Chapter VII: Comparisons with Other Dialects

§ 1. PG. _not Swiss_.

PG. is not Swiss, altho it has a number of Swiss characteristics, and the line (Radlof, 2, 68)--

"Was isch säll für e sufere kärli?"

is very near its PG. form--

Was isch sel f'r ǝ saubǝr kærli? _What sort of cleanly fellow
is that?_

PG. has both 'ær iss' and 'ær isch' (he is) according to the locality, of which the latter may be less common. The Rev. D. Ziegler (a native, like myself) refers the 'isch' variety to the Mennonite and Dunker population, and as there were many Dunkers (or Tunkers) where my early years were passed, I heard more of this than of the other.

The indicative mood present tense of _haben_ and _sein_ are, with some variations, as follows (Stalder, 1, 47-50)--

_Swiss._ _PG._

i hah; ich hab, hap, _I have_.
de hest; du hǝscht, _thou hast_.
er hed, hett; ær hat, _he has_.
mer hend; m'r hen, _we have_.
der hend; d'r hent, _you have_.
sj hend; sii hen, _they have_.

i bi; ich bin, _I am_.
de bisch, bist; du bischt, _thou art_.
er isch, ist; ær iss, isch, _he is_.
mer sind; m'r sin, _we are_.
der sind; d'r sint, _you are_.
sj sind; sii sin, _they are_.

Here the dative singular _mir_ (to me) is used in the nominative plural instead of _wir_ (we), and also in impersonal expressions; and the dative singular _dir_ (to thee) is similarly used for _Ihr_ (you), as in 'd'r sint' for G. _Ihr seid_ (you are). G. _Ihr habet_ (you have) has forced its _t_ upon the first and third persons plural of the Swiss forms; and in PG. the second person is sometimes forced upon the third, as in the following, from the Wollenweber's Gemälde (in the German character), 1869, p. 124,--

For äbout 32 Johr z'rick, do _=hent=_ unsre ... Schaffleut ... im
Stenbruch geschafft, un sten gebroche, for de grosze Damm zu fixe.

'Fr ǝbaut' tswee-un-dreissich joor tsrik, do hent unsre ...
schaffleit ... im schtee˛bruch geschafft, un schtee˛
gebrǝchǝ f'r di grosse 'damm' tsu fixǝ.

_'For about' thirty-two years back, here have our laborers worked
in the quarry, and quarried stone to 'fix' the big 'dam.'_ (Here
the English _fix_ and _dam_ are used, instead of G. _fixîren_,
and _der damm_.)

Here the first _for_ may be regarded as English, but the second occurs in the Palatinate--"for den Herr Ring sehr ungünschtig" (Kobell), _for Mr. Ring very unfavorable_--"for sei Lügerei,"--_for his truthlessness_.

The next is extracted from a poem by Tobias Witmer, dated from the State of New York, June 1, 1869, printed in the 'Father Abraham' English newspaper, in roman type, and reprinted Feb. 18, 1870. The original spelling is that of Mr. Rauch, and is not reproduced. Dialectic words are _=spaced=_, and English words are here put in _italics_. The translation is rather free.

Geburts-Daak--An mei˛ Alti.
Oo wass is schennǝr uf dǝr welt
_=dass=_ blimlin, root un weiss?
un bloo un _=geel=_,[47] im ærblǝ[48] felt
wass sin sii doch so _neis_!
Ich wees noch guut, in _=seller=_ tseit
hab ich niks liiwǝrs duu˛[49]
_=dass=_ in dii wissǝ--lang un breit
so blimlin ksuucht wii duu.
Doch iss ǝs schun ǝ lang-i tseit
sid'r ích dart ín dem felt,
dii blimlin ksuucht, uf lang un breit,
un uf dei˛ _bussǝm_ _=kschpellt=_.
D'r hent ǝmool ǝ gærtl kat--
mei˛ schwestǝrli un duu;
ich hab s _pripeerd_ mit hak un schpaat
dii blummǝ nei˛ tsu duu˛;
un wuu ich hab im grossi _=schweel=_,
dii kii dart _=hinnǝ=_ ksuucht,
dii _leedi-schlippǝrss_, weiss un _=geel=_,
hab ich mit, heem gebracht,
un hab sii in _=sel=_ gærtl plantst
bei nacht, in muundǝs licht:
d'r _=hent=_ s net gwist, bis juscht _æt wantst_[51]
_=hent=_ diir s ge_gest_ s war mich.

