COMMENTS
Your comments and suggestions about the information and audio files
made available on this site are always appreciated. I can be contacted
at Jim Derksen
Please indicate in your emails if you do not want your comments or suggestions
shared on this web site. Otherwise all messages received may be displayed
in whole or part on this page. Thank you.
February 27, 2012
Jon Harder of Mennolink has just advised that Herman Rempel' s automated word for word dictionary has been temporarily unavailable due to server failure and that it will likely be online again sometime this week. For this, we are truly grateful.
February 26, 2012
Update on Herman Rempel' s automated word for word dictionary is, regrettably, that it is no longer available on the Mennolink website. Herman Rempel's dictionary, however is being sold on the Mennolink online books store. I have written to the manager of Mennolink for more information on this development.
January 8, 2012
Hi Jim,
I have frequently used your site, in particular Herman Rempels automated word for word dictionary. It is not working for me currently and I am not sure why. I can open the link for “dictionaries” but cannot open the Rempel dictionary link. Can you help me out please as this is a great resource I use all the time.
Thanks for your time.
Regards,
Will Klassen
Response:
Hello Will Klassen,
I have tested my site out several days running now, and it seems to function well for opening the Rempel dictionary link. I hope this will work well for you now and in the future. However, I can direct you so that you can access it directly by going to the following site:
http://www.mennolink.org/cgi-bin/dictcgi
I hope that I will shortly be able to update my Plautdietsch site, and hopefully then you will be able to access at least one new interactive dictionaries. Thank you for your interest. Yours truly,
Jim Derksen
December 13, 2011
Hi there I am looking for some help to translate one sentence into Plautdietsch.
the sentence is..... "I feel unworthy."
Wondering if you could possibly help me with this???
Thank you,
Anita Wiebe
Response:
Hello Anita, Some of the dictionaries that have been produced suggest the words, "one Weat" (without worth), or "nikjswirdijch"space (worth nothing) for unworthy. I would think the sentence "I feel unworthy" could be translated as, "Eck feele one Weat" or "Eck feele nikjswirdich." I hope this is somewhat helpful. I don't think any of these suggestions are completely accurate but they do convey the general idea. Thank you. Regards,
Jim
December 13, 2011
Hi there I am looking for some help to translate one sentence into Plautdietsch.
the sentence is..... "I feel unworthy."
Wondering if you could possibly help me with this???
Thank you,
Anita Wiebe
Response:
Hello Anita, Some of the dictionaries that have been produced suggest the words, "one Weat" (without worth), or "nikjswirdijch"space (worth nothing) for unworthy. I would think the sentence "I feel unworthy" could be translated as, "Eck feele one Weat" or "Eck feele nikjswirdich." I hope this is somewhat helpful. I don't think any of these suggestions are completely accurate but they do convey the general idea. Thank you. Regards,
Jim
December 10, 2011
Jim
Spoke it till I was 8 than teasing at school made me quit
Do you know of any audio teaching aid in Plautdietsch
Thanks
Mountainman Canadian BIKER poet and Web Master & Web Designer
Response:
Hello,
Several audio learning resources are noted in the Learning Plautdietsch page in this website. None of these are actually intended as teaching aids, but they can be helpful. There is also a YouTube video series at <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UmQkIQRThc> ,which is being tested as a learning tool. Thank you for your interest in relearning Plautdietsch.
Yours truly,
Jim
December 9, 2011
Jim,
I wrote you a couple of weeks ago about the new online Plautdietsch lexicon. It was set up with a web hosting company which was not supposed to put ads on the pages. However, that changed and now there are ads there, so we have moved the site to a new location.
http://plautdietsch.22web.net
In addition to the lexicon pages, there is also an English-Plautdietsch reversal section, a categories section which sorts words according to semantic domain, a reversed sort section useful for finding rhyming words and a section listing all words by parts of speech.
As I mentioned earlier, please feel free to include a link to this new location on your Resources page.
Loren Koehler
Response:
Hello Loren,
I am very very pleased with the new Plautdietsch lexicon put up by yourself and Ed Zacharias. It appears to be a very comprehensive and multifunctional tool for those of us who are motivated to use the language. As you have indicated, in your e-mail to me, that I may link to your lexicon on the Resources page of this website, I will certainly do so. Thank you very much for this wonderful work!
