Analysis: Is Texas German Dialect Dying
Is Texas German Dialect Dying?
Introduction
When headlines read, “Unique dialect, Texas German, taking last gasp,” alarms clang through Texas Germans’ heads (Bell 28). The majority of the 6,900 dialects alive today will disappear by the end of the 21st century (Tesch 1). Is Texas German among them? This article finds that the conditions necessary for dialect maintenance are weak for Texas German, and thus, the dialect is destined to disappear in the next two to three decades.
Is Texas German a unique dialect?
German settlers who arrived in Texas in 1840s spoke traditional German. Over time, the dialect evolved differently in Texas than in Germany or other places in the US. Texas Germans combined German and English in unique ways to create …show more content…
Some minorities such as French-speakers in Quebec, Canada, have maintained their dialect by having legislation passed to allow the usage of the dialect in public (“The Life and Death of Texas German” 294). However, Texas Germans have lacked political power to pass such legislation in Texas. On the contrary, Dr. Boas reports that the passage of the “English-only” legislation at the end of World War I contributed to the decline of Texas German. English-speaking groups stigmatized the minorities. An informant states: "When I was in school, Germany was America's enemy. People were prejudiced against the Germans. I was careful not to speak German" (“The Life and Death of Texas German” 249). Texas Germans felt the need to blend into the American culture (“A Dialect” 80). To ensure a safer life, they had to give up the dialect (Law …show more content…
Minorities that invest in revitalization efforts are more likely to salvage and maintain their dialects. However, Texas Germans have been reluctant to support institutional measures that would revitalize Texas German. They believe that dialects other than English are un-American and that there is no practical need for Texas German anymore (“The Life and Death of Texas German” 291).
Due to the lack of effective implementation of the strategies above, Texas German has been fading. Dr. Boas found that the usage of German in New Braunfels schools, churches, shops, and neighborhoods declined significantly between 1920 and 2006 as shown in figures 2(A) through 2(D) respectively) (“The Life and Death of Texas German” 64, 66, 72, 73).
Using McConvell et al.'s “levels of endangerment” scale, Dr. Boas also found that Texas German became critically endangered (see figure 3) (“The Life and Death of Texas German” 241). There are only about 8000-10,000 fluent Texas German speakers left, down from about 150,000 in the 1940s. These trends indicate that Texas German will become extinct. Dr. Boas estimates, "If we're optimistic, we'll get 30 more years… if we're pessimistic, maybe 15 or 20 years" (Winkie 1).
4.
Introduction
When headlines read, “Unique dialect, Texas German, taking last gasp,” alarms clang through Texas Germans’ heads (Bell 28). The majority of the 6,900 dialects alive today will disappear by the end of the 21st century (Tesch 1). Is Texas German among them? This article finds that the conditions necessary for dialect maintenance are weak for Texas German, and thus, the dialect is destined to disappear in the next two to three decades.
Is Texas German a unique dialect?
German settlers who arrived in Texas in 1840s spoke traditional German. Over time, the dialect evolved differently in Texas than in Germany or other places in the US. Texas Germans combined German and English in unique ways to create …show more content…
Some minorities such as French-speakers in Quebec, Canada, have maintained their dialect by having legislation passed to allow the usage of the dialect in public (“The Life and Death of Texas German” 294). However, Texas Germans have lacked political power to pass such legislation in Texas. On the contrary, Dr. Boas reports that the passage of the “English-only” legislation at the end of World War I contributed to the decline of Texas German. English-speaking groups stigmatized the minorities. An informant states: "When I was in school, Germany was America's enemy. People were prejudiced against the Germans. I was careful not to speak German" (“The Life and Death of Texas German” 249). Texas Germans felt the need to blend into the American culture (“A Dialect” 80). To ensure a safer life, they had to give up the dialect (Law …show more content…
Minorities that invest in revitalization efforts are more likely to salvage and maintain their dialects. However, Texas Germans have been reluctant to support institutional measures that would revitalize Texas German. They believe that dialects other than English are un-American and that there is no practical need for Texas German anymore (“The Life and Death of Texas German” 291).
Due to the lack of effective implementation of the strategies above, Texas German has been fading. Dr. Boas found that the usage of German in New Braunfels schools, churches, shops, and neighborhoods declined significantly between 1920 and 2006 as shown in figures 2(A) through 2(D) respectively) (“The Life and Death of Texas German” 64, 66, 72, 73).
Using McConvell et al.'s “levels of endangerment” scale, Dr. Boas also found that Texas German became critically endangered (see figure 3) (“The Life and Death of Texas German” 241). There are only about 8000-10,000 fluent Texas German speakers left, down from about 150,000 in the 1940s. These trends indicate that Texas German will become extinct. Dr. Boas estimates, "If we're optimistic, we'll get 30 more years… if we're pessimistic, maybe 15 or 20 years" (Winkie 1).
4.