Pennsylvania German (Deitsch) also doing great, many young people learning the language

Along with the recent post on the success Basque is having in remaining a vibrant and living language, here's another one on another language in a similar situation: Pennsylvania German or Deitsch, which most thought was going to die out a few decades ago, but is doing quite well including attaining a large number of young adherents. I'm curious how many more of these stories we're going to need before we finally realize that languages don't just die out by being small: they die out by being small and not having the requisite technology or local support to stay alive. Take a small language, add internet access, some local interest and a non-threatening national government, and it can be kept alive and vibrant with not all that much difficulty at all. Here's how Deitsch is doing:

To paraphrase Mark Twain, the rumors of its death have been greatly exaggerated.

Its demise has been predicted since the early 18th century and it's still here.

Any way you say it, Pennsylvania German, Pennsylvania Dutch, Deitsch or Pennsilfaanisch Deitsch is not just alive, it's actually gaining some measurable traction, as a younger generation - two generations removed from fluency - have moved past the historic stigmas and have embraced the culture.

It's a complete reversal from the oldest living generation of dialect speakers who made a conscious choice not to pass it down, particularly during World War I and World War II.

"We're on the cusp of a resurgence of people who are from the culture learning the language as something that is part of their own personal lives," said Zach Langley, 25, a graduate student studying 1930s dialect radio scripts at Kutztown University, which offers courses in Pennsylvania German studies.

unn:

"Pennsylvania German has actually been written down since they (the Germans) got here," said Rob Lusch, instructor of Pennsylvania German at Kutztown. "The big problem is the concept of standardized spelling. Each region has its own variation in spelling and usage. That's the challenge. I would like to see one universal spelling system across the board."

unn:

Over 300 men attended the Numeral Ains Grundsau Lodge gathering in Germansville, Lehigh County, including Paul Kunkle, 82, former schoolmaster for the Grundsau Lodge dialect schools.

"I made a prediction a couple years ago that 15 years from now you're not going to hear very much Pennsylvania Dutch anymore," said Kunkle, who first learned the language against his parents' wishes by eavesdropping on co-workers at a grocery store.

But he was wrong. Since the Grundsau Lodge started offering 14-week classes on the dialect, 4,040 diplomas have been awarded. He said he constantly runs into former students who have found some practical application for the language. He also believes it's important to adhere to the culture's many life lessons.

They of course also have their own Wikipedia, which is quite easy to understand if you know some German. Here are some examples of standard German (left) with Deitsch on the right:

Hochdeitsche Schreib-Schprooch	Kernraum (Mannheimer Gegend)
Luft	Luft
Wiese	Wies
Kind	Kind
Was?	Was?
euch	eich, euch
sind	sin
Haus	Haus
Dorf	Dorf [Darref]
Bruder	Bruder
hinten	hinne
nichts	nix
ich	ich