Birthday--To my Wife.
Oh what is finer in the world
than flowrets red and white?
and blue and yellow in the field
how beautiful and bright.
I know yet well that in that time,
nought would I rather do,
than in the meadows long and wide
such flowrets seek as you.
Yet it is quite a lengthened time,
since I in yonder field,
sought out the flowers far and wide,
and on thy bosom pinned.
You also had a garden bed--
you and my sister fair,
which I prepared with hoe and spade
to set the flowers there;
and where I in the ample vale[50]
the cattle there had sought,
the lady-slippers, gold, and pale,
with me I homeward brought,
and in that garden bed at night
I set them when the moon was light.
You did not know who it could be,
but all at once you thought of me.

§ 2. PG. _not Bavarian_.

PG., Bavarian, Austrian and Suabian have the vowel of _fall_, and nasal vowels. In Pangkofer's _Gedichte in Altbayerischer Mundart_, are the PG. words 'aa' _also;_ 'bissel' _a little;_ 'ebbas,' G. etwas _something;_ 'do is' _there is;_ 'glei' (also Austrian) _soon;_ 'sunst,' G. sonst _besides;_ 'frumm,' G. fromm _kind;_ 'kloo' _claw;_ 'kumma,' G. gekommen _come;_ Ohg. 'coman' and 'cuman' _to come;_ 'mir' _we_, for G. wir; 'sel' G. dasselbe _that-same;_ but PG. has not 'mi' _me;_ 'di' _thee;_ 'hoarn' _horn;_ 'hout' _has;_ 'thuan' _to do;_ 'g'spoasz,' _sport;_ 'oamal' _once;_ 'zwoa' _two,_ G. zwei, PG. 'tswee'; wei, PG. 'weip' _wife;_ zon, PG. 'tsum' _to the_.

The following example of upper Bavarian is given by Klein,[52] beside which a PG. version is placed for comparison.

"Schau, nachbe', wàs mei' freud' is,--
In suntàe', in der frûe,
Gern lûs' i' in mei'n gâârt'l
'n kircheläut'n zue.

"Dà is 's so still und hâemli',
Kâe' lärm, kâe g'schrâe kimmt 'nei':
In'n himmi kà's nit schöner
W' as in mei'n gâârt'l sei'."

Sii nochbǝr wass mei, freet iss!
Am sundaak marrghǝ frii,
Gærn hæær[53] ich in mei˛m gærtli
Dii kærchǝ-_bell_ǝ hii˛.[54]

Do 's iss so schtill un heemlich,
Kee˛ jacht, kee˛ kschrei kummt nei˛;
Im himml kann s net schee˛nǝr
Wii s in mei˛m gærtl sei.

_See neighbor, what my joy is, on Sunday in the morn; I listen in
my garden, to the church-bell ring. Here it is so still and calm,
no turmoil, no strife comes within; in heaven_ (kann es nicht)
_it cannot be fairer than_ (es) _it is in my little garden._

§ 3. PG. _not Suabian_.

The Pennsylvania Germans have traditional stories against the Suabians, although their population is in part derived from the upper (Pfalz) Palatinate; and some Suabians settled in Northumberland County, Pa., the evidence of which remains in the name of a stream, _Schwaben_ (or _Swope_) Creek.

PG. resembles Suabian in using 'e, eǝ' for _ö_, and 'ii' for ü--in the loss of infinitive _-n_,--in turning final _-n_ into a nasal vowel (as in sei˛ for _seyn_), and in saying 'du bischt,' 'du kannscht,' etc. (for G. _du bist_), 'du witt' for _du willst_; 'nimme' for _nicht mehr_; 'glei' for _gleich_ in the sense of _soon_--but the adjective 'gleich' (similar) remains. PG. does not turn _o_ into _au_, as in Suabian '_braut_,' '_hauch_,' for _brot_, _hoch_; nor cut down G. _ich habe_ to '_i ha_'; it does not add elements, as in '_bois_' for G. _bös_, PG. 'bees,' '_bluat_' for G. _blut_, '_reacht_' for _recht_, '_kuine_' for _keine_, and '_stuinige fealder_' for _steinige felder_, a peculiarity of Suabian, Alsatian, Swiss, Bavarian and its kin Austrian. PG. has archaic 'hees' (hot) for G. _heisz_, but nothing like Bavarian _haǝs_.

