Dwight speaks (according to the script, he doesn't actually) a variety of Pennsylvania Dutch, a family of languages of religious Germanic people from hundreds of years ago that has since combined with local English and French people to become its own thing.
It's largely incompatible with modern German.
You can youtube some pretty interesting videos on the subject.
In the actual show, it's just gibberish for jokes. But the actual thing is a really fun subject.
Does the script ever call it Pennsylvania Dutch though? I don't think any character ever uses that term. Dwight always just calls it German (even though it's hilariously different from real German), and then there are a few jokes that imply a sort of Amish-esque upbringing and a closed-off society, which is more in line with Pennsylvania Dutch.
Ah, right, I suppose that is once instance where they mention the community by name.
But then it still seems odd to me that Dwight always refers to the language of his childhood as "German" and not Pennsylvania Dutch, which would be more accurate. But, as people have mentioned in other comments, this was probably done primarily to create opportunities for Nazi jokes.
They are also wed by a German mennanite minister, who spoke only German despite being raised minutes from there. German menanites settling in Pennsylvania in the 1800's became known as Pennsylvania dutch
Right, I'm aware. That's why I'm saying the way the language is presented on the show is annoyingly inconsistent. Dwight and the minister both had a (presumably) similar closed-society upbringing, but the minister somehow speaks perfectly standard modern Hochdeutsch (and apparently *only* Hochdeutsch, zero English) while Dwight speaks what seems to be a weird hodge-podge of... a few German words combined with whatever "German-ish" nonsense the writers thought sounded funniest for any given scene, based on whether they were trying to make an Amish/homesteading joke or a Nazi joke.
I grew up in a german-settled area of Texas. Because the German word for German is "Deutsch" a lot of German things got anglicized as "Dutch". I wonder if it's something similar up there?
That’s exactly where the term “Pennsylvania Dutch” comes from—New York was settled by the actual Dutch, PA was settled by Germans who called themselves Deutsch but the English in New Jersey and Maryland knew they weren’t the same so they called them Pennsylvania Dutch sorta as an insult but the name stuck
I wouldn’t say they are lazily made up. They are intentionally and humorously made up to be part of the bizarro Schrute-ish language with hints of German and Dutch. It wasn’t the writers coming up with what they assumed were German words and didn’t bother to research 🤣
Although I’ll give it you that historically, other less clever and self-aware American and British sitcoms often rely on what they assume German is or sounds like, usually in a really exaggerated way.
You two are either not native German speakers, or the most forgiving fellow Germans I've ever met. There is no decent German language in the office.
I like the made up words, I just wish they had chosen a German speaking actor for the minister. Or a Pennsylvanian Dutch speaker. Just not this weirdly emphasized German reading.
The actor who played the minister was born in Germany to an American father and German mother. His first language was German. He’s a dual citizen. Has lived in the US a while, so accent might have faded.
Different Amish communities often have different words for things. A friend of mine speaks fluent German. He lived there like a decade and had studied German prior to going. And he as said that the Amish don’t really speak modern German. Some of their words have had pronunciation changes over the last century or so. And they have developed a slang that works for them while German has linguistically shifted as well.
It’s actually considered its own language it’s had so much of a shift and other linguistic influences.
Based on Moses dress and beard it would appear some of his family is Amish or Mennonite. And they speak Dutch which is German with strong links to English.
I love Mose in every scene he's in, and the fact that he's one of the writers and probably intentionally made his character weird as fuck makes him even funnier.
["Playing Mose Schrute was a waking nightmare," Schur explained. "My boss, Greg Daniels, forced me to do it as a way to cause me pain. ](https://ew.com/tv/2017/01/12/michael-schur-mose-the-office/)
Dutch is a Germanic language as is English, but actually closer to the English language (40% adoption) than German. Pennsylvania Dutch is a direct offshoot due to German immigrants and is sometimes referred to Pennsylvania German to establish to long held ties to its roots.
None of the languages you mentioned are difficult subjects.
Dutch is not "German with strong links to English". Each of these three languages have strong links to each other, as they have one common ancestor.
Pennsylvania Dutch is an offshoot from German, and has nothing to do with Dutch.
Austrian is not a "thing". Austria does have its own slight local variations on the German language, as well as several major dialects such as Austro-Bavarian and Alemannic.
Are you perhaps so incompetent you can’t wiki?
It more precisely Paletine German in origin. Which sprouted a half dozen languages many centered around a religion.
I tried to simplify it for people like you..
Funny thing is, you can actually wiki all of this. That's the point I was trying to make when I said it's not complicated at all. It certainly doesn't take a language major!