Yours truly,
Jim
October 7, 2011
Hello Northern Neighbor,
I am in a suburb of Denver, Colorado.
Since my retirement, I have developed an interest in my German ancestry. I now have the time to do a little research. Not for any religious purpose but rater to satisfy my own curiosity. I was fortunate to have lived with my grandparents as a youngster. They spoke a little broken English but conversed otherwise in a dialect of Plautdietsch. When I asked them what language they spoke, the answer was always [phonetically] Plot Dietsch. They were not Mennonites nor Catholic. They attended a Congregational Church in Greeley, Colorado. I suppose the reason being was that it held two services. One was spoken in German the other in English. My approach to trace back their origins to the "old country" is awkward, I have no scholarly background to do analytical studies. My thinking suggests that perhaps their "mother tongue" could hold some clues. What I do know for certain is they came to America around 1912 from a German settlement southwest of Saratov, Russia. Their birth dates were in 1879. My interest is in their families prior migration to Russia. I'd like to find out "where they came from?". There is some historical record that would place our family ancestors in the Isenburg area of Germany around 1765.
My grandfather suffered from palsy after a stroke which left his speech slurred. He told us the family was from "Swartzeland, Swissland, Swaziland" and so on. We could never determine whether he was saying Switzerland, The Black Forest, or the "dark earth area" of Austria.
Our surname is Zeller, which could imply a person from the city of Zell. I found cities bearing the name of Zell in the Schwartzwald, Bavaria, Germany, and Austria. Not much of a lead eh?
Back to the language connection. Can you offer any comments which may help me in my Quest? Any resources? My best help to date has been the Volga German Historical Society in Lincoln, Nebraska. I will spend more time tomorrow looking at your site and listening to your audio tracks.
I hope my lengthy email was not too long-winded for you to endure.
That's what happens when you get old! Thank you.
Reuben J. Zeller
Denver, CO USA
Response:
Hello Mr. Zeller,
The pronunciation you provided for your grandparents language is accurate for the Plautdietsch of my website provided that the "Dietsch" you indicate is Germanic so the "ie" becomes the long E sound as in "tree". If this is true, your language is probably from the eastern north coast of Europe closer to the old Danzig (Gdansk) than to the western German/Dutch/Flemish north coast of the continuum of low Saxon languages. Those low Saxon languages of the west self identify as (phonetically) "platt Doytch". Most but not all the Mennonites who settled first in Prussia and then the Ukraine adopted the low Saxon language of the east (Danzig) before moving to the Ukraine. One of my ancestors came from Germanic Switzerland but then adopted the eastern low Saxon of Danzig before moving to Canada by way of the Ukraine. I hope all of this is at least a little help to you. Good luck.
Regards,
Jim
July 11, 2011
Hello,
I was wondering if you have any updated information regarding learning Plautdietsch since you last updated your website?
I am a teacher and will be in a public school where many of my students will know Plautdietsch and would like to have an opportunity to learn as much as I can to support their learning.
Thanks,
Kris
Response:
Hello Kris,
I regret to say I am not aware of many resources for learning Plautdietsch. I have not had the time to update my website for a long time. Perhaps some of the other websites you can connect with through my website may be able to help. For example PlautCast has started a new project: "Low German Lessons." This can be found at <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UmQkIQRThc>.I would appreciate you advising me of any new resources you discover. Best wishes in your endeavors. Thank you.
Regards,
Jim Derksen
July 10, 2011
Dear Jim,
PLEASE! All Mennonites are not of Low German origin. There were two original Mennonite centers, one in the North (Holland, Friesland, Lower Saxony and Prussia) and a second one in Switzerland and adjacent parts of southwest Germany. Most of the members of this second group emigrated to Pennsylvania in the eighteenth century and in the nineteenth century many of their descendents spread out into the American Midwest and into Ontario. Their southwest German dialects more or less coalesced into what is usually called "Pennsylvania Dutch", but is more accurately called "Pennsylvania German. That dialect is still generally spoken by the Amish (who split off from the southwest German Mennonites over the application of the Meidung ("shunning") early in the eighteenth century). As far as I know most Mennonite congregations in the US and Canada have given up using High German or Pennsylvania German in church services, having replaced it with English.
