[AnnaZ]

Although fewer than 10,000 speakers remain, at one time as much as 20 percent of the Texas population may have spoken the language. Moltz said that many German settlers arrived in Galveston and spread out during the mid-1800s, and now a swath of German communities can be found running north and south down the middle of the state.

The immigrants settled in dozens of towns like Fredericksburg, New Braunfels and Boerne. At one time there were more than 150 German-language newspapers in Texas, and in many towns German was spoken almost exclusively.

Wars brought decline

But the dialect began to fade during World War I, Boas said.

"A little before World War I, there was a big nativist movement in the U.S. and [the idea] was that if you're in the United States, then you better speak English -- there just wasn't a lot of tolerance for people who speak differently," Boas explained.

Thank goodness for those immigrants, as I love "their" towns, least those I've visited. They look like places from fairy-tales -- beautiful stone homes, old Victorians, beer gardens, wide streets, very clean and orderly. One can sense the love of community and beauty -- they really picked some of the most idyllic settings.

[goldstategop]

Wenn Deutschland in Texas wäre, würden sie Texaner sprechen! Die Geschichten von Karl May und der Amerikanischen Grenze waren in Deutschland vor den Kriegen sehr populär. Es hat immer eine Faszination mit Amerika unter den Deutschen gegeben. Sogar der verschiedene Dialekt hat ihre amüsanten Eigenschaften. Die Deutsch-Variante von Texas hat seinen eigenen Charme!

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[sam_paine]

Ja wohl! I like the pic of granny hoisting a bier!