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Werdersch (Template:Lang-de) is a subdialect of Low Prussian, which itself is a subdialect of Low German. This dialect is spoken in Poland and was spoken in the former province of West Prussia. Werdersch is closely related to Nehrungisch and Plautdietsch.

Its name derives from the Weichselwerder (lit. 'Vistula River islands'), which are Żuławy Gdańskie (between Wisła Gdańska and Gdańskie Wyżyny) and Żuławy Malborskie (Template:Lang-de; between Vistula, Szkarpawa, Vistula Lagoon, and Nogat). Molotschna-Plautdietsch dominates the Plautdietsch of those having remained in Russia late. The distinctive features of Molotschna-Plautdietsch as opposed to Chortitza-Plautdietsch include long /u/ realised not very front (ü) , <au> for Molotschna-Plautdietsch <eiw>, <oa> diphthong back, <tj>/<dj> for Chortitza <kj>/<gj> as well as verbal infinitives and plural suffixes ending in –e.

History

Werdersch developed after Dutch-speaking immigrants from the Netherlands moved in the sixteenth century to the region where Werdersch is spoken. Half of the immigrants were Mennonites, the other half were Protestants. Though not all were from Holland (some were German colonists), they were all referred to as Hollanders. Many of the Mennonites spoke Low German. The early Anabaptists from the province of Friesland spoke Frisian. Groups of Flemish Mennonites and Frisian Mennonites were early arrivals; they later also continued on to Russia. The difference between these two groups was religious rather than ethnic. The Frisian municipality of Orłowskie Pole (Orlofferfelde) merged with the Old Flemish parish of Lubieszewo (Ladekopp). The Old Flemish parish of Großes Werder later became the four parishes of Różewo (Rosenort), Cyganek (Nowy Dwór Gdański) (Tiegenhagen), Lubieszewo (Ladekopp) and Żuławki (Fürstenwerder). Elbląg (Elbing) had an Old Flemish Congregation. The Old Flemish parish of Großes Werder gave rise to the Frisian parish of Barcice (Tragheimerweide), also known as the Waterlander parish. Catherine the Great called some of these Mennonite immigrants further east to Russia. Most of the founders of the Molotschna Colony and the Chortitza Colony were Flemish Mennonites who spoke Werdersch. A variety in Molotschna not being part of Molotschna-Plautdietsch was the one of Waldheim, Gnadenfeld and Alexanderwohl originating from an area near Świecie in Poland. Both of these colonies were in Russia (now Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine), and were the origin of much of the modern-day Russian Mennonite diaspora. Frisian Mennonites in the early days of Chortitza Colony were in the minority in this mainly Frisian Mennonite colony, living in Kronsweide, Schöngarten, Kronsgarten and Einlage, strictly separate from the Flemish Mennonites. The same was the case in Molotschna Colony, where the Frisian Mennonites settled in Rudnerweide, consisting of seven villages. Krimmer Mennonite Brethren were a church of people from Molotschna and related to Kleine Gemeinde founded on Crimea. Its first congregation in the United States was at Gnadenau, Kansas. Most of the 19th-century Mennonite immigrants to the United States from Russia, Prussia or Poland joined the General Conference Mennonite Church. The descendants of the Mennonites of Dutch origin who came via Prussia in 1874 in 1955 largely constituted the membership of 6 General Conference Mennonite congregations. Among them there were churches at Beatrice, Nebraska, and Newton and Whitewater, Kansas. The descendants of the Dutch who came via Prussia and South Russia, arriving in America in 1874 ff., constituted the major part of 70 congregations. This was the largest cultural group in the General Conference. Those congregations were scattered all over the West. Many were located in Kansas, Minnesota, and Canada. Alexanderwohl congregation at Goessel, and Hoffnungsau congregation at Inman, Kansas, were two of the original settlements in the United States, from which came a number of younger congregations. The descendants of the Dutch who came via Prussia and Polish Russia in 1874 now largely constituted the membership of 11 congregations. Among them were Gnadenberg at Elbing, Johannesthal at Hillsboro, and churches at Canton and Pawnee Rock, Kansas, and Meno, Oklahoma. the first members of the Zion Mennonite Church (General Conference Mennonite) here, organized in 1883, came from the area near Elbing, West Prussia. The Mennonites settling in Hillsborough originated from Molotschna settlement, Russia (General Conference, Mennonite Brethren, and Krimmer Mennonite Brethren groups), from Poland (Johannestal), and a few from Prussia (Brudertal). Among the Rosenorter Mennonites were direct immigrants from Nowy Dwór Gdański (Tiegenhof) in Poland. Kleine Gemeinde Mennonites are present in Belize and Tamaulipas inter alia.