I have a fair command of both High German and Pennsylvania Dutch but have great difficulty following the occasional Plaut Dietsch sermons at the Mennonite Church I attend (Kleine Gemeinde) in Nova Scotia. Fortunately there is always someone sitting behind me who can furnish me with a written summary of the preaching! At first I thought that I would be able to understand things easily once I learned to make certain shifts of sounds (for example, k > kj, f >p, or s > t) fast enough in my mind, but it has not worked out well that way. I have started a new approach, namely, to simply learn the correct Plaut Dietsch words for basic Christian concepts and build from there.
Anyhow, the important thing is that many, many North American Mennonites have a Swiss or southwest German origin but still maintain exactly the same beliefs and customs as their Russian-German Plautdietsch brethren.
Ven Bachman
Response:
Dear Ven,
Of course, you're absolutely right in correcting me concerning the language of Mennonites. Your account of their origin in Switzerland and adjacent parts of southwest Germany is correct and very helpful. I do have one ancestor, a Mr. Buhler, who originated in Switzerland, but then moved to the Vistula Valley where he and his descendents learned and some still speak Plautdietsch in the diaspora. Mennonites are a very diverse community throughout the world. Thank you very much for your correction. I will see to it that the Plautdietsch.ca website is corrected.
Yours truly,
Jim
July 8, 2011
I am looking for the plautdietsch word for "horseradish". I am of Mennonite descent and my sister and I cannot come up with this word. Out mother used to put a piece of horseradish into the jar in which she made pickles.
Maybe you can help?
Sharon Wiebe
Response:
Hi Sharon,
The Mennonite Low German Dictionary by Jack Thiessen translates horseradish as Maaradijch (there is an umlaut over the first "a")
Thank You,
Jim Derksen
June 1, 2011
Hi Jim
I found your plautdietsch web site...very interesting... do you still have a group that gets together to speak the language?
I would like to find a group... I used to speak the language but am very much out of practice.
Rosella
Response:
Hello Rosella,
I'm sorry to say that our group in Winnipeg has not met for several years. The winter of our regular meetings however was a very important time of learning how to converse in Plautdietsch. It was also the occasion of making several friends in my neighborhood, with whom I am now able to meet occasionally and speak this good old language. I believe the more one is able to use a language as a means of natural conversation and discussion, the more the language grows and survives. And of course, the greater one's enjoyment of it is.
I am exploring the possibility of facilitating the use of VOIP or Voice Over Internet Protocol, perhaps Skype, to enable those who wish to use the language but currently isolated in other dominant language. Cultures to be able to speak to others in Plautdietsch. Watch this site for further developments. Thank you for your interest.
Yours truly,
Jim
March 22, 2011
Hallo
i hope you can understand german. if not, i will try it in english;)
ich habe das Glück im Sommer eine Zeit lang in einer Kolonie süd westlich von Portage la Prairie leben zu dürfen. Es wäre nett wenn du dich melden würdest denn ich habe einige Fragen diesbezüglich.
Grüße aus Deutschland
Markus Rosskopf
Response:
Hello Markus,
I was able to understand your question only with the help of an online translator. With regret, I am not at all proficient in German. If you can, please ask your question in English. Thank you.
Yours truly,
Jim
February 21, 2011
Hi Jim,
I came upon your website while searching the internet for some audio samples of Manitoba Mennonite Low German sounds. I currently live in Winnipeg, having moved here recently from Ontario. I'm wondering if you could point me in the right direction to hear more audio? I'm heading to Steinbach soon to visit the museum and hopefully capture some more of the accent. I currently work in Theatre and am researching the accent.
thanks for your time,
Shannon
Response:
Hi Shannon,
My website is mostly of Plautdietsch itself rather than Plautdietsch accented English. You'll probably hear a lot of that live in Steinbach. A local writer of fiction, Armin Wiebe, especially in his book "The Salvation of Yash Siemans" writes English with constructions borrowed from Plautdietsch. His website is: www.arminwiebe.ca. I hope this helps. Good luck, and thanks for your interest in the language and accent.
