Languages continue changing. So does the way words are spelled.
Why change spelling?
The goal of anything that’s written down is to be read and understood. Native Deitsh speakers are not raised learning how to read their own language. Because of this, most Pennsylvania Dutch words are written the way they sound.
However, modern Pennsylvania Dutch borrows a lot of words from English. In the past, these English words have been spelled the way they sound; as Deitsh-ified words. But many of these borrowed words trip up native speakers when they’re reading. It’s not the words themselves—it’s how they’re spelled.
Native speakers should be able to easily read their own language, with as few distractions as possible.
What has changed?
So here’s what has changed:
- Spellings of many borrowed words have changed to match the English spelling
- Pennsylvania Dutch word beginnings and endings added
- Deitsh endings (like -ah and -i) are added to match the pronouns they go with
- Deitsh beginnings (like k- and ge-) are added to match some past tense words
- Spellings are changed only if it will not change the way words are said.
- Some borrowed English words are already not hard to read. So, no change in spelling is needed.
Here are some examples of the new spelling changes.
| Old Deitsh Spelling | New Deitsh Spelling |
|---|---|
| tshaynsha | change’a |
| haebbi | happy |
| enjoya | enjoy’a |
| enjoyt | enjoy’t (ending changed for past tense) |
| kaebbend | k’happened (starting Pennsylvania Dutch sound added to front of English word) |
| trosta | trust’a |
| getrost | ge’trust |
| deela | deal’a |
| sayf | safe |
| sayfah | safe’ah |
| nambah | number |
| reeli | really |
What has not changed?
The way words are pronounced has not changed. These are just spelling changes to make it easier to read.
How do you know which words have changed?
To help keep track of these new spellings of Deitsh words, the Words List has been updated. The Dictionary will be updated in the future as well.
On the Words List:
- New spellings for affected words will be listed first
- Old way of spelling will remain as well, but listed second
- 💡Look for 🔤 New spelling on newly updated words
Keeping both spellings listed will make it easy to find words for those used to the older way of spelling, and for those who are reading older publications that were published before the spelling changes.
When will these changes start?
Some already have. The new spelling standard is already being used in new items. You will start to notice the changes in upcoming text items. Other printed materials and digital text items will start using the new spelling going forward.