Difference of pronunciation causes confusion of speech between speakers of different dialects, as shown by Dr. Rapp in his Physiolōgie der Sprache, 4, 131. In the 'Fliegende Blätter' (13, 158) there is a dialogue called 'Ein Deutsch-Böhme' (a German Bohemian), between a _Bauer_ and a _Städter_--but a Swiss speaker is now added, with the rejoinder to his remark.

_Bauer._ Wie is de Suppe so hāsz!

_Städter._ Man sagt ja nicht hāsz, sondern heisz. Has [G. hase,
PG. haas hare] nennt man das Thier....

_Bauer._ Dös hāszt bei uns Hōs!

_Städter._ Das ist wieder falsch. Hōs bedeutet jenes
Kleidungsstück, womit Eure langen Beine bedeckt sind.

_Bauer._ Dös hāszt Hus!

_Schweitzer._ Aber mer sind jets im Huus.

_Bauer._ Dös iss 'n _Haus_!

Diminutives in PG. and Suabian are made with-li; both use 'des' for _das_, 'uffm' for _auf dem_, 'biirǝ' for _birnen_, 'g'hat' or 'kat' for _gehabt_, 'suu˛' for _sohn_, 'schoof' for _schâf_, 'Schwop' for _Schwâbe_, 'als' for _alles_, and 'as' for _als_.

§ 4. PG. _not Alsatian_.

In the very German county of Berks there is an Elsass township, which indicates an Alsatian influence. As a German province of France,[55] two languages are in use, and are taught in the schools, but the French is Germanised in pronunciation, as may be verified among the Alsatian and German servants of Paris. Being akin to Swiss and Suabian, PG. has some points in common with this dialect, without being influenced by French.

Alsatian differs from PG. in having _i haa_ for 'ich hab,' _tsel_ for 'sei' (G. _d_er_sel_be), _bluǝt_ for 'bluut,' _ūss_ for 'aus,' _hūs_ for 'haus,' _tsiit_ for 'tseit,' _bisch_ for 'bischt,' _biim_ for 'bei'm,' _morje_ for 'marrghǝ.'

PG. and Alsatian turn some _b_-s to _w_, they have the vowels of _fall_, _what_, _up_, and have 'prowiirǝ' for _probiren_, 'ass' for _als_, 'do' for _da_, 'joo' for _ja_, 'joor' for _jahr_, 'hoor' for _haar_, 'fun' for _von_, 'isch' for _ist_, 'jets' for _jetzt_, 'uff' for _auf_, 'druff' for _dorauf_, 'uff'm' for _auf dem_, 'raus' for _daraus_, 'draan' for _daran_, 'iwwǝr' for _über_, 'dno' for _darnach_; PG. 'ǝffǝ,' Alsat. 'offǝ,' G. _ofen_; 'bal' for _bald_, 'm'r' for _wir_, 'm'r muss' for _man musz_, 'mee' for _mehr_, 'welli' for _welche_; 'was batt s' (what boots it).

The following lines (Radlof, 2, 110) are extracted from a piece of Alsatian which well illustrates the concurrent use of two languages. The French should be read in the German mode. Other French words occur in Radlof's examples, such as allong _allons_, tur _tour_, schalu _jaloux_, anterpoo _entrepôt_, bangenet _baïonnette_. The original of the following is in German (gothic) and French (roman) print according to the language, here imitated by roman and italic types. The speaker is telling a friend how she was addressed by a stranger:

So kummt ä Wälscher her, und macht mit Kumblemente,
Und redt mich gradzu an.--Mach er kein Spargemente,[56]
Hab i glich zu ihm g'sait. Losz Er, was ich 'ne bitt,
Mich mine Waih fortgehn; ich kenn de Herre nit.
»_Sans avoir,_ frout er mich, _l'honneur de vous connaître,_
_Vous êtes seule ici, voulez-vous me permettre_
_De vous offrir mon bras pour vous accompagner?_«
_Allez_, _Mousié_, sa ich, _allez-vous promener_,
Und spar Er sich die müh; Er musz sich nit trumpire,
Ich bin von dene nit die mer am Arm kann führe.[57]
»_Vous êtes bien cruelle, arrêtez un moment_,«
Sait er, und kummt soglich mit sine Santimang....
Zu diene, hab i g'sait; losz Er mich aber gehn,
Min Ehr erlaubt mir nit noch länger do zu stehn.
»_Je n'insisterai pas, mais veuillez bien m'apprendre,_
_Si demain en ces lieux vous daignerez vous rendre._«
Behüt mich Gott davor! i gib kein _rendez-vus_.
_Adié, mousié, adié, je ne vus_ [sic] _verrai plus._

