German in the United States
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Before World War I, more than 6 percent of American schoolchildren received their primary education only in German. Furthermore, more than 45 million Americans claim they have German ancestors. Only 1.5 million, however, speak that language at the present time. Today German is still the second most spoken language in two states: North Dakota and South Dakota.
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Pennsylvania
The Amish speak a dialect of German known as Pennsylvania German, a remnant of what was once a much larger German-speaking area in eastern Pennsylvania. Indeed, there are many places in this area named Germantown.
Texas
There is a dying dialect called Texas German based in the Texas Hill Country in the vicinity of the town of Fredricksburg.
Hutterites
Hutterite communities in the United States and Canada speak Hutterite German, an Austro-Bavarian dialect. Hutterite is spoken in the US States of Washington, Montana, North and South Dakota, and Minnesota; and in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.
Official language?
A myth holds that German was to be the official language of the US, replacing English to sever ties with Great Britain. Also the myth tells of how German almost beat out English as the United States' official language, but this is inaccurate: It is based on a failed early attempt to have government documents translated into German. Also, unlike most countries that have legal documents declaring that one, or perhaps multiple languages are official, acceptable languages to use in that country - the U.S. has no official language; English is used simply because the majority understands it. Therefore, it is quite possible for the language to change if ever there is a larger majority that speaks another (different) language besides English, although it is highly unlikely because the history of the country with its historical documents (i.e. Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, etc.)
Literature
- Kloss, Heinz (1977, reprinted 1998). The American Bilingual Tradition. (Language in Education; 88) McHenry,IL: Center for Applied Linguistics and Delta Systems. ISBN 1-887744-02-9