Jim
February 24, 2011
Hi Jim,
thanks for responding to my email. I'm actually researching the accent for Armin's upcoming play, The Moonlight Sonata of Beethoven Blatz. It is a small world! I managed to find some good audio samples in the last few days so I think I am on the right track. I also picked up a great book that traces the language throughout history, by Reuben Epp.
thanks again for your help,
Shannon
January 4, 2011
Hi, Jim Derksen,
I am a United States citizen currently living in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Every time I go down to a local market, I see Mennonites. There are stores there that cater to Mennonites. I once asked one of them if they speak English. He responded, "No, Plautdietsch."
My mother, whose ancestors were from Germany, used to serve sauerkraut at evening meals. I have since become very interested in sauerkraut for its "probiotic" properties as well as for the pleasant memories it conjures up. I have tried to make it myself but with limited success or no success at all.
I just did a Google search with the keywords "sauerkraut" and "Mennonites". I found several references to Mennonite recipes containing sauerkraut. They seem very self-sufficient so I assume they make it themselves.
I would like to ask one of them about sauerkraut and it would be helpful if I knew the Plautdietsch word for sauerkraut.
Can you help?
I appreciate your attention to this request.
Sincerely,
David Koehler
Response:
Hi David Koehler,
The Jack Thiessen Mennonite Low German Dictionary spells the Plautdietsch word for sauerkraut: "suakommst" with two small dots (umlaut) over the "u". I hope this is helpful.
Thanks for your interest. Best regards,
Jim Derksen
October 8, 2010
I have been listening to readings by Elmer Reimer and have problems with some chapters of the new testament . There is just a hum. Who looks after the web site that it can be understood?
Thank you
Harvey Plett
Response:
Hi Harvey,
Elmer Reimer’s Plautdietsch New Testament has technical help page act:
http://www.biblegateway.com/feedback/bug.php I expect this will be of some help to you in regard to the audio difficulties you are experiencing. Good luck and best wishes.
Yours truly,
Jim
October 1, 2010
Hi Jim,
Congratulations on keeping the site going.
Just wanted to let you know I have renovated arminwiebe.ca and it now includes stuff about my Brummtopp and I even have a video clip of me playing the instrument and singing a Plautdietsch song that my father used to sing to us.
All the best,
Armin
Response:
Hello Armin,
Thank you for the good news about the Brummtopp information on your site. As you may know, visitors to the plautdietsch.ca site, have sometimes asked about this instrument and I have not been able to give them much information. I find the video and audio information you have added with the text on your website < http://www.arminwiebe.ca/Brummtopp%20home.htm> most helpful. Thank you again.
Yours truly,
Jim
September 3, 2010
Great ....thanks for doing this!
Sent from my iPad.
Shirley Hiebert
August 12, 2010
Hi Jim,
PlautCast has started a new project: "Low German Lessons"
We thought this might interest you and it could be something you wanted to share with your readers.
on behalf of PlautCast,
Ken
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UmQkIQRThc
Response:
Hello Ken,
I very much enjoyed the three low German lessons you now have on YouTube. I think they would be very helpful to people wanting to learn how to speak Plautdietsch. Probably some of your conversations are too fast for many people just learning the language. Thank you for making these and having them available on YouTube. I will put the <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UmQkIQRThc>
link you have provided on on the resources/links and resources/Learning Plautdietsch pages of this website. Thank you for doing this. Yours truly,
Jim Derksen
April 27, 2010
Dee Staudtmusikaunte ut Bremen äwasat von Jack Thiessen
Een Maun haud een Esel, dee aul väle Joahre ohne too grommsauje dee Satj noh de Mähl jedroagt haud. Oba nu leet siene Krauft noh, enn siene Oabeit word emma meddasja. Sien Bauß docht doaraun, ahm nijch lenja too foodre, enn ahm auftooschaufe; daut word dee Esel mett siene lange kluake Uhre enn, enn hee läd eenes Doagess loos, enn huppad lieseltjess noh Bremen opptoo. Doa, soo docht hee sijch, kunn hee Staudtmusikaunt woare. Auls hee een Stootstje unjawäjess wea, fung hee eenen Jäjahund oppem Wajch lidje, enn dissa jescht, soo’s een meeda Hund. "Na, Gohlidje, waut hast Du soo seea too jesche?" fruag dee Esel. (For the remainder of this Plautdietsch translation of " The Town Musicians of Bremen," generously contributed to this site by Jack Thiessen, please see Dee Staudtmusikaunte ut Bremen äwasat von Jack Thiessen
Response:
Thank you very much for this contribution, Jack! I'm certain the visitors to this website will enjoy this story in Plautdietsch. For those that wish to read more of your original stories and translations in Plautdietsch, can, of course, can find many more of these on the late Eugene Reimer's website, http://ereimer.net/Thiessen/stories.htm .