Phonology

This section needs attention from an expert in linguistics. The specific problem is: technical linguistic details need to be organized, properly IPA formatted, linked, and explained. Same with Grammar section. WikiProject Linguistics may be able to help recruit an expert. (January 2023)

Werdersch has alveolar /r/, like Eastern Low Prussian. Werdersch has, at least in some words, long /u/ as short /u/ and long /i/ as short /i/. In Stogi, in originally open syllables before k and x, a became o:. Molotschna-Plautdietsch is descended from Werdersch. In originally closed syllables (excluding before original /r/, /ld/ and /lp/), /e/ is given as front vowel /a/. In contrast to Nehrungisch and Chortitza-Plautdietsch, it and Molotschna-Plautdietsch have High German /au/ as /au/. In contrast to Nehrungisch and Chortitza-Plautdietsch, it and Molotschna-Plautdietsch have no shortened /u/ before /p/. Werdersch has shortened u before gutturals. It has dorx for High German durch, English through. The Molotschna-related <oa>-diphthongs before velars are , , . Werdersch had a in the closed syllable before l as o. Molotschna-Plautdietsch has palatal oral stops <tj> and <dj>. For Chortitza-Plautdietsch / it has /. Plautdietsch varieties which have the reflex of MLG ū, almost always develop a centralized reflex of MLG ō. Molotschna forms which do not have the reflex often have a central reflex, .

In less conservative varieties, the nucleus of words such as heet has also begun to fall and further dissimilate itself from its off-glide. Speakers from the earlier Midwestern settlements sometimes have a raised allophone of words, such as Äkj: . Molotschna speakers from the original late 1800s settlements often lack an off-glide in some OA sounds, but do have off-glides in other OA sounds (e.g., Oabeid 'work' vs Foagel 'fowl' , koake 'to cook' , and Büak 'book' ). Molotschna speakers from Mexico with the traditional Molotschna Dialect OA form retain the original off-glide in words like Foagel 'fowl' . Molotschna-Plautdietsch has palatalization given as c and ɟ, which probably used to exist in West Prussia as well. Orenburg colony has palatalization like in Molotschna Colony . Orenburg Colony was settled from Chortitza and Molotschna.

List of isoglosses within Werdersch:

• /a/ mostly as /au/
• /n/-loss in kannst
• Long /o/ is shortened before l+dental; umlaut lacks in words such as kaufen
• Final -n
• /l/-loss in willst and sollst
• Loss of /n/ in an-, in- un- before fricatives, /r, l, m, n and g.
• büten, dün, glüpen etc. versus buten, dun, glupen etc.
• haiwen, blaif etc. versus haue, blau etc.
• Shortening of /î/ to /i/ before velars
• Shortening of /û/ to /u/ before velars
• /i, e and ar/ becoming /e, a and or/ respectively

Grammar

Molotschna-Plautdietsch uses dative case, but not accusative case. Molotschna-Plautdietsch is the dominant Plautdietsch variety in Fernheim Colony. Molotschna-Plautdietsch has ahn for them. Dative has spread to neighbouring Menno Colony. In Latin America, dative forms mostly are used in Plautdietsch. Speakers from Fernheim use most consistently dative for accusative, though having better knowledge of Standard German than other Latin American speakers of Plautdietsch. Molotschna-Plautdietsch has the formal address using the pronoun of the third person. Molotschna-Plautdietsch has infinitive and plural, both ending with /-ə/. For verbs with two preterite forms, Molotschna-Plautdietsch mostly uses the velar form with /au/. It has the velar stem vowel of Dutch and a limited number of palatal preterite forms. Molotschna-Plautdietsch has habe for the infinitive have. Werdersch has the preterite forms kam and nam.

List of surnames

This is a list of surnames common among Mennonites in Canada originating (indirectly) from Russia, in descending frequency. The number in brackets indicates the number of places they are higher than on a 20-entry list of surnames of Mennonites in Canada originating (indirectly) from Russia. This list only includes surnames higher on the list concerning West Prussian Mennonites than on the list of surnames of Mennonites in Canada.

