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From https://www.dw.com/en/where-german-is-still-spoken-in-the-us/a-49535403

Where German is still spoken in the US
Over 300 years ago, German immigrants crossed the Atlantic to reach, among other places, Pennsylvania. Their language and culture continues to influence their descendants, as DW correspondent Oliver Sallet discovered.
by Oliver Sallet
July 10, 2019

Patrick Donmoyer of the University of Pennsylvania wants to preserve this German heritage for future generations. At the German Cultural Heritage Center in Kutztown in Berks County, he teaches Pennsylvania Deitsch in a former German school from 1870 that is now a museum.

On an old school slate board in the cultural center, one can see "deitsche Sprichwadde" (German adages) written down such as "Schpaar die Geld" ("saving money"), and the unusual phrase "gut gwetzt ist halwer gmeht" ("well-sharpened is half mown"), which literally refers to the mowing of fields with a scythe. 

The language is not at risk of extinction, says Donmoyer. Around 40,000 people speak the dialect in Pennsylvania alone, and around 400,000 across America. The number is rising since many Amish and Mennonites faith communities who speak Pennsylvania German as their mother tongue traditionally have large families.

Some 30% of Pennsylvanians have German ancestors, and many of the descendants still speak some form of German at home. Donmoyer says a Pennsylvanian German dialect has developed into its own language across 300 years.

Read the full article at https://www.dw.com/en/where-german-is-still-spoken-in-the-us/a-49535403

SourceDeutsche Welle
Inputdate2019-07-19 18:24:44
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