April 26, 2010
I'm Phyllis Kroeker, born 1945 in Steinbach to Ben D. and Marie (Toews) Kroeker. I just now discovered your lovely site and will explore it in minute detail, enjoying it very much. Thank you so much for creating the site. What you say about the development of the dialect sounds very close to what I have learned of it, although I've understood the migrants carried their Dutch language with them from Holland/Belgium. A Belgian philologist examined my mother telling a plautdietsch story on audio tape and said it was clearly from the dutch/belgian border. He was very interested in how the language had not evolved along with its home useage - sort of frozen in time and then affected by loan words from the cultures who hosted them, as you say on your page. I think he called it "archaic" Dutch/Flemish, explaining it was a process arrested like the French spoken in Canada.. He described it as archaic, in that it hadn't evolved along with its home country's usage beyond what it was when it arrived in Canada. The plautdietsch page on facebook has the link to your page which I used. I've researched, too, our history and it's wonderful to meet someone who knows so much accurate data about it.
Phyllis Kroeker
Response:
I'm so glad you enjoy the site, and I expect the people that read your comments will enjoy your references to the Dutch/Flemish influences and origins of the Plautdietsch vocabulary.
April 24, 2010
Hi Jim,
I've just discovered a Facebook-group on Plautdietsch that you may be interested in:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2264354537&v=info
Eugene Reimer
Response:
Thank you very much, Eugene! I will add this to the Links section of this plautdietsch.ca website.
December 23, 2008
I found your name at random on the internet and are hoping that you
can help me. I am 55 years old and can speak and understand Plautdietch
but can not write it. I am looking for information on a home made musical
instrument called a " brum tup". I remember my parents talk
about this instrument I believe was made out of a barrel with hair from
a horses tail coming out of it. Rosin was applied to the hair which
was then pulled between thumb and forefinger causing it to create a
sound. I think it was played at house gathering between Christmas and
New Years. Have you or your friends ever heard of such a thing. I don't
know if this was a Plautdietch tradition or not. I am trying to find
out what it was and possibly make one. Hoping you can help or give me
information as to where I could obtain this info. Thank you in advance
for you help. Merry Christmas
Martin Klassen
Response:
I have heard of this, but I have no practical experience or information
except that I read or heard that the membrane over the barrel was made
from a pig's bladder. Perhaps visitors to the site can provide better
information? Merry Christmas and good luck!
February 6, 2008
Dear Jim,
The comments re. the Holdemann Low German are erroneous, in part simply
because the Holdemanns around here are all formerly Kleingmeindler and
as such all speak the Molotschna veriety of Mennonite Low German.
Since the three universities, Marburg, Kiel and Madison which all conduct
serious and respected research on MLG, and are the authorities in the
field and since I have interacted with them on a scholarly basis all
my life, you are welcome to contact me if you have serious and academic
interests.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jack T.
Response:
I'm very pleased you have visited the Plautdietsch.ca site. I appreciate
your interest and correction. All the Holdemann people I know also speak
Plautdietsch. I was probably misled by the early history of the Holdemann
(Church of God in Christ) Faith among the Swiss-American (Pennsylvania
Dutch) Mennonites. I cannot and do not claim serious, or unserious,
academic interest. Seriously warm regards,
Jim
January 31, 2008
I've got a question about word 'haupsen'. What does it mean in Plautdietsch
? Please explain it to me in English because I don't understand that
language and I need to know what 'haupsen" means.
