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Abstract
As we begin the twenty-first century, knowledge of the German dialects of the Volga Germans in Kansas is restricted, with perhaps a few exceptions, to the population of senior citizens. We can no longer speak of languages used for daily interaction and communication. For most, these dialects are remembered only partially in conversational fragments and in stories or songs. After the mid-twentieth century, the increased mobility of the population in the rural communities that supported these dialects marked the beginning of the end. As younger generations moved to the cities to find jobs, it was no longer possible to maintain the old ways and the languages associated with them. It is thus all the more important that a thorough documentation of these dialects be made now so that future generations will have access to this rich linguistic and cultural heritage.
For over two hundred years, the Volga Germans maintained their dialects, proverbs, songs, and stories from the German homeland in both the Russian and American environments. The features of their language including the sounds, the vocabulary, and even the grammatical forms are distinctive and tell a story of evolution reflecting exposure to a variety of cultural contexts. The sketch of the Victoria or Herzog dialect presented below is designed to inform both the interested descendant of these hardy Volga Germans as well as to offer insights into general questions of language history and variation within the context of German dialect study.
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2004
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Max Kade Center for German-American Studies, University of Kansas
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Volga German, Kansas
Citation
Keel, William D. 2004. "A Grammatical Sketch of the Victoria (Herzog) Dialect of Kansas Volga German." In The Volga Germans of West Central Kansas: Aspects of Their History, Politics, Culture and Language, ed. William Keel, James Forsythe, Francis Schippers and Helmut Schmeller. Lawrence, KS: Max Kade Center for German-American Studies, 2004, pp. 217-239.