1. Alsatian/Alsacien/ Elsässisch By: Karli Cajka

2. What is Alsatian? Alsatian is a German Alemannic dialect spoken in Alsace, the eastern region of France. Though it is a German dialect, it is largely influenced by French. Alsatian is not easily intelligible to speakers of standard German, but it is closely related to other Alemannic dialects, such as Swiss German and Swabian. Some people have a hard time differentiating Alsatian from French since it has become very similar. It is often confused with the Frankish language, a more distantly related German West Franconian dialect. Both languages are called Alsacien in French.

3. Where is Alsatian Spoken? Alsatian is a German Alemannic dialect spoken in Alsace, the eastern region of France.

4. ~Numerals~ (dialect spoken in region of Colmar) 1 – ein 2 – zwei 3 – drèï 4 – viar 5 – femf 6 – sex 7 – sewwa 8 – ååcht 9 – nîn 10 – zeh 11 – elf 12 – zwelf 13 – drize 14 – viarze 15 – fùffze 16 – sæchze 17 – sewweze 18 – åchtze 19 - nînze 1 – un 2 – deux 3 – trois 4 – quatre 5 – cinq 6 – six 7 – sept 8 – huit 9 – neuf 10 – dix 11 – onze 12 – douze 13 – treize 14 – quatorze 15 – quinze 16 – seize 17 – dix-sept 18 – dix-huit 19 – dix-neuf

5. ~Numerals Continued~ 20 – zwånzig 30 – drissig 40 – viarzig 50 – fùffzig 60 – sæchzig 70 – sewwezig 80 – åchtzig 90 – nînzig 100 - hùnd’rt 20 – vingt 30 – trente 40 – quarante 50 – cinquante 60 – soixante 70 – soixante-dix 80 – quatre-vingts 90 – quatre-vingt-dix 100 - cent

6. ~Months~ January – Janner February – Fewrier March - d'r März April – Àwrel May - d'r Mai June – Jüni July – Jüli August - d'r Àuigscht September – septamber October – Oktower November – Nowamber December - Dezamber Janvier Février Mars Avril Mai Juin Juillet Août Septembre Octobre Novembre Décembre

7. Romance Language Family Tree Alsatian is a High German dialect known to philologists as Alemannic.

8. Speakers, Cities, Regions Spoken in Alsace, the eastern region of France. About 96,000 speakers, or 60% of Alsace inhabitants. Majority of speakers are adults; 36% of primary school pupils can speak the dialect. Two main forms of the dialect are the Bas- Rhin dialect spoken in northern Alsace and the Haut-Rhin dialect spoken in southern Alsace; these are also known as the High and Low Alemannic versions. There is also an obscure Frankish dialect spoken in the Wissembourg region and a Romance dialect called Welche from the valleys around Orbey. Different versions are spoken in every town! Spoken in parts of Baden-Wurtemburg in Germany and the German speaking part of Switzerland (which is about 60% of Switzerland). Today it is mostly spoken in rural areas, and even parts of Lorraine.

9. Linguistic & Sociopolitical History Alsatian was passed between French and German control many times in its history. It was actively discouraged under both French and German rule. During the French Revolution, the language was suppressed in favor of French for nationalistic reasons, but it was ousted by German when the Prussians annexed the region in 1870. When French rule resumed, all things Germanic were frowned upon, and many Alsatians began to speak French again. But then the Nazi occupation brought in laws that made the speaking of French and even the wearing of berets imprisonable offences. The flip-flop between French and German rule made it challenging for the people to identify themselves in terms of their language. Both France and Germany claimed the Alsatian people as their own and created contrasting arguments for either French or German cultural nationalism. Each nation relied on language as the primary means for identifying and ensuring national loyalty to itself Today, most daily transactions are conducted in French, and Alsatian has not made it onto the school curriculum. However, it is a living language with a rich medieval literary legacy and is still spoken by young and old throughout Alsace. Alsatian Is beginning to appear on signs and to be spoken at the official level, too. German Vs. French Arguments

10. French vs. German!

11. Language Status * Many speakers write in standard German, although street names, which were formerly only in French, may use local spellings. * Today, most daily transactions are conducted in French, and Alsatian has not made it onto the school curriculum. * However, it is a living language with a rich medieval literary legacy and is still spoken by young and old throughout Alsace. * Alsatian is beginning to appear on signs and to be spoken at the official level, too. * Most speakers are adults because there is hardly any media coverage in the language, diminishing its transmission to the younger generation. * With the French language so dominant as the regional language, it is amazing that people still converse in Alsatian. * There are some potential challenges to the longevity of the language, but it is not in immediate danger of becoming extinct. * A foundation called “Heimetsproch un Tradition” started in September 1984 in Selestat has brought men and women together to preserve the perpetuation of the culture and regional language of the German-Alsatian and Franconian-Lorraine or Alsatian dialects. The association has 3,000 members and is the largest association working in this field in Alsace; their main channel of communication is their journal which has 6 issues a year containing commentaries, proposals, and articles on the history and cultural foundations of the region, biographies, the people’s theatre, regional literature, poetry and prose, the groups’ activities, and courses enhancing the appreciation of the people’s regional culture etc.