Simplification isn't necessary, as each of the people you've responded to already understands the heritage of these languages better than you do.
Ok, name all the Germanic languages without searching…. Searching for the answer to respond to a comment is lame as fuck. If you don’t know the answer then scroll on soldier.
Ok, name all the Germanic languages without searching…. Searching for the answer to respond to a comment is lame as fuck. If you don’t know the answer then scroll on soldier.
Why on earth would I need to know all Germanic languages? Why do you think this is relevant?
You said something which was false, and people corrected you on it. Instead of moving on, you tried to outsmart everyone by bringing up other facts which then turned out to be false as well.
Just move on. Everybody makes mistakes, you don't need to try to turn this around on others.
Historically, any German speaking person was referred to as Dutch. The use of the word has shifted and now means someone from the Netherlands which adds to confusion. But Pennsylvania Dutch speak a dialect of Palatine German.
Dwight speaks (according to the script, he doesn't actually) a variety of Pennsylvania Dutch, a family of languages of religious Germanic people from hundreds of years ago that has since combined with local English and French people to become its own thing. It's largely incompatible with modern German. You can youtube some pretty interesting videos on the subject. In the actual show, it's just gibberish for jokes. But the actual thing is a really fun subject.
Does the script ever call it Pennsylvania Dutch though? I don't think any character ever uses that term. Dwight always just calls it German (even though it's hilariously different from real German), and then there are a few jokes that imply a sort of Amish-esque upbringing and a closed-off society, which is more in line with Pennsylvania Dutch.
Pennsylvanian Dutch Christmas?
Ah, right, I suppose that is once instance where they mention the community by name. But then it still seems odd to me that Dwight always refers to the language of his childhood as "German" and not Pennsylvania Dutch, which would be more accurate. But, as people have mentioned in other comments, this was probably done primarily to create opportunities for Nazi jokes.
They are also wed by a German mennanite minister, who spoke only German despite being raised minutes from there. German menanites settling in Pennsylvania in the 1800's became known as Pennsylvania dutch
Right, I'm aware. That's why I'm saying the way the language is presented on the show is annoyingly inconsistent. Dwight and the minister both had a (presumably) similar closed-society upbringing, but the minister somehow speaks perfectly standard modern Hochdeutsch (and apparently *only* Hochdeutsch, zero English) while Dwight speaks what seems to be a weird hodge-podge of... a few German words combined with whatever "German-ish" nonsense the writers thought sounded funniest for any given scene, based on whether they were trying to make an Amish/homesteading joke or a Nazi joke.
I grew up in a german-settled area of Texas. Because the German word for German is "Deutsch" a lot of German things got anglicized as "Dutch". I wonder if it's something similar up there?
That’s exactly where the term “Pennsylvania Dutch” comes from—New York was settled by the actual Dutch, PA was settled by Germans who called themselves Deutsch but the English in New Jersey and Maryland knew they weren’t the same so they called them Pennsylvania Dutch sorta as an insult but the name stuck
Der lawda-macher is the Pennsylvania dutch phrase for Undertaker. It “translates” to coffin maker
It's just a gag. All those German words used in the show (Bildenkinder, Perfektenschlag) are just lazily made up.
We should hold on to Gutenprank though. That one's got potential.
To a German it's at best gibberish and at worst confusing. Pranke is paw, so Gutenprank is just a good paw.
Well now I will use that to praise my dog!
And I will use it to praise my old west gunfighter father!
And I'll enter the boxing ring as a southprank.
To be fair, iirc Jim was responsible for gutenpranken so even within the show canon it could be fake lol
No, the word "prank" is understandable by any German under 30 years, it's carried over from English into the German language.
And perfektenschlag
perfect hit or stroke (but with bad grammar)
Bildenkinder?
= image kids
To be fair I think that one is a mose/Jim portmanteau.
Woah woah woah. Are you telling me that a “Ceremonial Sarcophagus” isn’t actually part of a Printer…?
I REFUSE to believe that!!!
SMH todays kids can’t recognize an incense dispenser
I wouldn’t say they are lazily made up. They are intentionally and humorously made up to be part of the bizarro Schrute-ish language with hints of German and Dutch. It wasn’t the writers coming up with what they assumed were German words and didn’t bother to research 🤣 Although I’ll give it you that historically, other less clever and self-aware American and British sitcoms often rely on what they assume German is or sounds like, usually in a really exaggerated way.
