Many people who speak Pennsylvania Dutch call it an unwritten language because, as far as they know, it never is written. But does the fact that a language usually isn’t written mean that it cannot be written? Obviously not. In fact, there are two official writing systems for Pennsylvania Dutch:
- a German-based system that was created by Albert F. Buffington, Preston Albert Barba, and C. Richard Beam (the BBB system), and
- an English-based system that was created by Hank and Ruth Hershberger when they translated the Bible into Pennsylvania Dutch (Di Heilich Shrift).
Even though the German-based one might be a little harder to learn for people who are used to writing in English, we think it’s worth the effort to learn the German one because it shows the close relationship between German and Pennsylvania Dutch better. It makes Pennsylvania Dutch seem more like a legitimate variety of German instead of just a mishmash of German and English. For these reasons, we use the German-based (BBB) system when we write in Pennsylvania Dutch.
Here’s a little example of written Pennsylvania Dutch that was translated into English by Mark Louden and was taken from his website (https://padutch.net/schwetz-deitsch/):
“Schwetz Deitsch” (Talk Dutch)
Ernest G. Gehman
Saag, kannscht du Deitsch schwetze?
Un kannscht du’s verschteh?
Dutt’s Englisch dich petze?
Macht’s Deitsch dir Heemweh?
Es Deitsch geht zu Schadde,
Un sell iss doch schaad!
Die Eldre hen’s ghadde
Vum Kindsbett zu Laad.
Mer sott’s net verliere,
Sell daerf yuscht net sei!
Was naus geht mit Eldre
Kummt gaar nimmi rei.
Dann schwetz Deitsch, du Amischer!
Du Luddrischer, du Gedolischer, du Dunker,
Schwetz Deitsch, du Mennischt!
Schwetz Deitsch, du wer-, wie-, wu-,
Was-ewwer du bischt!
Say, can you speak PA Dutch?
And can you understand it?
Does English “pinch” you?
Doe PA Dutch make you homesick?
PA Dutch is fading,
And that is too bad!
The parents had it
From the cradle to the coffin.
It shouldn’t be lost,
That just may not be!
What goes out with parents
Will never return.
The talk Dutch, you Amishman!
You Lutheran, you Catholic, you Dunkard,
Talk Dutch, you Mennonite!
Talk Dutch, you who-, how-, where-,
Whatever you are!
There are many such examples of written Pennsylvania Dutch if you know where to look for them. However, it is still true that Pennsylvania Dutch in Amish and Mennonite communities is usually spoken and only very rarely written. That is why this project is designed to deal primarily with spoken language.