Werdersch

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Werdersch
Werdersch; Mundart der Weichselwerder
Native toPoland, Russia (formerly Germany)
RegionVistula river islands
EthnicityGermans
Dialects
Language codes
ISO 639-3–

Werdersch (German: Mundart der Weichselwerder) is a subdialect of Low Prussian, which belongs to Low German. The dialect is spoken in Poland and earlier in West Prussia. The Weichselwerder (Vistula river islands) were Żuławy Gdańskie between Wisła Gdańska and Gdańskie Wyżyny and Żuławy Malborskie between Vistula, Szkarpawa, Vistula Lagoon, and Nogat.[1]

History[]

When Mennonites and other people from the Netherlands immigrated into the area, where this subdialect is spoken, they spoke Dutch, which was replaced, but survived as their language of worship.[2] Half of the Dutch there were Mennonites, the other half other Protestants.[3] Though not all were from Holland, they were referred to as Hollanders.[3] German colonists were also referred to as Hollanders.[3] Catherine the Great called Mennonite immigrants from the area to Russia.[3]

Werdersch is closely related to Nehrungisch.[4] Plautdietsch was spoken in this area even by non-Mennonites.[4] Many of the Mennonites spoke Low German.[4] Groups of Flemish Mennonites and Frisian Mennonites were early arrivals.[1] The division between Flemish Mennonites and Frisian Mennonites was religious rather than ethnic.[4] The early Anabaptists from the province of Friesland at that time spoke Frisian.[4] This division continued into Russia.[1] Most of the founders of Molotschna and Chortitza colonies in Russia were Flemish Mennonites speaking Werdersch.[1] Most residents of Chortitza Colony were from Żuławy Malborskie (Großes Werder in German).[5]

The congregations of Flemish Mennonites in the area of the Weichselwerder were Ellerwald, Fürstenwerder, Heubuden, Ladekopp, Rosenort and Tiegenhagen.[6] Orlofferfelde and Thiensdorf had a congregation of Frisian Mennonites.[6] Mennonite migrants to the United States in the 19th century mainly originated from Molotschna. [7] The settlers destined for the US went to the Midwestern part of the US.[7] The group in the Midwestern US expanded into the Central Valley of California, but never forming a large Mennonite community.[7] Mennonites from the Molotschna region in 1874 arrived in the area around Wichita, Kansas.[7] The groups which are in this area originate from the Krimmer Mennonite Brethren, Alexanderwohl, so-called Prussian Mennonites, and Volhynia Mennonites.[7] The Alexanderwohl, Mennonite Brethren, and General Conference Mennonite Church are all denominations of Molotschna origin in central Kansas.[8] The groups of Mennonites arriving in the 1870s are associated with the Mennonite settlements in Henderson, Nebraska and Fresno, California.[7] Mennonites in Fresno, California are mostly associated with the groups from the Midwestern states.[7] Reedley, California, near Fresno, has a sizable population of Mennonite origin.[7] Mennonites founded Fresno Pacific University.[7] Manitoba East Reserve had a minority of Molotschna origin among its Mennonites.[7] In the 1940s, about 800 Mennonites from Canada West Reserve immigrated to North Mexico, most of whom Canadian Sommerfelder or Kleine Gemeinde Mnenonites. Molotschna-Plautdietsch is spoken in Mexico in Sommerfeld and by Kleine Gemeinde.[9] Vocalism of Plautdietsch in Mexico, Bolivia and Texas mostly is different from that farther North.[7] Many speakers of Plautdietsch show main features of both Molotschna-Plautdietsch and Chortitza-Plautdietsch. Molotschna-Plautdietsch is spoken in Neuland Colony in Paraguay.[10] Fernheim Colony in Paraguay has residents of Werdersch cum Molotschna origin.[11]

It also is spoken in Southern Brazil. [10] Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul have residents of Werdersch cum Molotschna origin.[11]

The denomination Flemish Mennonites was predominant in the Żuławy Malborskie, the denomination Frisian Mennonites in the Żuławy Elbląskie.[12] Later groups of settlers had more predominant representation of Frisian Mennonites from more southerly (Werder) areas. [13]

Phonology[]

Werdersch has alveolar /r/, like Eastern Low Prussian.[14] Werdersch has at least in some words, long /u/ as short /u/ and long /i/ as short /i/.[14] Molotschna-Plautdietsch is descended from Werdersch.[15] In originally closed syllables excluding before original /r/, /ld/ and /lp/, /e/ is given as front vowel /a/.[16] In contrast to Nehrungisch and Chortitza-Plautdietsch, it and Molotschna-Plautdietsch have High German /au/ as /au/.[17] In contrast to Nehrungisch and Chortitza-Plautdietsch, it and Molotschna-Plautdietsch have no shortened /u/ before /p/.[18] Werdersch has shortened u before gutturals.[19] It has dorx for High German durch, English through.[14] The Molotschna-related <oa>-diphthongs before velars are [ɔɐ], [oɐ], [oː].[7] Werdersch had a in the closed syllable before l as o.[20] Molotschna-Plautdietsch has palatal oral stops <tj> and <dj>.[7] For Chortitza-Plautdietsch [eiw]/[ɛːw] it has [au]/[ɔ].[7]

List of isoglosses within Werdersch:[21]

  • /a/ mostly as /au/
  • /n/-loss in kannst
  • Long /o/ is shortened before l+dental; umlaut lacks in words such as kaufen
  • Final -n
  • /l/-loss in willst and sollst
  • Loss of /n/ in an-, in- un- before fricatives, /r, l, m, n and g.
  • büten, dün, glüpen etc. versus buten, dun, glupen etc.
  • haiwen, blaif etc. versus haue, blau etc.
  • Shortening of /î/ to /i/ before velars
  • Shortening of /û/ to /u/ before velars
  • /i, e and ar/ becoming /e, a and or/ respectively

