American German language

Ever since the first German ethnic families came to the United States and were among the first settlers of Jamestown, Virginia in 1608, the German language, dialects, and traditions of Germany have ever since played a role in the social identity of many German-Americans and of modern European Germans . By 1910, an accounted 554 newspaper issues were being printed in the standard German language throughout the United States as well as a number of schools which taught in German with class-time set aside for English learning.

Birth of Anti-German Thought

A pile of German Textbooks, from the Baraboo High School, burning on a street in Baraboo, Wisconsin, during an anti-German demonstration

During the early 20th Century, as the British English-American ethnic group sought the upper hand in power and influence through politics and through the funded formation of the infamous Ku Klux Klan, a rise in anti-immigrant and distrust aimed at German-Americans was enforced. Through advertising and Government funded marketing, German-Americans / the "Dutchman" and the German language quickly became distrusted, and as such, anyone, regardless of age who was fluent in the language, who was associated with, or who practiced traditions viewed as foreign of any type was subject to a number of harassments, distrust, and on a few occasions, death.

One such death was of Robert Prager, a German seeking naturalization in St. Louis, Missouri who was accused on the night of April 14, 1914, of being a German spy by a mob of 300 "men and boys" after he had allegedly shared words at a socialist meeting earlier that evening. After being stripped of his clothes, he was led down Main Street with a rope tied around his neck, was forced to walk the route with shattered glass bottles being thrown down in his walking path, was forced to sing at the same time patriotic songs during his walk, and was forced to kiss an American flag which had been wrapped around him. At the end of his walk to a hanging tree at the edge of town, he was lynched . At the end of an article from The St. Louis Global-Democrat, it was reported that previously multiple acts of mobs tarring and feathering individuals had occurred.

Current Standing

Per the 2011 United States Census, there are approximately 1.1 million speaker of German residing in the United States . It is currently unknown how many of these speakers have families who have been here before after WW1, a time when migration from Germany to the United States boomed. There currently is research being headed by multiple institutions, most notedly at the University of Kansas from scholars such as Professor William Keel, the Max-Kade Institute of German-American Studies of the University of Wisconsin - Madison, and George J. Metcalf from the University of Chicago.

Some German American Phrases

American Geman	European Standard German	English Translation
Ach!	Ach!	Oh!
Geh an!	Geh weiter!	Go on!
Scheiße, bitte!	Komm, schon!	"Shit, please! [eyeroll]," "Oh, please!," Are you kidding me?
Stell dich/di weg!	Hau ab!/Verschwinde!	Get lost! Go away!
Verdammt!	Verdammt!	Damn!
Was zur Hölle?	Was zur Hölle?	What the hell?

General American German Nouns

These nouns have been found in all regions of the United States. Though previous studies have pinpointed them to specific locations such as Stinkkatze with Texas German dialects, such words, are also found in use that extend beyond their originally perceived regions . In reality, there are many other words which as more research is done, are to be added to this list.

American German Terms (Singular)	European Standard German (Singular)	English Translation
die Car	das Auto	the car
der Columbine	die Kolombine	the columbine
die Countrykirch'	die Landkirche	the countryside church
der Countryweg	die Landstraße	the country road/ "country way"
die Crick	das Flüßchen	the creak/stream
der Eichhase/Eichhos'	das Eichhörnchen	the squirrel
der Eichkater	das Eichhörnchen	the squrrel
der Elevator	der Hebewerk	the elevator
der Grainelevator	der Getreideheber	the grain elevator
die Farmerleute	Bauern	the farming people/family of farmers
die Fence	der Zaun	the fence
der Heimstead	das Eigenheim	the homestead
das Hoch(e)deutsch	das Hochdeutsch; Standarddeutsch	the high German / standard German language
der Korn	der Mais	the corn
das Luftschiff/Luftschipp	das Flugzeug	the airship: airplane
die Stinkkatze/Stinkkotz'/Stinkchaatz	das Stinktier	the skunk
der Truck	der Lastwagen	the truck/Pick-up/18-wheeler
der Weg	die Landstraße, die Straße	the road / "the way" (dialectal)

General American German Verbs

Map of sub German Dialects alongside General Dialect Regions

Throughout the history of the German language in the United States, through the coexistence with English, there are many loanwords which have been implemented into the American Standard Variety of German. At the same time, there are many usages which have been preserved in American German varieties including the numerous dialects of the German regions. This is a common phenomenon that occurs when a language leaves its original region: While the language in the original country moves forward, meanings in the new region freeze and often do not change along with the mother country.

General American German	European Standard German	English Translation
jmdn./etw. aufraisen	jmd./etw. aufwachsen	raise up; to raise [children, agriculture], to cultivate
"Ich ward' hier in dem Township aufgeraist."	"Ich bin hier in dem Dorf aufgewachsen."	"I was raised here in the town."
jmdn./etw. gleichen	jmdn./etw. mögen	to like, appreciate
"Ich hab' den Movie geglichen." "Ich gleich dich!"	"Ich hab den Film sehr gemocht." "Ich mag dich!"	"I liked the movie." "I like you!"
jmdn./etw. heißen	jmd./etw. nennen	to name someone
"Was hab'n sie das Kind geheißt?"	"Was haben sie das Kind genannt?	"What have you named the child?"

etw. - etwas (something)

jmdn. - jemanden (someone (accusative case))

jmd. - jemand (someone)