A region that speaks a Texan German dialect

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• published: 21 Jul 2015
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SHOTLIST : New Braunfels, Texas 1. Various of countryside 2. Various of German-style buildings 3. Various interior of German restaurant 4. SOUNDBITE (Texas German) Bill Moltz, Texas German Speaker : "It wasn't forbidden, we still spoke German privately in the home. But earlier in the US every shop had German food and you spoke German every single day. From the start of the WW2 it was more widely forbidden. It wasn't strictly forbidden, but everyone spoke less and less German" 5. Barmaid pouring drink 6. SOUNDBITE (Texas German) Diane Moltz, Texas German Speaker : "The German spoken here in Texas has several words it is an 'English' which is pronounced in a German accent. So "crik" in Texas German would in English be "creek" 7. Close up German-style cheese 8. Various of mural showing German traditions Austin, Texas 9. Various set ups of Professor Hans Boas from the Texas German Dialect Project 10. SOUNDBITE (German) Professor Hans Boas, Texas German Dialect Project : "The interesting thing is you won't find two Texas-German speakers who pronounce words or things the same. There is an impressive variation within this dialect always mixed together English words and sometimes also Spanish words." New Braunfels, Texas 11. Various of mural showing German traditions 12. SOUNDBITE ( German) Professor Hans Boas, Texas German Dialect Project : "If we don't study Texas-German, we will most likely miss an opportunity to learn how the German dialects evolve further with the English language and generally with other languages, and how the (social) structures of German people in such situations change over time." 13. Various of mural showing German traditions LEAD IN: An academic has discovered a dialect of German spoken in the state of Texas that dates back to when settlers first arrived in the area. But the people who speak the dialect are now of the older generation and some are dying, and the language is dying with it. STORYLINE: The quaint hill country town of New Braunfels, Texas, embraces its German roots with a robust Oktoberfest and German-themed restaurants and shops. But visitors are intrigued to hear a German spoken that was sprinkled with English words and phrases pronounced with a German accent. Other phrases sounded German, but weren't quite correct. "Texas German," is a unique dialect that developed as German settlers came to central Texas in the 1840s. But the people who spoke it are dying, and with it, the language. Bill and Diane Moltz grew up in New Braunfels. They say they spoke Texas German at home, and English in school, where they were prohibited from speaking German of any sort during and after World War II. When Hans Boas arrived at the University of Texas in 2001 to teach German, he became interested in "Texas German". No substantial research had been done on the dialect for nearly four decades, so Boas set out to document the dialect. Boas founded the Texas German Dialect Project in September 2001 and it has since interviewed more than 200 speakers. The dialect is a hybrid, mostly German but altered by English, particularly the words and phrases to describe new technology or uniquely American things. So, airplane becomes "luftschiff" (or airboat) in Texas, while in Germany it's "flugzeug." Skunk is "stinkkatze" (or stinking cat) in Texas, while Alpine denizens call it a "stinktier." Other English words are simply said with a German accent. So creek in English becomes "crik" in Texas German. A cowboy, which doesn't exist in Germany, became "der cowboy", the English word preceded by a German article. Boas knew he was up against the clock to document the dialect and the lives of those who spoke it. At its height, as many as 110,000 spoke it, Boas said. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/800c9bc5cf318a52bf59e3d64256c413 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork