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How Did Texas German Dialect Originate And Evolve

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The Dying Out of The Texas German Dialect May Not Be The End for German Texans

Introduction

When German Texans read a headline, “Unique dialect, Texas German, taking last gasp,” alarms clang through their heads (Winkie, 2015). More than half of the 6,900 languages alive today are at risk of dying out by the end of the 21st century (Britannica). Is Texas German one of them? If so, how close is it to dying out? How do German Texans think and feel about the decline of their dialect? Can the dialect be salvaged? How? This article seeks answers to such questions.

How did the Texas German dialect originate and evolve?

Texas German emerged during early German settlements in Texas, especially in New Braunfels. Due to isolation from English-speaking …show more content…

Intermarriages, nationalism, modernity, globalization, and the Internet also increased the adoption of English for use in government, commerce, technology, entertainment, and diplomacy (Britannica).

Because English was more dominant, German Texans stopped speaking their language in public and private domains not to put their families at a socioeconomic disadvantage (Philippa Law). As shown in Figures 1 (A), (B), (C), and (D) respectively, the usage of German in New Braunfels elementary schools, churches, shops, and neighborhoods declined significantly between 1920 and 2006 (Boas, 2009).

There are about 8000-10,000 fluent Texas German speakers left, barely any young people, down from about 150,000 in the 1940s. Using McConvell's (2002) “levels of endangerment” scale in Figure 2, Dr. Boas found out that Texas German was critically endangered.

Figure 2. McConvell's (2002) Levels of endangerment scale

If the trends continue, Texas German will become extinct. Dr. Boas says, "If we're optimistic, we'll get 30 more years… if we're pessimistic, maybe 15 or 20 years" (Winkie,

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