• Penner (4)
• Wiens*
• Janzen (12)
• Enns (6)
• Janz*
• Froese*
• Regehr*
• Harder (8)
• Ewert*
• Pauls*
• Fast*
• Franz*
• Epp*
• Fieguth*
• Albrecht*

* name not on the 20-entry list

Surnames of Frisians include Abrahams, Arens, Behrends, Cornelius, Daniels, Dirksen, Doercksen, Frantzen, Goertzen, Gossen, Harms, Heinrichs, Jantzen, Pauls, Peters, Siemens, and Woelms. Surnames that mostly occur in Frisian congregations include Adrian, Brandt, Buller, Caspar, Flaming, Hamm, Harms, Isaak, Kettler, Kliewer, Knels, Stobbe, Teus, Töws, and Toews; additionally, Pauls, Peters, Unruh, and Fransen and Schmidt. Nickel also is a name mainly of Frisian Mennonites denomination.Unger is a name in congregation of Frisian Mennonites denomination.Unger is a name in congregation of Frisian Mennonites denomination. Foth/Vodt and Arentsen are most likely of Frisian congregations.

Settlements

In Europe

The congregations of Flemish Mennonites in the area of the Weichselwerder were Ellerwald, Fürstenwerder, Heubuden, Ladekopp, Rosenort, and Tiegenhagen. Orlofferfelde and Thiensdorf had a congregation of Frisian Mennonites.

Daughter settlements of Molotschna in Ukraine (German names of the period) included:

• Adshembet
• Aktatschi-Busan
• Alatsch
• Alexanderheim
• Alexandropol
• Alexefeld
• Ali-Bai
• Annowka
• Arkachin
• Atartschik
• Ataschaja
• Bakschai
• Barak
• Baschlitscha
• Bek-Bulatschi
• Bijuk-Busan
• Bijuk-Kuban
• Borangar
• Brasol (with following villages:)
  • Blumenfeld
  • Blumenheim-Werbowskoje
  • Rosenhof
  • Schönfeld-Kransopol
• Bubschik
• Busul
• Busul-Montanai
• Danilowka
• Dsanbore
• Dselair
• Durmen
• Ebenfeld
• Elgeri-Montanai
• Fernheim
• Itschki
• Jalantusch
• Jangil
• Kadagai
• Kara-Kodsha
• Kara-Tschikmak
• Karasan
• Kasantschi
• Keneges
• Kiat
• Kipschak
• Kirgis
• Kitai
• Kutjuki
• Lustigstal
• Mara
• Masajewka
• Memrik (with following villages:)
  • Alexandrowka
  • Kalinowo
  • Karpowka
  • Kotljarewka
  • Ljessowka
  • Marainowka
  • Michailowka
  • Mmerik
  • Nikolajewka
  • Orlowo
• Menelerdshik
• Millerowo
• Miropol
• Nikolaipol
• Ogus-Tobe
• Olgase-Kamrat
• Pascha-Tschokmak
• Sabantschi
• Sabantschi
• Sagradowka (including:)
  • Altonau
  • Orloff
  • Neuschönsee
  • Nikolaifeld
  • Tiege
• Salgirka
• Samojlowka (with following villages:)
  • Nowo-Stepnoje
  • Ryskowo
  • Samojlowka
  • Schestakowo
• Sarona
• Scheich-Eli
• Schöntal
• Selenaja
• Semisotka
• Shangara
• Spat
• Stanislawka
• Tamak
• Telentschi
• Terkle-Kitai
• Teschi
• Timir
• Toksaba
• Tokultschak
• Topalowka
• Tributzkoje
  • Nowo-Nikolajewka
  • Wolodjewka
• Tschambuldi
• Tschatte
• Tsche-Tsche
• Tschongraw
• Usnajak
• Wassiljewka

The Caucasus Mountains had the following daughter colonies:

• Kuban (with villages Welikoknjascheskoje and Alexandrodar)
• Tempelhof-Orbelianowka (with villages Tempelhof and Orbelianowka)
• Suworowka
  • Nikolaifeld
  • Großfürstental
  • Lwarow
  • Arrival
• Olgino
  • Olgino
  • Romanowka
  • Miropol
  • Loschkarewo
• Terek
  • Alexandrowka
  • Chartsch
  • Konstantinowka
  • Marjanowka
  • Rohrbach
  • Sulak
  • Talma
  • Wanderloh
  • Middelburg
  • Pretoria
  • Tarawowka

In Russia

Northeast Russia had daughter colonies including the following :

• Neu-Samara (with following villages:)
  • Bogamasowo
  • Pleschanowo
  • Krassikowo
  • Kamenetz
  • Lugowsk
  • Podolsk
  • Kuterla
  • Dolinsk
  • Donskoje
  • Koltan
  • Annenskoje
• Rownopol (Ebenfeld)
• Dawlekanowo (with following villages:)
  • Karambasch
  • Gortschakowo
  • Beresowka-Udrak
  • Jurmankej
  • Kulikowo

The daughter colonies of Molotschna included Auli Ata in Turkestan Province and Davlekanovo in Ufa Province.