_Translation._--Thus comes a Frenchman up and proceeds with
compliments, and (an-redet) accosts me (gerade zu) directly. Make
no formalities,[56] I said to him at once. Let me, what I beg
('ne, G. ihn) him, continue (meinen weg) my way--I know not the
(herren) gentlemen. "_Without having_," he (frägt) asked me, "_the
honor of knowing you, you are alone here, will you permit me to
offer you my arm to accompany you?_" _Go, sir_, (sagte) said I,
_Proceed with your walk_--and spare himself the trouble; he must
not deceive himself, I am not of those who can be conducted on the
arm.[57] "_You are very cruel, stay a moment_," says he--and comes
at once with his sentiment.... At your service, I said, he should
let me go, my honor would not allow me to stand there longer. "_I
do not insist, but will you kindly inform me, if to-morrow in
these places you will deign to return._" Preserve me heaven from
it! I give no _rendez-vous_; _adieu, sir, adieu, I will not see
you more_.

§ 5. PG. _is akin to several South German Dialects._

Like _Suabia_, the name of _Pfalz_ has disappeared from the map of Europe, and what was once the Lower Palatinate, is now to be looked for chiefly in Baden, Bavaria, and Darmstadt.

It was partly bounded by Alsatia, Baden, and Würtemberg, and Manheim was the chief city. A few examples, condensed from Kobel, will show the nearness of its dialect to PG.

So nehmt er dann desz Album desz uff 'm Tisch gelege is. _So takes
he then the album that is laid on the table._ So is 'm glei'
ei'gfalle'. _So it soon happened to him._ Guck emol, do is er, mer
kennt 'n. _Look once, here he is, one knows him._ Wei is er dann do
drzu kumme? _How then has he come?_ Desz will ich Ihne sage. _That
I will tell you._ Mer hot nix mehr vun 'm g'hört. _Nothing more has
been heard of him._ Mir habe [PG. mr hen] alls minanner 'gesse. _We
ate all together._ Juscht am selle Tag is e' Gascht a'kumme.
_Precisely on that day a guest arrived._ Mit eme finschtre'
Gesicht. _With a dark face._ Sacha macha for die Leut. _To make
things for people._ Bsunners _especially_; ghat _had_; drbei
_thereby_; schun _already_; sunscht nix _besides nothing_; drvun
_thereof_; eens _one_; zwee _two_; keens _none_; unner _under_;
druff _on_; johr _year_; wohr _true_; kummt rei [PG. rei] _come
in_; ne _no_; jetz' _now_; gedenkt _supposed_; fraa _woman_; kopp
_head_; weesz _knows_; meeschter _master_; e' gut' kind _a good
child_.

The South German dialect of Breisgau has G. _er hilft_ (he helps, PG. ær helft), _g'seit_ (as in Alsatia) for _gesagt_, PG. 'ksaat,' _us_ for G. and PG. 'aus,' _i_ for _ich_, _herrli_ for _herrlich_, (PG. hærrlich), _wön_ for _wollen_, _zît_ (as in Alsatia) for _zeit_, _aue_ for _augen_ (eyes, PG. aughǝ, Alsat. auǝ), _de_ for _du_, _gen_ for _gegeben_ (given, PG. gewwǝ, sometimes suppressing _ge-_, to which attention has been called). Besides _gen_, the following Allemanic example (Radlof, 2, 99) contains _wore_ for _geworden_, and _uskratzt_ for _ausgekratzt_--

"Se han kurzwilt un Narrethei triebe, un am End isch der Hirt keck
wore, un het em Mümmele e Schmützle gen, un se het em seldrum d'Aue
nit uskratzt."

_They trifled and fooled, and finally the shepherd_ (ist keck
geworden) _became bold, and_ (hat gegeben) _gave_ (dem) _to the
water nymph a kiss, and she did not_ (dasselbe darum)
_on-that-account_ ('em' for _ihm_) _scratch out his eyes._

In the following examples, the Breisgauish and PG. are probably more nearly allied than might be supposed from a comparison of the spelling. The Alsatian and PG. are in the same alphabet.

