A Pennsylvania German Reader and Grammar

by Earl C. Haag

Overview

This book presents the language (Pennsylvania German, Dutch, or Deitsch) developed by the settlers brought to Pennsylvania from the Rhine Valley by William Penn. The settlers’ dialects evolved into a formal language which has been spoken and read for three centuries throughout much of Pennsylvania and more recently, in parts of the Middle and Far West, and Canada.

This book contains 13 readings—on such topics as school, house, farm, and town, as well as dates, weather, body parts, and clothing—each with the translations on facing pages and followed by vocabulary and grammatical rules. By the end of the book all major rules of grammar have been covered together with a substantial working vocabulary.

An introduction gives an overview of the language and a guide to pronunciation; an appendix presents practice patterns for the serious student; and an index leads to definitions of all vocabulary words.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780271021423
Publisher:	Penn State University Press
Publication date:	09/15/1982
Series:	Keystone Books
Edition description:	Bi-lingual Edition (English & German)
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.89(d)

Table of Contents

	Foreword	ix
	Pennsylvania German Sounds	xvii
Part 1
Chapter 1, Part 13
	Reading Selection: School, Part 1	4
	Vocabulary	6
	Grammar
	The Definite Article	10
	The Indefinite Article	11
	The Personal Pronouns	11
	Verbs, Present Tense	12
	Word Order	15
	Chapter 1, Part 2	17
	Reading Selection: School, Part 2	18
	Vocabulary	22
	Grammar
	The Definite Article, Dative Case	26
	The Indefinite Article, Dative Case	27
	Verbs (Continued)	28
	Word Order (Continued)	30
	Double Negatives	31
	The PG "Progressive"	31
Chapter 2, Part 133
	Reading Selection: The Family, Part 1	34
	Vocabulary	34
	Grammar
	Personal Pronouns, All Cases	37
	Possessive Adjectives	38
	Possessive Pronouns	40
	Use of the Dative Case to Show Possession	40
	Verbs (hawwe, warre)	41
Chapter 2, Part 243
	Reading Selection: The Family, Part 2	44
	Vocabulary	46
	Grammar
	Demonstratives	50
	The Pronoun ken, kee	51
	Verbs (Continued)	53
Chapter 3, Part 155
	Reading Selection: Numbers	56
	Vocabulary	60
	Grammar
	The Adjective and Pronoun ee (ns)	61
	The Indefinite Pronoun mer	61
Chapter 3, Part 263
	Reading Selection: Time	64
	Vocabulary	68
	Grammar
	Number Names	69
	Fractions	69
Chapter 4, Part 171
	Reading Selection: The Week	72
	Vocabulary	74
	Grammar
	Adjectives	77
	The Weak Declension	78
	The Mixed Declension	78
	Adverbs	79
	Verbs	79
Chapter 4, Part 285
	Reading Selection: The Day	86
	Vocabulary	88
	Grammar
	The Demonstrative seller	91
	The Interrogative weller	92
Chapter 5, Part 193
	Reading Selection: The Months	94
	Vocabulary	98
	Grammar
	The Indefinite Adjective and Prounoun yeder	102
	Adjectives--Comparative and Superlative Forms	103
	Verbs--Modal Auxiliaries	106
Chapter 5, Part 2109
	Reading Selection: The Weather	110
	Vocabulary	114
	Grammar: Strong Adjectival Endings	117
Chapter 6, Part 1121
	Reading Selection: The House, Part 1	122
	Vocabulary	126
	Grammar
	Prepositions	131
	Inseparable Prefixes	135
	Separable Prefixes	136
Chapter 6, Part 2139
	Reading Selection: The House, Part 2	140
	Vocabulary	142
Chapter 7145
	Grammar: Past Participles and the Present Perfect Tense	146
Part 2
Chapter 8, Part 1155
	Reading Selection: The Farmyard	156
	Vocabulary	158
	Grammar
	Past Participles Used as Adjectives	161
	Verbs	162
Chapter 8, Part 2163
	Reading Selection: The Barnyard	164
	Vocabulary	166
Chapter 9, Part 1171
	Reading Selection: The Fields, Part 1	172
	Vocabulary	174
	Grammar: Infinitives	177
Chapter 9, Part 2181
	Reading Selection: The Fields, Part 2	182
	Vocabulary	184
Chapter 10, Part 1187
	Reading Selection: A Typical Day, Part 1	188
	Vocabulary	192
	Grammar
	Reflexive Verbs	194
	The Imperative Mood	196
Chapter 10, Part 2199
	Reading Selection: A Typical Day, Part 2	200
	Vocabulary	204
Chapter 11, Part 1207
	Reading Selection: Town, Part 1	208
	Vocabulary	210
	Grammar
	Reflexive Verbs; Dative Reflexive Pronouns	212
	Subordinate Clauses	213
	Transposed Word Order	216
Chapter 11, Part 2219
	Reading Selection: Town, Part 2	220
	Vocabulary	222
	Grammar: Relative Pronouns	224
Chapter 12, Part 1227
	Reading Selection: City, Part 1	228
	Vocabulary	230
	Grammar
	The Future Indicative Tense	233
	Future Perfect Indicative	234
Chapter 12, Part 2237
	Reading Selection: City, Part 2	238
	Vocabulary	240
	The Head, Body, Limbs	241
Chapter 13245
	Reading Selection: Clothing	246
	Vocabulary	248
	Grammar
	Formation of the Passive Voice	252
	The False Passive	256
Chapter 14259
	Grammar
	Formation of the Subjunctive Mood	260
	Uses of the Subjunctive	263
	Vocabulary	273
	Appendix	291
	Samples of Practice Patterns	293
	Samples of Minimum Essentials	297

Editorial Reviews

The introduction to this excellent book gives an overview of the language (Pennsylvania German, Dutch or Deitsch) developed by the settlers brought to Pennsylvania from the Rhine Valley by William Penn. . . . This book is a must for the researcher, especially the novice whose ancestral lines lead to this area where a language barrier can certainly be discouraging or in some instances even terminates the search.”

—The Genealogical Helper

“The dialect used by the German settlers of Pennsylvania requires special study if it is to be understood. In this volume Mr. Haag has provided a learning aid which is both a reader and a grammar.”

—The Virginia Genealogist

“The outstanding book contains twenty-three excellent reading selections in lively dialect by Haag on subjects such as school, house, farm, town, as well as dates, weather, body parts, and clothing—each with translation on the opposite page—a practical, invaluable feature.”

—Journal of the Pennsylvania German Society

From the Publisher