TY - THES
KW - German language
KW - Russian Mennonites
KW - Anabaptists
KW - Language interaction
KW - Language use
KW - Ontario
AU - Nikolai Penner
AB - The main focus of this study is the High German language spoken by Russian Mennonites, one of the many groups of German-speaking immigrants in Canada. Although the primary language of most Russian Mennonites is a Low German variety called Plautdietsch, High German has been widely used in Russian Mennonite communities since the end of the eighteenth century and is perceived as one of their mother tongues. The primary objectives of the study are to investigate: 1) when, with whom, and for what purposes the major languages of Russian Mennonites were used by the members of the second and third migration waves (mid 1920s and 1940-50s respectively) and how the situation has changed today; 2) if there are any differences in spoken High German between representatives of the two groups and what these differences can be attributed to; 3) to what extent the High German of the subjects corresponds to the Standard High German. The primary thesis of this project is that different historical events as well as different social and political conditions witnessed by members of these groups both in Russia (e.g. closure of High German schools and churches in the 1920s and 1930s) and in Canada (e.g. the transition of most Mennonite churches from High German to English) have had a considerable influence upon and were reflected in their perception and use of High German.
C7 - English(30)
CY - Waterloo, Ont.
DP - UWaterloo catalog
ET - Thesis (Ph.D)--2009.
ID - 3169
LA - English
M1 - Dissertation/Thesis
M3 - Electronic(1)
N1 - Includes bibliographical references (p. 277-297).; ID -: vtug4065806
PB - University of Waterloo (Dept. of Germanic and Slavic Studies)
PP - Waterloo, Ont.
PY - 2009
T1 - The High German of Russian Mennonites in Ontario
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10012/4953
ER -