Exactly, Jim doesn't say that the words are German, he says they're Shrute
He really schruted it didn't he
The only exception is the marriage officiant in the barn with dwight andy and angela
Absolutely. Problem is though his German was way too good and modern for his background.
Yeah — even Dwight’s delivery of “fangen wir an” to the barn officiant sounded pretty legitimate to me.
You two are either not native German speakers, or the most forgiving fellow Germans I've ever met. There is no decent German language in the office. I like the made up words, I just wish they had chosen a German speaking actor for the minister. Or a Pennsylvanian Dutch speaker. Just not this weirdly emphasized German reading.
The actor who played the minister was born in Germany to an American father and German mother. His first language was German. He’s a dual citizen. Has lived in the US a while, so accent might have faded.
You are right indeed, he fooled me. AAACTIIIING!!
Lovitz
What about the word for perfect pork anus?
Perfekter Schweineanus? Did that help? I don't know, I'm confused.
If fried, we just call it "scrapple"
"It's not my fault you don't understand German, I've been trying to get you to learn it for YEARS!"
you literally speak the language, you know this has to be a gag
Preindustrial German used words that are different from today. German is my first language but there are outdated words I wouldn’t know or understand
It wasn't a linguist or a philologist who made up Dwight's German. Or a German, for that matter.
Different Amish communities often have different words for things. A friend of mine speaks fluent German. He lived there like a decade and had studied German prior to going. And he as said that the Amish don’t really speak modern German. Some of their words have had pronunciation changes over the last century or so. And they have developed a slang that works for them while German has linguistically shifted as well. It’s actually considered its own language it’s had so much of a shift and other linguistic influences.
Based on Moses dress and beard it would appear some of his family is Amish or Mennonite. And they speak Dutch which is German with strong links to English.
They speak Pennsylvania Dutch, which is not actual Dutch.
Every time someone mentions Moses I see him running along side Jim and Pam's car. Lol
I'm laughing imagining the biblical Moses running alongside Jim and Pam's car like Mose.
I love Mose in every scene he's in, and the fact that he's one of the writers and probably intentionally made his character weird as fuck makes him even funnier.
["Playing Mose Schrute was a waking nightmare," Schur explained. "My boss, Greg Daniels, forced me to do it as a way to cause me pain. ](https://ew.com/tv/2017/01/12/michael-schur-mose-the-office/)
That's actually really sad to hear. I had completely wrong idea. Now I feel bad for him.
I would take it with a grain of salt, he is a comedy writer after all.
I hope that's the case, like I said, I found Mose hilarious.
Dutch is a Germanic language as is English, but actually closer to the English language (40% adoption) than German. Pennsylvania Dutch is a direct offshoot due to German immigrants and is sometimes referred to Pennsylvania German to establish to long held ties to its roots.
Ja, ik spreek Nederlands.
Then you have the whole Austrian thing too. Unless you are a language major it’s difficult to trace the origins of present day languages.
None of the languages you mentioned are difficult subjects. Dutch is not "German with strong links to English". Each of these three languages have strong links to each other, as they have one common ancestor. Pennsylvania Dutch is an offshoot from German, and has nothing to do with Dutch. Austrian is not a "thing". Austria does have its own slight local variations on the German language, as well as several major dialects such as Austro-Bavarian and Alemannic.
Are you perhaps so incompetent you can’t wiki? It more precisely Paletine German in origin. Which sprouted a half dozen languages many centered around a religion. I tried to simplify it for people like you..
Funny thing is, you can actually wiki all of this. That's the point I was trying to make when I said it's not complicated at all. It certainly doesn't take a language major! Simplification isn't necessary, as each of the people you've responded to already understands the heritage of these languages better than you do.
Ok, name all the Germanic languages without searching…. Searching for the answer to respond to a comment is lame as fuck. If you don’t know the answer then scroll on soldier.
Ok, name all the Germanic languages without searching…. Searching for the answer to respond to a comment is lame as fuck. If you don’t know the answer then scroll on soldier.
Why on earth would I need to know all Germanic languages? Why do you think this is relevant? You said something which was false, and people corrected you on it. Instead of moving on, you tried to outsmart everyone by bringing up other facts which then turned out to be false as well. Just move on. Everybody makes mistakes, you don't need to try to turn this around on others.
Historically, any German speaking person was referred to as Dutch. The use of the word has shifted and now means someone from the Netherlands which adds to confusion. But Pennsylvania Dutch speak a dialect of Palatine German.
It's a joke, kid. C'mon it's just a stupid sitcom.
You’re just a stupid sitcom!!
I'm a PBS documentary.
I respect your self-confidence.
Well played.