Ethnologue 14 report for language code:GRN

PLAUTDIETSCH: a language of Canada

The following is the entry for this language as it appeared in the 14th edition (2000).
It was superseded by the corresponding entry in the 15th edition (2005). See also the corresponding entry in the current edition of Ethnologue.

SIL code: GRN

ISO 639-2: gem

Population

80,000 or more first language speakers and 20,000 second language speakers in Canada (1978 Kloss and McConnell). Total German mother tongue speakers in Canada including standard German, 561,000 (J.A. Hawkins in B. Comrie 1986). Population total all countries 400,000, of whom 150,000 use it habitually. 110,735 or more in Latin America are fairly monolingual.

Region

Southern Canada; Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia. Also spoken in Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Germany, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Paraguay, Russia (Asia), Uruguay, USA.

Alternate names

LOW GERMAN, MENNONITE GERMAN, MENNONITEN PLATT

Classification

Indo-European, Germanic, West, Low Saxon-Low Franconian, Low Saxon.

Comments

Not intelligible with many other Low German languages, Standard German, Pennsylvania German or Hutterite German. 110,735 or more speakers in Latin America are mainly monolingual in Plautdietsch. 50% of speakers in Canada speak Standard German and 95% speak English as second language. Literacy rate in second language: 95%. Christian. NT 1987.

Also spoken in:

Belize

Language name	PLAUTDIETSCH
Population	5,763 in Belize (1991 census), 4% of the population (1989 J. Holm). 110,735 or more in Latin America are fairly monolingual.
Alternate names	GERMAN, MENNONITE GERMAN
Comments	15% speak German, many speak English, and some speak Creole or Spanish as second language. Christian. NT 1987. See main entry under Canada.

Bolivia

Language name	PLAUTDIETSCH
Population	28,567 in Bolivia (1996 editor, Menno-Bote).
Alternate names	GERMAN, MENNONITE GERMAN
Comments	6% speak Spanish or Standard German as second language. Christian. NT 1987. See main entry under Canada.

Brazil

Language name	PLAUTDIETSCH
Population	5,955 in Brazil (1985 SIL). 110,735 or more in Latin America are fairly monolingual.
Alternate names	LOW GERMAN, MENNONITE GERMAN
Comments	Bilingualism in Portuguese, Standard German. Christian. NT 1987. See main entry under Canada.

Costa Rica

Language name	PLAUTDIETSCH
Population	100 in Costa Rica (1974 Minnich).
Alternate names	LOW GERMAN, MENNONITE GERMAN
Comments	Bilingualism in Spanish. People speak Plautdietsch in the home. Church services are in Spanish. Christian. NT 1987. See main entry under Canada.

Germany

Language name	PLAUTDIETSCH
Population	90,000 possibly (1996 Reuben Epp).
Comments	NT 1987. See main entry under Canada.

Kazakhstan

Language name	PLAUTDIETSCH
Population	100,000 in Russia and Kazakhstan (1986).
Alternate names	LOW GERMAN
Comments	50% speak Russian as second language. Christian. NT 1987. See main entry under Canada.

Mexico

Language name	PLAUTDIETSCH
Population	40,000 in México (1996).
Alternate names	LOW GERMAN, MENNONITE GERMAN
Comments	Not intelligible with other Low Saxon languages or Standard German. 22% speak Standard German, 5% speak English, 30% speak Spanish, 5% speak Russian as second language. Literacy rate in second language: 60%. Intensive agriculturalists, cheese production. Christian. NT 1987. See main entry under Canada.

Paraguay

Language name	PLAUTDIETSCH
Population	38,000 first language speakers in Paraguay, including 19,000 who speak Plautdietsch and Standard German both as mother tongue.
Alternate names	LOW GERMAN
Comments	Bilingualism in Spanish, German. Agriculturalists: dairy, grain, cotton, peanuts. Christian. NT 1987. See main entry under Canada.

USA

Language name	PLAUTDIETSCH
Population	10,000 in USA (1978 Kloss and McConnell).
Alternate names	LOW GERMAN, MENNONITE GERMAN
Comments	Not inherently intelligible with Pennsylvania German, Hutterite German, many other Low German languages or Standard German. 5% speak Standard German, 98% speak English as second language. Literacy rate in second language: 95%. Christian. NT 1987. See main entry under Canada.