A language most people have never heard

[DFW]

It's called Pladdütsch, Plattdeutsch, or "low German." It's a folk dialect with many versions. It is spoken in smaller towns including where my father-in-law came from. It was his native language, though they all had to learn "standard" German in school. Curiously, it is far closer to English than "high German."

Miss, open the door, the Rummelpott wants to come in
A ship is coming from Holland, driven by a stiff wind

I sung that when I was a child
Saw, how many years ago was that?
I sang and went from door to door
And mostly got a penny for it.

On New Year's Eve, it was time
When it got dark, the moment came
One would put old clothes on
And sang as loud as one could

What has changed in the course of the years?
One thing, I sure got older
And if my ass has gotten wrinkles
I still haven't gotten any wiser

I sang my songs for the people
So was it then, and so it is now
And what I sang, it sounded so happy
Today it doesn't sound at all that way any more

That this world can be changed
You believe it as long as you are a child
You wanted to help out, you hero
To make this world a more just place

I haven't changed anything, stand here now
I just don't sing from door to door any more
That is mostly the difference.....
(Spoken: Even now I don't get much more)
Than a few pennies for my song

(Nonsense nursery rhyme at the end)

[fierywoman]

1. My father (born in Norden) and his parents spoke it.

I used to have a little wooden engraved sign with a windmill on it that said,
"Do wat du wullt
de Lüd snackt doch"

( I think .. it's been many decades since I've seen it!)

[DFW]

2. That's Platt, for sure!

"Do what you want, the folks will talk anyhow."

[fierywoman]

4. My mother said (her family was from near Trier) that Germans considered the Ostfriesisch (?sp)

to be the most stubborn of all the Germans -- is that your experience?

[DFW]

6. Except for a few areas, I find them ALL stubborn

My wife is an exception, but her mom is not. I find the Rhienländer to be the most easygoing of all, and our two girls, who grew up in the Rheinland, embody that. Big city folk from all areas tend to be looser than village folk. Get together a group of Germans from Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Köln, Berlin, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Dresden and München, and they’ll have more in common than with people in villages 30 Km away from their home towns.

[JimGinPA]

3. Kind Of Similar To Pennsylvania Dutch

I lived in Lancaster County for a good while & heard a lot of that spoken.

[DFW]

5. Linguistically not as close as you might think

The Pennsylvania “Dutch,” have their origins in the south, i. e. the Ammerland area of Bavaria (hence “Amish” ). The Ostfriesen are in the extreme northwest in the border area with the Netherlands. Indeed, across the border from the German Ostfriesland is the Netherlands area of Westfriesland.