giebt gept
graben _dig_, gräbt graapt
helfen _help_, hilft helft
laufen _run_, läuft laaft
lesen _read_, liest leest
lassen _let_, läszt lǝsst
messen _measure_, miszt messt
nehmen _take_, nimmt nemmt
rathen _advise_, räth root
saufen _tipple_, säuft sauft
schelten _scold_, schilt schelt
schlafen _sleep_, schläft schlooft
schwellen _swell_, schwillt schwellt
sehen _see_, sieht seet
stehlen _steal_, stiehlt schteelt
tragen _carry_, trägt traagt
verderben _spoil_, verdirbt f'rdærpt
vergessen _forget_, vergiszt f'rgesst

"Der wind, horch yusht, wie er D'r wint, harich juscht wii ær drum
drum bloss'd,... bloost,...
Gar nix for ihm fersichert is, Gaar niks f'r iim f'rsichǝrt iss,
Er nemmt sei aegner waek ær nemmt sei, eegnǝr week,
Dorch ennich rissly geht er neih, darich ennich rissli geet ær nei,
Un geht ah nuf die staek." un geet aa 'nuf dii schteek.

_The wind, just listen how it therefore_ (an expletive) _blows, ...
quite nothing is secure for_ (on account of) _him, he takes his_
(eigener weg) _own way; through_ (einig, einiges) _any crack he
goes_ (hinein) _in, and goes also_ (hinauf) _up the_ (stiege)
_stair._

The reader of PG. may be puzzled with 'ma' as used in "ous so ma subject ... mit ma neia Rail Road" (_Rauch_); 'fun mǝ' or 'fun ǝmǝ,' Ger. dative _von einem_, Old High German 'vone einemo;' G. _dem_, Ohg. 'demo;' G. _meinem_, Gothic 'meinamma,' which accounts for the final PG. vowel. Miss Bahn writes it 'mah'--

''S is noch so 'n anre glaener 's iss noch so 'n anre gleenǝr
drup, drǝp,
Mit so mah grosse dicke kup, mit soo mǝ grossǝ dikkǝ kǝp,
Der doh uf English screech-owl dær doo uf eng-lisch 'skriitsch-aul'
haest, heest,
Der midde drin hut ah sei nesht.' dær middǝ drin hǝt aa sei nescht.

_There is yet such another little fellow, with such a large thick
head, this here in English is called 'screech-owl,' the middle
therein_ [of the tree] _has also its nest._

Remarking on "grosse dicke kup" in the second line, my reverend friend Ziegler sends me the following declensions of the united article and adjective. The dative is used for the genitive, as will appear in the chapter on Syntax.

Nom., Accus. ǝn ('n) grosser dicker kopp,
Dat., Gen. ǝmǝ ('mǝ) grossǝ dickǝ kopp.

_Singular._

Nom. der root wei˛ iss guut. _The red wine is good._
Gen. dem rootǝ wei˛ sei˛ farb is schee˛.
Dat. " " " hab ich 's tsu fǝrdankǝ.
Acc. dii rootǝ wei˛ hat ær gedrunkǝ.

_Plural._

Nom. dii rootǝ wei˛ sin guut. _The red wines are good._
Gen. dennǝ rootǝ wei˛ iir farb etc. (G. der rothen Weine Farbe
ist schön.)
Dat. " " " hab ich 's etc. (G. den rothen Weinen.)
Acc. dii rootǝ wei˛ hat ær, etc.

FOOTNOTES:

[15] Of words not occurring in print, the Swiss, Bavarian, and Suabian form bruntsen replaces harnen and its synonyms.

[16] Seemingly akin to Swiss _ammeli_, _mammeli_ (a child's sucking-glass), whence _mämmelen_ (to like to drink). G. amme (a wet-nurse), in Bavaria, also a mother.

[17] PG. des kalb sukt (this calf sucks,) G. _saugt_.

[18] This name seems to have been originally applied to the crooked tubers of the Jerusalem artichoke, and _humming-bird_ was probably applied to moths of the genus _Sphinx_ (named from the form of the larva) before the bird bearing this name was known in Europe.

[19] Scarcely legitimate, the PG. word for a grave-yard being kærich-hof.

[20] Diagonally.

[21] By analogy these words should be rei˛ and rei˛heit, but as they are scarcely PG. they are given as High German.

[22] This word is correct without the elisive mark, which perverts the syntax.

[23] The Rev. D. Ziegler.