In North America

Mennonite migrants to the United States in the 19th century mainly originated from the Molotschna Colony and settled in the Midwestern US. This group expanded into the Central Valley of California, but never formed a large Mennonite community there. In 1874, Mennonites from the Molotschna region settled around Wichita, Kansas. These settlers originated from the Krimmer Mennonite Brethren, Alexanderwohl, so-called Prussian Mennonites, and Volhynia Mennonites. The Alexanderwohl, Mennonite Brethren, and General Conference Mennonite Church are all denominations of Molotschna origin in central Kansas.

In the 1870s, many immigrating Mennonites settled in Henderson, Nebraska; Mountain Lake, Minnesota; Corn, Oklahoma; and Fresno, California. Reedley, California (near Fresno) also has a sizable population of Mennonite origin. Mennonites founded Fresno Pacific University, as well as Bethel College and Tabor College in Kansas.

In Manitoba, Canada, the East Reserve had a minority of its Mennonites originating from Molotschna. In the 1940s, about 800 Mennonites from the West Reserve immigrated to northern Mexico, most of whom were Canadian Sommerfelder or Kleine Gemeinde Mennonites; thus, Molotschna-Plautdietsch is now spoken in Mexico. The Plautdietsch spoken in Mexico, Bolivia, and Texas differs from that spoken farther north. In western Texas, there are approximately 6,000 speakers of Plautdietsch. Many speakers of Plautdietsch show main features of both Molotschna-Plautdietsch and Chortitza-Plautdietsch.

In South America

In Paraguay, Molotschna-Plautdietsch is spoken in Neuland Colony and Fernheim Colony. Some residents of Fernheim Colony and Tres Palmas Colony have Molotschna ancestry. Friesland Colony was founded by people moving from Fernheim Colony.

In Brazil, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul have residents of Werdersch cum Molotschna origin. Convenção Brasileira das Igrejas Evangélicas Irmãos Menonitas has half the members of Mennonite congregations in Brazil. Molotschna-Plautdietsch is also spoken in Southern Brazil.

The denomination Flemish Mennonites was predominant in the Żuławy Malborskie, the denomination Frisian Mennonites in the Żuławy Elbląskie. Later groups of settlers had more predominant representation of Frisian Mennonites from more southerly (Werder) areas.

References

1. ^ Penner (2009).
2. ^ Quiring (1924).
3. ^ Siemens (2012), p. 149.
4. ^ Burns (2016).
5. Wiens (1916).
6. ^ Ruhnau & Wolfram (1943).
7. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Ladekopp_(Pomeranian_Voivodeship,_Poland)
8. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Danzig_Old_Flemish_Mennonites
9. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Elbing_(Warmian-Masurian_Voivodeship,_Poland)
10. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Danzig_Old_Flemish_Mennonites
11. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Tragheimerweide_(Pomeranian_Voivodeship,_Poland)
12. Siemens (2012), p. 47.
13. ^ Siemens (2012), p. 25.
14. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Krimmer_Mennonite_Brethren
15. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Krimmer_Mennonite_Brethren
16. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=General_Conference_Mennonite_Church_(GCM)
17. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=General_Conference_Mennonite_Church_(GCM)
18. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=General_Conference_Mennonite_Church_(GCM)
19. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=General_Conference_Mennonite_Church_(GCM)
20. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=General_Conference_Mennonite_Church_(GCM)
21. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=General_Conference_Mennonite_Church_(GCM)
22. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=General_Conference_Mennonite_Church_(GCM)
23. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=General_Conference_Mennonite_Church_(GCM)
24. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=General_Conference_Mennonite_Church_(GCM)
25. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=General_Conference_Mennonite_Church_(GCM)
26. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Elbing_(Kansas,_USA)
27. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Hillsboro_(Kansas,_USA)
28. Christopher, Douglas. "Quantitative perspectives on variation in Mennonite Plautdietsch" (PDF). era.library.ualberta.ca. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 12, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
29. ^ Ziesemer (1924), p. 133.
30. Walther Ziesemer: Die ostpreußischen Mundarten Ferdinand Hirt, Breslau, 1924, p. 132
31. Siemens (2012), p. 51.
32. Siemens (2012), p. 40.
33. Siemens (2012), p. 41.
34. Siemens (2012), p. 42.
35. Mitzka (1968), p. 218.
36. Jähnig & Letkemann (1985), p. 319.
37. Siemens (2012), p. 97.
38. Siemens (2012), p. 98.
39. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Orenburg_Mennonite_Settlement_(Orenburg_Oblast,_Russia
40. Siemens (2012), pp. 45–46.
41. Siemens (2012), p. 151.
42. ^ Siemens (2012), p. 148.
43. Siemens (2012), p. 153.
44. Siemens (2012), p. 168.
45. Siemens (2012), p. 176.
46. Siemens (2012), p. 179.
47. Siemens (2012), p. 181.
48. Ziesemer (1924), p. 132.
49. Unruh (1955), p. 71.
50. Unruh (1955), p. 152.
51. ^ Unruh (1955), p. 67.
52. Unruh (1955), pp. 67, 68.
53. Unruh (1955), p. 72.
54. ^ Unruh (1955), p. 73.
55. Unruh (1955), p. 156.
56. ^ Penner (1952), p. 72.
57. Quiring (1928), pp. 33–35.
58. Quiring (1928), pp. 33, 35, 36.
59. Quiring (1928), pp. 33, 37.
60. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Molotschna_ Mennonite_Settlement_(Zaporizhia_Oblast,_Ukraine)
61. "Contrasting Spaces in Plautdietsch". ideaexchange.uakron.edu. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
62. Brandt (1992), p. 252.
63. ^ Siemens (2012), p. 242.
64. ^ Plewnia, Albrecht; Riehl, Claudia Maria (Mar 5, 2018). Handbuch der deutschen Sprachminderheiten in Übersee. Narr Francke Attempto Verlag. ISBN 9783823379287. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2021 – via Google Books.
65. Penner (1952), p. 75.
66. Christopher, Douglas. "Quantitative perspectives on variation in Mennonite Plautdietsch" (PDF). era.library.ualberta.ca. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 12, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2021.