12. ~Pop Culture~ There is limited usage of Alsatian in the media. There is one radio station, Radio France Alsace http://sites.radiofrance.fr/chaines/france-bleu/?tag=alsace which broadcasts in Alsatian.http://sites.radiofrance.fr/chaines/france-bleu/?tag=alsace Other radio and TV stations broadcast some programs in the dialect. The lack of Alsatian in the media has prevented younger generations from exposure to the lanaguage. There are websites which contain news of the Alsace region of France, but they are not found in the Alsatian language: http://kiosko.net/fr/np/alsace.htmlhttp://kiosko.net/fr/np/alsace.html The oldest known poem written in the German language was written in Alsace because humanism flourished there and leaders of the German peasant revolt of 1525 came from that region. It is significant to the importance of the printed word in Alsatian that Gutenberg arrived in Strasbourg in 1434 where he would develop his printing press with moveable type. Albert Schweitzer, the most important Alsatian figure of the 20 th century, contributed with literature in dialect. In the early 1980s, Alsatian literature (in the form of songs and poetry) was rediscovered. Alsatian folklore was published in modern French, however. Modern Alsatian literature is expressed in French, German, and Alsatian dialect. Prominent writers and poets include Maxime Alexandre, Jean-Hans Arp, Gaston Jung, Alfred Kern, Marcel Schneider, and Claude Vigee. Alsatian literature can be found at La Librairie Oberlin and at the annual Salon du Livre, in Colmar, during November. There is a collection of manuscripts dating from the seventh to the 16 th century and tracing the evolution from handwritten to printed work. The Theatre Alsacien de Strasbourg, located at the Theatre Municipal presents traditional shows and political satires in French and Alsatian.

13. ~Alsatian in Education~ Because French is the offical language of the country, Alsatian has not made it into the school curriculum. Throughout the history of this region, depending on whether it was under the control of Germany or France, either one of the two languages has always been taught in schools to inspire nationalism.

14. ~Food & Wine~ Gewurztraminer

15. What we could be eating…

16. ~Webpages~ http://culture.alsace.pagesperso-orange.fr/dictionnaire_alsacien.htm This website provides a dictionary that can go from French to Alsatian and Alsatian to French. There is no English translation. http://www.alsa-immer.eu/index.html This website is dedicated to addressing the issues which face the status of the Alsatian language. It can be translated into French. http://alsacecanoes.free.fr/articles.php?lng=fr&pg=2716 This website is for renting canoes. Some of the navigational links are in English, which suggests that this website might be used by English-speaking tourists. http://www.orthal.fr/sites_alsMul.htm This website is dedicated to preserving the written word in Alsatian. It has links to texts in Alsatian. http://als.wikipedia.org/wiki/Els%C3%A4ssischer_Dichterweg This website shows how Wikipedia can be searched in the Alsatian language. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFA87W76mqg&NR=1 This youtube video is coffee advertisement with George Clooney. All of the dialogue is in Alsatian. http://www.olcalsace.org/de/lexiques-francais-alsacien/elsassisch-franzosische-glossare.html This website appears to be another devoted to the preservation of the language, complete with links to different texts offered in Alsatian about the culture.

17. ~Sources~ http://www.omniglot.com/writing/alsatian.htm http://www.languagesandnumbers.com/how-to-count-in- alsatian/en/gsw-fra/http://www.languagesandnumbers.com/how-to-count-in- alsatian/en/gsw-fra/ http://france-for-visitors.com/alsace/alsatian-language.html http://www.getalsaced.com/alsatian-language.html http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~jihazel/pol116/language.html http://thelanguagechronicle.com/the-alsatian-language/ http://www.heimetsproch.org/introduction.html http://www.faqs.org/minorities/Western-Europe-and- Scandinavia/Alsatians.htmlhttp://www.faqs.org/minorities/Western-Europe-and- Scandinavia/Alsatians.html http://www.faqs.org/minorities/Western-Europe-and- Scandinavia/Alsatians.html9http://www.faqs.org/minorities/Western-Europe-and- Scandinavia/Alsatians.html9