The English of the Pennsylvania Dutch

master's thesis

• Title (croatian): Engleski jezik pensilvanijskih Nijemaca
• Author: Lea Pintarić
• Mentor: Višnja Josipović-Smojver (mentor)
• Committee member: Višnja Josipović-Smojver (predsjednik povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Mateusz-Milan Stanojević (član povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Marina Grubišić (član povjerenstva)
• Granter: University of Zagreb; Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences; (Department of English language and literature); Zagreb
• Defense date and country: 2021-09-22, Croatia
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: HUMANISTIC SCIENCES; Philology; Anglistics

Abstract

In the present paper, the English of the Pennsylvania German or Pennsylvania Dutch is analyzed based on different online sources. The thesis starts with a historical and sociolinguistic overview of PA Dutch, as well as with the clarification of different theoretical frameworks and terminology regarding the linguistic status of PA Dutch. Regardless of their differences, they all agree that Pennsylvania Dutch English is not one unified variety, but it encompasses both the variety spoken by people who are monolingual (in English) and bilingual (in Pennsylvania Dutch and English). In the empirical part of this thesis, Pennsylvania Dutch excerpts from different online sources are analyzed based on the categories of phonetics and phonology, morphology, syntax, lexicon, orthography and pragmatics. It is shown that different manifestations of Pennsylvania Dutch English are present in different online sources: from the sectarian variety of Pennsylvania Dutch in Amish speech that is heavily influenced by Palatine German to the nonsectarian variety called Dutchified English that is closer to General American English but still different from it. In the conclusion of this thesis, it is remarked that each variation of Pennsylvania Dutch English depends on sociolinguistic and pragmalinguistic factors influencing the type of discourse used in different online sources.

• Keywords: Pennsylvania Dutch; Pennsylvania German; Dutchified English; sectarian and nonsectarian variety; online sources
• Language: english
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:131:615836
• Study programme: Title: English Language and Literature (double major); specializations in: Linguistics, Literature and Culture, Translation, TEFL; Course: TEFL; Study programme type: university; Study level: graduate; Academic / professional title: magistar/magistra edukacije engleskog jezika i književnosti (magistar/magistra edukacije engleskog jezika i književnosti)
• Type of resource: Text
• File origin: Born digital
• Access conditions: Access restricted to students and staff of home institution
• Created on: 2021-09-22 14:56:44