2 G. gemüth. HARBAUGH. 8. But now' I truly am a boy Hark! Hearst the rain! 'Yes, yes it plays a proper home-sick air up there upon the roof! 13. They hang not on the cross-beams more and every kind of root; and for my mother bring them in— 3 G. das unterste zu oberst (topsy-turvy). Compare PG. ' hinnǝrscht-feddǝrscht' (wrong end foremost). 4 Transliterated extract from a longer poem in the Father Abraham, Lancaster, Pa. Feb. 1869. § 4. Anglicised German. The following factitious example, full of English words and idioms, is from a New York German newspaper, and purports to be written by a German resident in America. The spelling recalls the name HEYFLEYER over a stall in the stables of the King of Wurtemberg. The writer of the letter spells his name in three ways, instead of 'Schweineberger,' as given in the tale. Landkäsder, Penfilvenia, North-Amerika, 32. Dezr. 52. Dheire Mudder!-Du Würft es nit begreife kenne, alfz ich dort weck bin, hawen alle Leit gefacht, der Hannes werrd nit gud ausmache, das ich jetzt so gut ab binn. Awer, well, jetzt g'hör' ich zu de Tfchentel-Leit in unfre Zitti unn eeniger Männ, wo in Iurop en werri fein Männ is, dhät lachche, bikahs er gleichte fo gut auszumache, als der John Swinebarker. Obfchon, ich unterstehe des Büffeneff beffer as die andre Dotschmänn, wo eweri Teim so schlecht edschukädet bleibe, as fe in Iurop ware; Wer hier gleicht, gud auszumache, mufz fich zu de amerikanische Tfchentel-Leit halte, wo eweri Männ Something lerne kann. Du kannst auch zu mein dheires Eliänorche fage, das es kommen kann; fie kann der hohl Däy im Rockel-Schär fitze, ich send hir inkluded sixtig Dollars, mit das kann fie über Liwerpuhl und Nujork zu mich komme, und verbleibe Dein most zänkvoll Son John Swineberger. Boschkrippt: Du must die Monni for des Bordo auslege; ich will fend es Dir mit dem nächste Letter, John Schweinebärker. 57 CHAPTER IX. ENGLISH INFLUENCED BY GERMAN. § 1. German Words introduced. 1 If the Germans of Pennsylvania adopted many words from English, the English speaking population applied the appellation of German or Dutch to unfamiliar varieties of objects, such as a Dutch cheese, a German lock; or they adopted the original names, as in calling a form of curds smearcase (G. schmierkäse) in the markets and prices current. German forms of food have furnished the vicinal English with sourcrout, mush, shtreisslers, bretsels, fawstnachts, tseegercase, knep (G. Knöpfe, the k usually pronounced), bower-knep, noodles; and in some of the interior markets, endive must be asked for under the name of 'antiifi,' even when speaking English. Dutch gives crullers, but stoop (of a house) is hardly known. In English conversation one may hear expressions like "He belongs to the freindschaft" (he is a kinsman or relation); "It makes me greisslich to see an animal killed" (makes me shudder and revolt with disgust-turns my stomach). strong word without an English equivalent. A The German idiom of using einmal (once) as an expletive, is common, as in "Bring me a chair once," and when a person whose vernacular is English says, "I am through another" (I am confused), he is using a translation of the German durch einander, PG. 'dárich enánner.' Of such introduced words, the following deserve mention. Metsel-soup, originally pudding broth, the butcher's perquisite, but subsequently applied to a gratuity from the animals he has slaughtered. 1 Shrove-tide cakes-with the PG. pronunciation, except st. Shinner, G. schinder (a knacker,') an objurgatory epithet applied by butchers to farmers who compete with them in the market. Speck, the flitch of salt bacon, particularly when boiled with sourcrout, hence, 'speck and sourcrout." Tsitterly, calf's-foot jelly. Hartley, a hurd-le for drying fruit. Snits, a snit (G. schnitz, a cut), a longitudinal section of fruit, particularly apples, and when dried for the kitchen. The term is in use in districts where German is unknown.2 Hootsle, PG. hutsl, G. hotzel, a dried fruit; Bavar. and Suab. hutzel, a dried pear. In Pennsylvania, a peach dried without removing the stone. Dumb (G. dumm) is much used for stupid. Fockle (G. fackel), a fisherman's torch. Mother (PG. from G. mutter-weh, not parturition, but) a hysterical rising in the throat. The word occurs in old and provincial English.3 Chipmunk, a ground-squirrel (Tamias); chip probably from its cry, and Swiss munk, a marmot. Spook (G. Spuk), a spectre; and the verb, as-"It spooks there," "The grave-yard spooks." Cristkintly (PG. Krischtkintli, G. Christ Kindlein), the Christ Child who is supposed to load the christmas trees and bring presents at christmas. Perverted in the Philadelphia newspapers to Kriss Kringle, Kriss Kingle, and Kriss Kinkle. Christmas-tree, a well-known word for a well-known and much used object, but absent from the American dictionaries. Bellsnickle, PG. beltsnikkl (G. Pelz a pelt, skin with hair, as a bear-skin, here used as a disguise, and perhaps associated with peltzen, to pelt,) and Nickel, Nix, in the sense of a demon. (Suab. Pelzmärte, as if based on Martin). A masked and hideously disguised person, who goes from house to house on christmas eve, beating (or pretending to beat) the children and servants, and throwing down nuts and cakes before leaving. A noisy party G. Knochen (bones). 