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Plautdietsch

A language of Canada

ISO 639-3: pdt

Population	80,000 in Canada (Kloss and McConnell 1978). Population total all countries: 402,900.
Region	Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia. Also in Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Germany, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Paraguay, Russian Federation (Europe), United States, Uruguay.
Alternate names	Low German, Mennonite German, Mennoniten Platt
Dialects	50% intelligible with other Low German languages, Standard German, Pennsylvania German [pdc], Hutterite German [geh]. Plautdietsch has some major differences from the European Low German dialects still spoken along the North Sea and the Baltic Ocean because of the various places where the Mennonites have lived during the past 150 years (Epps 1996).
Classification	Indo-European, Germanic, West, Low Saxon-Low Franconian, Low Saxon
Language use	20,000 L2 users. Mainly older adults. 50% also speak Standard German, 95% also speak English.
Language development	Literacy rate in L2: 95%. Bible: 2003.
Comments	SVO; prepositions; genitives after noun heads; question word initial; 5 prefixes; 2 suffixes; non-tonal. Christian.

Also spoken in:

Belize

Language name	Plautdietsch
Population	6,900 in Belize (2006).
Language map	Belize
Alternate names	German, Mennonite German
Language use	110,735 or more in Latin America are fairly monolingual. 15% also speak German; many use English; some use Creole [bzj] or Spanish as L2.
Comments	Christian.

Bolivia

Language name	Plautdietsch
Population	28,600 in Bolivia.
Alternate names	German, Mennonite German
Language use	6% also speak Spanish or Standard German.
Comments	Christian.

Brazil

Language name	Plautdietsch
Population	5,960 in Brazil (1985 SIL).
Language map	Brazil, reference number 97
Alternate names	Low German, Mennonite German
Language use	110,735 or more in Latin America are fairly monolingual. Also use Portuguese or Standard German.
Comments	Christian.

Costa Rica

Language name	Plautdietsch
Population	100 in Costa Rica (Minnich 1974).
Region	Sarapiqui area.
Alternate names	Low German, Mennonite German
Language use	Home. Also use Spanish.
Comments	Christian.

Germany

Language name	Plautdietsch
Population	90,000 in Germany (1996 R. Epp).
Comments	Plautdietsch-Freunde is an association in Germany for documentation and promotion of Plautdietsch.

Kazakhstan

Language name	Plautdietsch
Population	50,000 in Kazakhstan (1986).
Region	Alma Ata near the China border, beyond Tashkent.
Alternate names	Low German
Language use	50% also speak Russian.
Comments	Christian.

Mexico

Language name	Plautdietsch
Population	40,000 in Mexico (1996).
Region	Chihuahua (Cuauhtemoc, Virginias, Buenos Aires, Capulín), Durango (Nuevo Ideal, Canatlán), Campeche (Chávez, Progreso, Yalnon), Zacatecas (La Honda, La Batea).
Language map	Mexico, reference number 15
Alternate names	Low German, Mennonite German
Language use	22% also use Standard German, 5% English, 30% Spanish, 5% Russian.
Language development	Literacy rate in L2: 60%.
Comments	Intensive agriculturalists; cheese production. Christian.

Paraguay

Language name	Plautdietsch
Population	38,000 in Paraguay. 19,000 who speak Plautdietsch and Standard German as L1.
Region	Chaco and east: Filadelfia, Menno Colony, Loma Plata, Neuland.
Language map	Paraguay, reference number 14
Alternate names	Low German
Language use	Also use Spanish or German.
Comments	Agriculturalists: dairy, grain, cotton, peanuts. Christian.

United States

Language name	Plautdietsch
Population	12,000 in United States (2000).
Region	Hillsboro, Kansas; Reedley, California; and Corn, Oklahoma.
Alternate names	Low German, Mennonite German
Language use	5% also use Standard German, 98% also use English.
Language development	Literacy rate in L2: 95%.
Comments	Christian.

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

FAST, Peter W., author. 1985. Compound words: Plautdietsch.

Vernacular Publications

Wie räden en läsen plautdietsch. 1982.

Wie räden en läsen plautdietsch. 1987.