Fredericksburg Standard Radio Post

Students not signing up for classes, but clubs could preserve the language

Beginning this fall, Fredericksburg High School will no longer offer upper-level German courses. The language, once a first language for many Fredericksburg residents, has been declining in use since the first World War.

The absence of the course is a part of the question of the preservation of the Texas German dialect.

According to the high school, an enrollment of at least 10 students was required for German III and IV to continue at the school, but only five signed up.

Students at the high school are required to take two consecutive years of the same language, and beginning in middle school showed that more students continued into the higher-level classes.

Of the three languages offered at FHS — German, French and Spanish — only Spanish is offered at the middle school level. German I and II will still be offered at the high school level.

FHS German teacher Kathy Ferriere said the loss of the classes is worrisome and saddening. She wants to help maintain the language and culture that Fredericksburg has always had.

“It’s important that we keep it and I hope that we can,” Ferriere said.

 

Usage declines

The decline in use of German is not only seen inside the walls of the school. The language penetrated all aspects of life at one point, but now, speakers of the Texas German are few and far between, experts say.

Different from High German, which is most commonly spoken in Europe, “Texas German” is unique for its mixture of dialects from different parts of Germany and borrowing from English as technology progressed.

Of people in Fredericksburg who know Texas German, Ferriere said, “if they speak it, they need to use it.”

Native Texas German speakers occasionally visit the classes to teach students and preserve the dialect.

Ferriere found that more active lessons, such as language lab games and speaking exercises, engage her students more.

In past years, she and previous German teachers at the school have taken students across Europe to Austria, Germany and Switzerland where they were able to fully immerse themselves in Germanic culture.

These tours, along with class trips to see original German plays and “The Nutcracker” further deepen the students’ interest in the language and encourages them to continue studies beyond their two-year requirement.

“I am concerned about [losing the language] and would like to work on figuring out ways to keep these programs,” Ferriere said. She added making the language more available and used would help students.

 

Family ties

Eileen Whited, long-time Fredericksburg resident and Pioneer Museum docent, grew up speaking Texas German with her family. She remembered being encouraged to use the language regularly from the FHS German teacher Ella Gold.

On Fridays, her class would sing German songs from a book that they were required to purchase.

“My dad would say a German table prayer before every meal, and we kids would follow in unison with our English grace,” White remembered.

As children, she recalled being taught by her parents to speak English with neighboring families who did not speak German and to always use English in school.

Her father, in grade school at Cherry Spring School during the 1920s, remembered that boys were given a paddling for speaking German on school grounds.

 

Potential revival

University of Texas professor and Germanic Studies Department Chair Hans Boas said the language became phased out of daily life largely because of WWI. Families, towns and establishments adopted different names in efforts to Americanize.

Looking past anti-German attitudes of the beginning of the 21st century, Boas said “if there were enough interest and money, one could reintroduce [Texas German] … There are various successful models like that around the world where this has been done.”

He cited Welsh as an example of a successful revitalization of an almost-lost language.

At University of Texas at Austin, Boas is working to keep the language alive through the Texas German Dialect Project (TGDP). Since its founding in 2001, TGDP has digitally archived interviews with Texas German speaking individuals across the German Belt — which stretches from Houston to the Hill Country.

In 1905, 98% of Fredericksburg was German-speaking,” Boas said. “Now, only a few thousand speakers of Texas German are left.”

Despite its history and cultural ties, he wondered, “How can it be a German town if the language is gone?”

“If there are enough people who value their cultural heritage and the history of Fredericksburg and are interested in doing something to support this into the future, then maybe there is a chance [of keeping it from dying out],” he continued.

To reintroduce a language to townspeople for everyday use requires effort, people and money,” Boas said.

Like Ferriere, he noted hosting events and using digital media in classrooms to connect students more personally to the language and influence learning. Bringing German digital content makes the language relevant to their lives.

Beyond the walls of the classroom, “you need at least a handful of dedicated community volunteers who do most of the leg work,” Boas said.

Fredericksburg is in a unique position because of its cultural heritage, but the language can still be saved with the effort.

Boas recommends German conversation clubs, movie showings and local radio programming in German.

“But,” he said, “the essential ingredient is the people. You have to have people who are interested in doing this. You have to have enough people who care enough.”