Bibliography

• Brandt, Carsten (1992). Sprache und Sprachgebrauch der Mennoniten in Mexiko (in German). Marburg: Elwert. p. 252.
• Burns, Roslyn (2016). New World Mennonite Low German: An Investigating of Changes in Progress (PhD). UC Berkeley. Archived from the original on 2021-05-16. Retrieved 2021-12-18.
• Jähnig, Bernhard; Letkemann, Peter, eds. (1985). Danzig in acht Jahrhunderten (in German). Nicolaus-Copernicus-Verlag. p. 319.
• Klassen, John N., ed. (2007). Russlanddeutsche Freikirchen in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (in German).
• Mitzka, Walther (1968). Kleine Schriften (in German). Walter de Gruyter & Co.
• Penner, Horst (1952). Weltweite Bruderschaft (in German). Karlsruhe: Heinrich Schneider. pp. 72, 75.
• Penner, Nikolai (2009). The High German of Russian Mennonites in Ontario (PDF) (Thesis). Waterloo, Ontario, Canada: University of Waterloo. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-08-31. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
• Quiring, Jacob Walter (1924). Die Mundart von Chortitza in Süd-Rußland (PDF) (Thesis) (in German). Munich: Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-10-21. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
• Quiring, Jacob (1928). Die Mundart von Chortitza in Süd-Russland (in German). Munich: Druckerei Studentenhaus München.
• Ruhnau, Kurt; Wolfram, Hans Egon (1943). Die Niederlande und der Deutsche Osten (in German). Berlin: Verlag Joh. Kasper & Co. Archived from the original on 2021-01-12. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
• Siemens, Heinrich (2012). Plautdietsch: Grammatik, Geschichte, Perspektiven (in German). Bonn: Tweeback Verlag. ISBN 9783981197853.
• Unruh, Benjamin Heinrich, ed. (1955). Die niederländisch-niederdeutschen Hintergründe der mennonitischen Ostwanderungen im 16., 18. und 19. Jahrhundert (in German).
• Wiens, Curt (1916). "Niederländischer Wortschatz in der Mundart der Weichselwerder" (PDF). Zeitschrift des Westpreussischeh Ceschichtsveheins (in German). No. 56. Danzig. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-09-20. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
• Ziesemer, Walther (1924). Die ostpreußischen Mundarten (in German). Breslau: Ferdinand Hirt. pp. 128–129, 133.

External links

• Mennonite East Low German (Plautdietsch) in Altai, West Siberia (Russia)

• Low Prussian dialect
• German dialects
• Languages of Poland
• Languages of Ukraine