_German._ _Breis- _Alsace._ _PG._ _English._
gau._

regenbogen, regeboge, râjǝbâu-ǝ, reeghǝ- _rainbow_.
booghǝ,
wo, von, wu, vun, wuu, fun, wuu, fun, _where_, _of_.
da, mal, do, mol, doo, mool, doo, mool, _here_, _times_.
schaf, schof, schoof, schoof, _sheep_.
schlafen, schlofe, schloofǝ, schloofǝ, _to sleep_.
und, gelt, un, gel, un, gel, un, gel, _and_, _truly!_
wohnen, wuhne, woonǝ, wuunǝ, _to reside_.
kommen, kumme, kummǝ, kummǝ, _to come_.
gesehen, g'sehne, g'sên, kseenǝ, _seen_.
jahr, auch, johr, au, joor, au, joor, aa, _year_, _also_.
nachbar, nochber, nochbǝr, nochbǝr, _neighbor_.
nicht, nit, nix, net, niks, net, niks, _not_, _nothing_.
nichts,
selbiger, seller, tsellǝr, sellǝr, _that one_.
es ist 's isch ǝs isch jets, s isch jets, _it is now_.
jetzt, jetz,
etwas, ebbes, eppǝs, ebbǝs, _something_.
eppǝs,
nunmehr, nummee, (nimmǝ), nummi, _now_.
darunter, runter, (nuntǝr), runtǝr, _under_.
als, einem, as, eme, as, ǝmǝ, as, mǝ, _as_, _to a_.
man kann, mer kann, m'r kann, mǝr kann, _one can_.
sie haben, sie hen, sii haan, sii hen, _they have_.
han,
wir sind, mer sin, m'r sin, m'r sin, _we are_.
weiszt, wescht, weischt, weescht, _knowest_.
das, hat, des, het, des, hot, des, hǝt, _the_, _has_.

In the next three lines of Breisgauish (Radlof, 2, 95) words which agree more or less with PG. are in italic--

"_Do isch au kei Plätzle meh,_ Here is also no spot more,
_Wu_ i könnt _mi_ Haupt[58] _hinlege,_ where I might my head repose,
Wenn i _vun der Arbet geh._" when I from my work depart.

The following (Radlof, 2, 92) is also in the Breisgau dialect:

Siehsch de, Kind, de Regeboge,... Seest thou child the rainbow,...
Gel, das isch e Pracht vun Farbe,... truly it is a glory of color,...
Noeh het jetz mit de Sine Noah has now with (the) his
[people]
E Johannisfirle g'macht, made a (midsummer)
Johannes-fire[59]
Un in Herrlikeit un Pracht and in splendor and glory
Isch der Herr debi erschine, the Lord (dabei) thereat appeared,
Un zum Noeh het er g'sproche: and to Noah has he spoken:
Guck, e Zeiche setz i fest, Behold, a sign I firmly set
Wil de Fride mit mer hest, whilst thou (hast) keepst peace
with me,
's Wort des hab i niemol broche the word--that have I never broken
Un de Herr het's Wort au g'halte, and the Lord has the word also
kept,
Den der Regeboge steht, for the rainbow stands
Wenn Gott au im Wetter geht, whenever God goes in the tempest,
Un er loszt de Zorn nit walte. and he (läszt) allows not (den)
the anger to rule.

FOOTNOTES:

[47] G. gelb, Ohg. gelo, Swiss, etc., gäl _yellow_.

[48] Not PG. ærpsǝ, G. erbsen (peas), but a form of _erdbeere_ (strawberry).

[49] G. Ich habe nichts lieber gethan. (G. adj. and adv. _lieber_, adverbialised with _-s_.) _Nothing would I rather have done._

[50] The word is "schwöhl" in the original--probably borrowed from the local English word _swale_. Wuu, G. wo, _where_. The author was born in 1816, at Niagara, in a small colony which had emigrated from Lancaster county, Pennsylvania--his father in 1811. The colony received additions about the year 1830.

[51] = _at once_. Dr. Jones, 1701, gives '_w_æns, _w_ænst' as the English pronunciation in Shropshire and some parts of Wales. Buchanan, 1766, gives '_w_æns' as correct English.--_A. J. Ellis._

[52] Die Sprache der Luxemburger. Luxemburg, 1855.

[53] This word varies to heer, and horch may be used.

[54] Here _hii_˛ is given for the rhyme, the proper word being G. _da_, PG. 'doo.' On this account the Rev. D. Ziegler makes the following variation on my version--

Sii noochbǝr was mei, freet iss,
Wann ich im gærtli schtee,
Gærn heer ich frii am sundaak
Dii kærchǝbellǝ geh.

[55] This was written before the Franco-German war which re-annexed Alsatia to Germany. When I read out the first example in