2 A teacher asked a class-If I were to cut an apple in two, what would you call one of the pieces? "A half!" And in four?" "A fourth." And if I cut it in eight equal pieces, what would one of them be? "A snit!" Compare-O, how this mother swells up toward my heart! Thy element's below.-King Lear, act 2, sc. 4, speech 20, v. 54. accompanies him, often with a bell, which has influenced the English name. These, I suppose, were Christmas mummers, though I heard them called "Bell-schnickel."-Atlantic Monthly, October, 1869, p. 484. Gounsh, n. and v.i. As to seesaw implies reciprocal motion, so to gounsh is to move up and down, as upon the free end of an elastic board. PG. 'Kumm, mr wellǝ gaunschǝ.' (Come, let us gounsh.) Suab. gautschen; Eng. to jounce.1 Hoopsisaw (PG. húppsisaa, also provincial German). A rustic or low dance, and a lively tune adapted to it. Inferior lively music is sometimes called 'hoopsisaw music,' 'a hoopsisaw tune.' 2 Hoove, v.i. a command to a horse to back, and used by extension as in "The men hooved (demurred) when required to do more work." Used in both senses in the Swiss hüfen, imperative hüf! and Schmeller (Bayr. Wörterb. 2, 160) gives it as Bavarian. Hussling-, or Hustling-match, PG. hossl-mætsch (with English match), a raffle. From the root of hustle, the game being conducted by shaking coins in a hat and counting the resulting heads. Sock up, "to make a man sock up," pay a debt, produce his sack or pouch. This is uncertain, because, were a PG. expression to occur like "Du muscht ufsakkə" (you must sock up), it might be borrowed from English. Boof, peach brandy. In Westerwaldish, buff is water-cider,—cider made by wetting the pomace and pressing it a second time. Sots, n. sing. G. satz, home-made 'yeast' as distinguished from 'brewer's-east.' Sandman, "The sandman is coming," said when children get sleepy about bedtime and indicate it by rubbing the eyes. Used thus in Westerwald and Suabia.3 Children are warned against touching dirt by the exclamation (bæætschi). Snoot, for snout, a widespread teutonic form. 1 The German word appears to be gautschen without the n. So Schmeller (Bayerisches Wörterbuch, 2, 87) “gautschen, getschen, schwanken, schaukeln." Adelung (Wörterbuch der hochdeutschen Mundart, 2, 439) explains it as a technical paper-maker's word for taking the sheets out of the mould and laying them upon the press-board, Gautschbret. He adds that a carrying chair was formerly called a Gautsche, and refers it to Kutsche and French coucher.-A. J. E. 2 Compare Papageno's song in Mozart's Zauberflöte : Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja Stets lustig, heisa, hopsasa.-A. J. Ellis. 3 Known probably throughout England. Known to me, a Londoner, from earliest childhood.-A. J. Ellis. § 2. Family Names Modified. With several concurrent languages, the deterioration of names is an obvious process. Among the mixed population of Baltimore, the name Bradley' is to a Frenchman Bras-delong; for 'Strawberry' (alley) and Havre-de-grâce' (in Maryland) the Germans say Strubbel, and Hasel-im-gras; and the Irish make the following changes Schöffeler Fayette Street Scofield A German with a name which could not be appreciated, was called John Waterhouse because he attended a railroad tanka name which he adopted and placed upon his sign when he subsequently opened a small shop. A German family became ostensibly Irish by preferring the sonant phase of their initial -calling and writing themselves Grady instead of Krady; a name 'Leuter' became Lander; 'Amweg' was tried a while as Amwake and then resumed; and in a family record, the name 'George' is given as Schorts. A postoffice 'Chickis' (Chikiswalungo-place where crayfish burrow) received a letter directed to Schickgets, another Schickens Laenghaester Caunte, and 'Berks County' has been spelled Burgix Caunte.1 The following German and Anglicised forms may be compared, The geographical names at the close of Chapter I. p. 6, are Kentucky, Safe Harbor, Syracuse, and Pinegrove. The drugs are aloes (pronounced as in Latin!), paregoric, citrine ointment, acetic acid, hiera picra, cinnamon, Guiana pepper, gentian, cinchona, opium, hive syrup, senna and manna mixed, sulphate of zink, corrosive sublimate, red precipitate, aniline, logwood, Epsom salts, magnesia, cordial, cubebs, bichromate of potash, valerian (G. Báldrian), laurel berries, cochineal. 2 Rhymes plaguey, even in English localities. 3 As if from the plant elder, instead of Swiss halde, a steep or declivity-the name being Swiss, |