GER-VOLGA-L Archives

Archiver > GER-VOLGA > 2001-02 > 0981056728


From: "Greg and Connie Armstrong" <>
Subject: Re: German Dialect
Date: Thu, 1 Feb 2001 11:45:28 -0800
References: <NDBBLGAJNFOKGLANLGJPGEGACCAA.dschmunk@rollformer.com>


What a treasure you have!
This may give you a lead: I have the song book, Lieblings-Lieder, compiled
by the Golden Gate Chapter of the AHSGR, in 1982. (Purchased from AHSGR in
Lincoln for my Mother) On page 186 is a song called "Hoppe, hoppe Reiter"
or Hop, Hop Rider, which seems to be about riding on a horse and falling
off! A note says that when someone sat and bounced a child on his knee,
this song or rhyme was sung or spoken. It goes on to say that there are
many variations, and there are about 10 variations here.
Maybe someone who can do a better job of translation could help! Perhaps
this is a version of the song your Grandfather sang!
Good luck!
Connie Geringer Armstrong
Fresno, CA

----- Original Message -----
From: David A. Schmunk <>
To: <>
Sent: Thursday, February 01, 2001 9:58 AM
Subject: German Dialect


> I read Denise Grau's message with interest and followed a link in the
> message to listen to a recording of an old Volga German man sing a song in
> the "Volga German" dialect. It brought a smile to my face as the man
> sounded so much like my grandfather who immigrated to the US from Schwab
in
> 1907 at the age of 17. Native german speakers from Germany have never
> sounded the same to me. My grandfather had told me that was because of
the
> fact that he spoke "low" german, while "Germany germans" spoke "high"
> German.
>
> As I do not speak German myself, I am wondering if someone would be kind
> enough to verify this and/or educate me (and maybe others) as to the
details
> of how they came to speak different dialects and what the difference
between
> the two is.
>
> I also have an audio clip of my grandfather singing a little song he
always
> sang in German when he bounced his grandchildren on his knees. I would
love
> to share it with others to see if this was a song common to our heritage
and
> if someone might be able to translate its meaning. I think it was about a
> donkey falling in a ditch as he always said in English before letting us
> fall between his knees while he held on to us and hoisted us into the air;
> "The donkey fell in the ditch, Wheeeeee!".
>
> David Schmunk
>
> Researching Schmunk, Schneider, Schreiner, Herr - Village of Schwab
>
>
>
>
> ==============================
> Shop Ancestry - Everything you need to Discover, Preserve & Celebrate
> your heritage!
> http://shop.myfamily.com/ancestrycatalog
>

This thread: