We cannot be sure that within the Germanna Colonies speech developed in the way to be described, but it is extremely probable. Examples from several regions show that this to be the pattern. In one region, the Pennsylvania Dutch country, the process is still going on. The original language was German. Even though not all Germans spoke exactly the same dialect they did understand each other.
The biggest change was away from the standard German, especially in speech. With each year, the language within the home grew further away from standard German. The written language remained fixed, anchored by the printed word, especially of the Bible. This standard German is sometimes called High German with a reference to the elevation of the locality in which it was dominant. Thus High German was the language to the south, toward the Alps. Low German was the language toward the north, along the coastal or low lands. Low German is more akin to English.
In the Amish country today, the children must learn three languages. The spoken language of the home is nonstandard. Derived from the German, words have been altered and the grammar has been changed. Some English has been mixed in. Speakers of traditional English and German must smile a bit on hearing this. High or standard German must be learned for formal writing and for the reading of the Bible. To be able to exist comfortably in the world around them, the Amish also learn English. In my conversations with a limited number of Amish, their English was in no way inferior to mine. And they learn all this in eight grades of school.
This process has lasted for more than two and a half centuries and is still going on because the Amish are surrounded by, or immersed in their own culture. Outside contacts are minimal. In our Germanna families, the process varied depending on the size of the community. The Mt. Pony families became English very quickly because the German community was very small. Recently we recapped the Zimmerman family where one member moved to a more Germanic community and the process of acclimation slowed down. The Germantown community was not large and the conversion to English was fairly rapid. In the Robinson River community, though, it was not exclusively German, the process took longer. Even here it varied with the commitment of an individual family to the German cultural institutions such as the school and the church. While the Lutheran church was still using German and believing that it would last forever, the Baptists were preaching in English. Probably some decisions as to which church to attend were based on language.
But regardless of the decision outside the home as to which language to speak, the language in the home tended to change even more slowly. Often the homes had an older generation in them who knew only the original language. To accommodate them, the other members spoke their language, in this case, German or a derivative. Borrowed words found their way into the spoken word and the grammar became mixed. There was no day when a family could say they stopped speaking German and started speaking English. People became accustomed to both languages. At the church, services might be held in English on one Sunday in each month, then on two Sundays and finally entirely in English. Usually an official switch of this type was completed in a few years whereas the switch in the home started sooner and lasted longer.
Perhaps in your own family history you have knowledge of the conversion which you could relate here.
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.