Grammar[]

Molotschna-Plautdietsch has dative, but no acccusative case.[22] Molotschna-Plautdietsch is the dominant Plautdietsch variety in Fernheim Colony.[22] Molotschna-Plautdietsch has ahn for them.[23] Molotschna-Plautdietsch has the formal address using the pronoun of the third person.[24] Molotschna-Plautdietsch has infinitive and plural both ending on /-ə/.[25] For verbs with two preterite forms, Molotschna-Plautdietsch mostly uses the velar form with /au/.[26] It has the velar stem vowel of Dutch and a limited number of palatal preterite forms.[27] Molotschna-Plautdietsch has habe for the infinitive have.[28] Molotschna-Plautdietsch has palatalization given as c and ɟ, which probably used to exist in West Prussia as well.[29] It has the preterite forms kam and nam.[30]

List of surnames[]

This is a list of surnames common among Mennonites in Canada originating (indirectly) from Russia in descending frequency. The number in brackets indicates the number of places they are higher than on a 20-entry list of surnames of Mennonites in Canada originating (indirectly) from Russia. This list only includes surnames higher on the list concerning West Prussian Mennonites than on the list of surnames of Mennonites in Canada.[4]

  • Penner (4)
  • Wiens (not on the 20-entry list)
  • Janzen (12)
  • Enns (6)
  • Janz (not on the 20-entry list)
  • Froese (not on the 20-entry list)
  • Regehr (not on the 20-entry list)
  • Harder (8)
  • Ewert (not on the 20-entry list)
  • Pauls (not on the 20-entry list)
  • Fast (not on the 20-entry list)
  • Franz (not on the 20-entry list)
  • Epp (not on the 20-entry list)
  • Fieguth (not on the 20-entry list)
  • Albrecht (not on the 20-entry list)

Places in Germany with Mennonite Brethren congregation[]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d Quiring (1924).
  2. ^ Wiens (1916).
  3. ^ a b c d Ruhnau & Wolfram (1943).
  4. ^ a b c d e f Penner (2009).
  5. ^ Siemens (2012), p. 65.
  6. ^ a b Penner (1952), p. 72.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Burns (2016).
  8. ^ "Contrasting Spaces in Plautdietsch". ideaexchange.uakron.edu. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  9. ^ Brandt (1992), p. 252.
  10. ^ a b Siemens (2012), p. 242.
  11. ^ a b Plewnia, Albrecht; Riehl, Claudia Maria (Mar 5, 2018). Handbuch der deutschen Sprachminderheiten in Übersee. Narr Francke Attempto Verlag. ISBN 9783823379287. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2021 – via Google Books.
  12. ^ Penner (1952), p. 75.
  13. ^ Christopher, Douglas. "Quantitative perspectives on variation in Mennonite Plautdietsch" (PDF). era.library.ualberta.ca. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 12, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  14. ^ a b c Ziesemer (1924), p. 133.
  15. ^ Siemens (2012), p. 51.
  16. ^ Siemens (2012), p. 40.
  17. ^ Siemens (2012), p. 41.
  18. ^ Siemens (2012), p. 42.
  19. ^ Mitzka (1968), p. 218.
  20. ^ Jähnig & Letkemann (1985), p. 319.
  21. ^ Siemens (2012), pp. 45–46.
  22. ^ a b Siemens (2012), p. 149.
  23. ^ Siemens (2012), p. 151.
  24. ^ Siemens (2012), p. 153.
  25. ^ Siemens (2012), p. 168.
  26. ^ Siemens (2012), p. 176.
  27. ^ Siemens (2012), p. 179.
  28. ^ Siemens (2012), p. 181.
  29. ^ Siemens (2012), p. 97.
  30. ^ Ziesemer (1924), p. 132.

Bibliography[]

  • Brandt, Carsten (1992). Sprache und Sprachgebrauch der Mennoniten in Mexiko (in German). Marburg: Elwert. p. 252.
  • Burns, Roslyn (2016). New World Mennonite Low German: An Investigating of Changes in Progress (PhD). UC Berkeley. Archived from the original on 2021-05-16. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
  • Jähnig, Bernhard; Letkemann, Peter, eds. (1985). Danzig in acht Jahrhunderten (in German). Nicolaus-Copernicus-Verlag. p. 319.
  • Mitzka, Walther (1968). Kleine Schriften (in German). Walter de Gruyter & Co.
  • Penner, Horst (1952). Weltweite Bruderschaft (in German). Karlsruhe: Heinrich Schneider. pp. 72, 75.
  • Penner, Nikolai (2009). The High German of Russian Mennonites in Ontario (PDF) (Thesis). Waterloo, Ontario, Canada: University of Waterloo. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-08-31. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
  • Ruhnau, Kurt; Wolfram, Hans Egon (1943). Die Niederlande und der Deutsche Osten (in German). Berlin: Verlag Joh. Kasper & Co. Archived from the original on 2021-01-12. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
  • Siemens, Heinrich (2012). Plautdietsch: Grammatik, Geschichte, Perspektiven (in German). Bonn: Tweeback Verlag. ISBN 9783981197853.
  • Quiring, Jacob Walter (1924). Die Mundart von Chortitza in Süd-Rußland (PDF) (Thesis) (in German). Munich: Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-10-21. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
  • Wiens, Curt (1916). "Niederländischer Wortschatz in der Mundart der Weichselwerder" (PDF). Zeitschrift des Westpreussischeh Ceschichtsveheins (in German). No. 56. Danzig. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-09-20. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
  • Ziesemer, Walther (1924). Die ostpreußischen Mundarten (in German). Breslau: Ferdinand Hirt. pp. 128–129, 133.

External links[]

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