The Origins of a Truly American Language: Pennsylvania Dutch
As a melting pot from it’s earliest days, America is rich in culture and history. Americans have developed unique values, mannerisms, art, music, and even languages across our diverse nation. One great example of this is Pennsylvania Dutch. The language didn’t evolve from Dutch, interestingly enough. It started when early German immigrants needed to escape from the Holy Roman Empire regions of Europe to avoid religious persecution. Many of them escaped to Pennsylvania, which is still 29.9% German today. These immigrants generally didn’t bring many belongings; however, they did bring a rich dialect. So, why is it called Pennsylvania Dutch? Rather than a mistranslation, it’s a corruption of the Pennsylvania German endonym Deitsch , which
means “Pennsylvania Dutch/German” or “German.” The terms Deitsch , Dutch , Diets , and Deutsch are all cognates of the proto- Germanic word piudiskaz , meaning “popular” or “of the people.” The language flourished safely within German immigrant communities and religious sects; however, while 10% of the original Pennsylvania Dutch settlers were Amish and Old Order Mennonites, today over 250,000 people speak the Germanic language, mainly in Pennsylvania and Ohio. You might be wondering how this language is different from German, considering its roots. It’s entirely different, as it turns out. Pennsylvania Dutch shares the most similarities with the Palatine German dialect, a small southwestern region of Germany where most Pennsylvanian
settlers came from. If you can speak Pennsylvania Dutch, you can likely converse with Palatine Germans to a limited extent. Can you write in Pennsylvania Dutch? Yes! However, not many speakers read and write in it, so it doesn’t have standardized spelling rules. If you’re curious to see it in print, however, look at the only Pennsylvania Dutch newspaper in the U.S.: Hiwwe wie Driwwe. Scholarly efforts have also been made to advance the language, such as the Pennsylvania German Studies minor program at Kutztown University. In Ohio, you’re mostly likely to encounter Pennsylvania Dutch in Holmes County, where the 2010 Census recorded that 37.8% of the population is of German ancestry and the 2000 Census noted that than 40% of the population uses Pennsylvania German (or “Dutch”) at home.
SPRING VEGETABLE AND CHICKEN PASTA BAKE
YOUR MONTHLY NEED-TO-KNOW!
Celebrate spring with this easy, tasty, herb-packed pasta bake.
WHAT CITY IS IN BOTH ASIA AND EUROPE? Istanbul – historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople – is the largest city in Turkey and the country’s economic, cultural, and historic center. The city straddles the Bosporus strait and lies in both Europe and Asia with a population of over 15 million residents, which is over 19% of the population of Turkey. WHERE DID THE TERM ‘GOODY TWO-SHOES’ COME FROM? It’s from a book! “The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes” is a children’s story published by John Newbery in London in 1765. The story popularized the phrase “goody two-shoes,” often used to describe an excessively virtuous person, a do-gooder. CAN THERE BE THUNDER AND LIGHTNING WITHOUT RAIN? Yes! “Dry thunderstorm” refers to thunder and lightning that occur without bringing rain to the ground. In actuality, the thunder-bearing clouds do produce rain, but the rain droplets have evaporated in the air before reaching the ground.
INGREDIENTS •
1 cup cooked chicken, diced
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1/2 cup fresh chives, chopped and divided 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped and divided
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1 14-oz can artichokes, drained and quartered
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1 cup fresh asparagus pieces
1/2 cup carrots, grated
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2 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 cups uncooked penne pasta
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1. Preheat oven to 425 F and grease an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. 2. In the prepared dish, stir together cooked chicken, artichokes, asparagus, carrots, uncooked pasta, chicken broth, half the chives, half the parsley, garlic, salt, and 2 tbsp Parmesan. 3. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 35 minutes. 4. Uncover and stir. At this point, check the pasta to make sure it is al dente. If it’s undercooked, cover the dish and return to the oven until pasta is tender. 5. Remove from oven and garnish with remaining Parmesan, chives, and parsley. DIRECTIONS
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