German, Pennsylvania

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A language of United States

ISO 639-3
pdc
Alternate Names
Pennsylvania Deitsh, Pennsylvania Dutch, Pennsylvanish
Population

118,000 in United States (2010 census), increasing. Ethnic population: 200,000 (Kloss and McConnell 1981). Total users in all countries: 133,000.

Location

Scattered; Florida; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; Missouri; Ohio; Oklahoma; Pennsylvania; Virginia; West Virginia; Wisconsin; new communities in other states.

Language Maps
Language Status

5 (Developing).

Classification
Indo-European, Germanic, West, High German, German, Middle German, West Middle German
Dialects

Amish Pennsylvania German (Plain Pennsylvania German), Non-Amish Pennsylvania German (Non-Plain Pennsylvania German, Pensylvanisch Deitsch). Blending of several German dialects, primarily Rhenish Palatinate (Pfalzer) German, with syntactic elements of High German and English. Mostly incomprehensible to those from the Palatinate (Kloss 1978).

Language Use

Plain community not shifting to English [eng], but maintains stable bilingualism (1987 M. Louden). All domains. Mainly older adults. Also use English [eng].

Language Development
Bible: 2013.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about German, Pennsylvania
Writing

Latin script [Latn].

Other Comments

Separate orthographies for Pennsylvania and Ohio dialects. Christian.

Also spoken in:

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