Big thx
Peter
Response:
Jack Thiessen's Dictionary (see: http://www.plautdietsch.ca/res1.html
) defines "haupse", probably a dialectic variation of "haupsen",
as "to take a greedy bite." Thank you. Regards,
Jim
January 31, 2008
Thx for that,
I found here: http://www.opplautdietsch.de/html/wieedabuak.html definition
of a word "aufhaupsen":
"aufhaupsen (schw.T.; sp: haupsen auf) haustich waut vom Läpel
haupsen ooda em Mul nämen"
But I've no idea what it means :) I don't undetstand all the words
in definition. Maybe you can translate the definition to English?
Thanx again
Peter
Response:
Very loosely translated, this is "to take something into the mouth
or from a spoon with haste." I hope this is of some help. Thank
you. Regards,
Jim
January 22, 2008
Dear Mr. Derksen,
I am just curious to know if you are a Holdeman Mennonite or if you
are familiar with this branch of Mennonites???
Do you know if this language is the one spoken by the Holdeman's???
We called it "Dutch" in my family but I did not learn to speak
it so I'm not sure if this is it. I think I recognize a few words.
I appreciate your web site very much and have found it most enlightening!!!
Sincerely,
Sheryl Tinkler
Response:
The Holdeman Mennonites arose among the Swiss-German (Pennsylvania-Dutch
speaking) Mennonites of America in the mid-19th century. In the mid-1870s
many Plautdietsch-speaking immigrants coming from the old world to Kansas,
U.S.A. and to Manitoba, Canada converted to this faith. In short, some
Holdeman Mennonite's do speak Plautdietsch, others speak Pennsylvania
Dutch. More history is summarised at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_God_in_Christ%2C_Mennonite#History
I hope this is helpful.
June 16, 2007
Greetings Jim,
I've just learned about another Plautdietsch dictionary. It's written
entirely in Plautdietsch (as opposed to being English<->Plautdietsch),
looks to be extremely thorough and comprehensive, although using a spelling-system
that is slightly different yet again, compared to Herman Rempel's, Reuben
Epp's, or Jack Thiessen's. I've only given it a quick look so far, but
think it looks promising, and intend to study it further. See http://opplautdietsch.de/html/wieedabuak.html
You may want to add this dictionary to your webpage on Plautdietsch
dictionaries?
PS: I was wondering why I'd failed to find this one during my supposedly
thorough googling for Plautdietsch dictionaries & spell-checkers;
the answer is that it only describes itself as "Wieedabuak",
and until reading this dictionary that was not one of the ways I spelt
that word -- shows how badly we need a spelling-system we agree on:-)
Eugene
June 16, 2007
Hi Jim,
I came across another resource that may be useful to those trying to
master the spoken form of Plautdietsch. A fellow named Elmer Reimer
has produced a Plautdietsch New Testament in both written and spoken
form, and both are available on the internet.
written: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jehaun;&version=56
spoken: http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/audio/?source=9
Not as entertaining as Koop en Bua, but it may be more to some people's
taste. In case you're wondering which form of spoken Dietsch this Reimer
uses, here's a post by Reuben Epp on the subject, which is also of interest
for its explanation of the KJ vs TJ differences: http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0305c&L=lowlands-l&D=1&F=P&P=4594
I have learned that this Elmer is not the same person as Al Reimer.
(I wondered because Al's given-name happens to be Elmer.) Although both
come from the same linguistic sub-group of Dietsch-speakers, both being
descended from Kleine-gemeinders who left the Molotschna in the 1870's,
although Elmer spent much of his life in Mexico. That also means that
both are likely related to me - I know Al is.
cheers,
Eugene
June 16, 2007
Jim Derksen,
Brooda, du hast eenen schmocken Boat!! Wua kaun ekj uk soonen kjeepen?
Hi, I am Ed Zacharias. I have been one of the translators of De Bibel.
We of course developed our own spelling system (orthography) basing
it somewhat on the J J Neufeld New Testament, and further on comments
we had received from colony Mennonites about what was difficult about
it.
We have also developed a spellchecker, which we have been sharing.
We have a written set of gramatical rules that we used. Beyond that
I have collected and printed a "Plautdietsche Leeda" book
and continue to write a column for the Mennonitische Post. (Audio CDs
of the songs have been recorded by Gospel Light Singers, and available
through Mennonitische Post.) Mr Jacob Fehr, who also writes for Mennonitische
Post kindly has allowed me to spell check all of his writings, hopefully
before they appear in the MPost. I wonder how set you are on your way
of writing, and whether how mucht you have done to develop rationale
and rules for it. I would be very interested in comparing that with
what we have done. I am also willing to share our resources with you,
if you are interested, with a view of finding common ground. I must
admit I have a strong bias for what we did when we wrote De Bibel, and
continue to use in Mennonitische Post and other writing.Perhaps it would
help me to know how far you are in preparing a dictionary. I had tentative
plans of refining and printing what currently is on 'opplautdietsch.de'
but that may need to be reconsidered, now that I know you are also working
on something like that. Well I don't know whether you will want to respond
to all of these thoughts, but I do invite a response and dialogue with
you on our interest in
Plautdietsch literacy.
Ed Zacharias ezacharias@mts.net, 204 325 8705, Winkler
June 8, 2007
Hi Jim,
I find your site interesting and I am pleased that there are people
that work at preserving this rich treasure we have in Plautdietsch.
We have set up a Low German ethnic radio station here in Aylmer, Ontario.
We set it up to help Low German newcomers find their way a little easier
in a new country and have been operating under the banner “integration
and inclusion through information and education”. Lately I have
been thinking that we should include another aim of advancing or preserving
Low German.
Thanks for your work in this.
Abe Harms
Regional Manager - MCC Aylmer Resource Centre, E.D - Aylmer & Area
Inter-Mennonite Community Council, 16 Talbot St E., Aylmer ON N5H 1H4
Tel: 519-765-3020 email: abeh@mccayl.org
May 16, 2007
Hello Jim
I'm interested to know where the spelling of the word Plautdietsch comes
from. My mother spoke a low German and pronounced Deutsch as Deitsch.
So I would have spelled it Plautdeitsch.
Donna Dilschneider
March 8, 2007
Dear Jim Derksen,
By my last name you no doubt realize I am Russian/German Mennonite,
but my first name probably tells you that I don't know the low german
language. The reason I am contacting you is because of my unique situation.
I grew up in Winkler but have since travelled the world and settled
in Taber AB with my wife. I work for Lethbridge Family Services - Immigrant
Services with a new office in Taber. The majority of immigrants in Taber
are Mexican Mennonite, much like Winkler. However, the majority of them
here have come recently (90's and continuing) and my being able to speak
Plautdietsch would be an endless resource here. As you no doubt know,
many Low German Mennonites are suspicious of 'outsiders' and I am nearly
one of them except that my last name reveals my background to them so
they will talk with me in English (those able to do so) and they like
my being able to help them. I am working towards helping them by offering
settlement services and a program both being funded by CIC through my
Lethbridge office. I know that if I were to remain here long term, speaking
their native language would be a tremendous asset. If I were to speak
the language I could better help these people.
Now, there are many in Taber (business people, community workers) who
want to learn the Plautdietsch/Low German language but none are willing
to teach. Primarily, as you know the language is essentially an oral
only language (save their KJV translation of the Bible) and resources
are difficult to come by to help others to learn it. Your site encourages
people to continue on in its language, but I fear that that is a shear
impossibility unless a way to learn it can be established, other than
being born into it, which is becoming increasingly left aside. Perhaps
you have some information to help me and others or some resources? The
LGM population in Taber is only growing steadily and I because I am
the only govt funded individual in town my need to speak their language
is strong.
Please consider my request. Information or some resources would be
a tremendous help and I will find a way to repay the favour.
Good luck in your work, I will be using your website as a resource
for myself, co-workers, and volunteers in the community, thank you!
Sincerely,
Cory Giesbrecht
March 7, 2007
Good afternoon Jim,
I just saw your site and it’s great, I was wondering if you knew
where I could find any Plautdietsch music that I could either download
or buy.
Thanks a bunch!
Maurice P LaBorde
Response:
Please pardon my delay in answering your question. The best general
source of recorded Plautdietsch music (in Manitoba) is probably:
Die Mennonitische Post
383 Main Street
Steinbach, MB
Canada R5G 1Z4
Telephone: 204-326-6790
FAX: 204-326-6302
You may also contact a local Winnipeg song writer/singer at http://www.kensawatzky.com/.