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'Low Prussian' (), sometimes known simply as 'Prussian' (''Preußisch''), is a dialect of East Low German that developed in East Prussia. Simon Dach's poem ''Anke van Tharaw'', the best known East Prussian poem, was written in Low Prussian. Plautdietsch, a Low German variety, is included within Low Prussian by some observers.
If Plautdietsch is excluded from it, Low Prussian can be considered moribund due to the evacuation and expulsion of Germans from East Prussia after World War II. Plautdietsch has several thousand speakers throughout the world, most notably in South America and Canada.

Contents

Varieties of Low Prussian

Low and Old Prussian

Low Prussian and Lithuanian

References

See also

External links

Varieties of Low Prussian

★ 1. ''Übergangsmundart zum Ostpommerschen'', transitional dialect with East Pomeranian

★ 2. ''Mundart des Weichselmündungsgebietes'', around Danzig (Gdańsk)

★ 3. ''Mundart der Frischen Nehrung und der Danziger Nehrung'', around the Vistula Lagoon

★ 4. ''Mundart der Elbinger Höhe'', around Elbing (Elbląg)

★ 5. ''Mundart des Kürzungsgebietes'', around Braunsberg (Braniewo)

★ 6. ''Westkäslausch'', around Mehlsack (Pieniężno)

★ 7. ''Ostkäslausch'', around Rößel (Reszel)

★ 8. ''Natangisch-Bartisch'', around Bartenstein (Bartoszyce)

★ 9. ''Westsamländische Mundart'', around Pillau (Baltiysk)

★ 10. ''Ostsamländische Mundart'', around Königsberg (Kaliningrad), Labiau (Polessk) and Znamensk (Wehlau)

★ 11. ''Mundart des Ostgebietes'', around Insterburg (Chernyakhovsk), Memel (Klaipėda) and Sovetsk (Tilsit)

Low and Old Prussian

After the assimilation of the Old Prussians, many Old Prussian words were preserved within the Low Prussian dialect.

'Low Prussian'	'Old Prussian'	'Latvian'	'Lithuanian'	'Standard German'	'English'
Flins	plīnksni	plācenis	blynas	Pfannkuchen	, ,
Kaddig	kaddegs	kadiķis	kadagys	Wacholder
Kurp	kurpi	kurpe	kurpė	Schuh
Kujel	kūilis	cūka, mežacūka	kuilys, šernas	Wildschwein
Margell, Marjell	mērgā	meiča	merga, mergaitė	Magd, Mädchen, Mädel	,
Paparz	papartis	paparde	papartis	Farn
Pawirpen	(''from'' pawīrps)	algādzis, strādnieks	padienis	Losmann
Zuris	sūris	siers	sūris	Käse

Low Prussian and Lithuanian

In addition to the words of Old Prussian origin, another source of Balticisms was Lithuanian. After the migration of Lithuanians in the 15^th century, many Lithuanian loanwoards appeared in the Low Prussian dialect.

'Low Prussian'	'Lithuanian'	'Standard German'	'English'
Alus	alus	Bier
Burteninker	burtininkas	Wahrsager, Zauberer, Besprecher
kalbeken	kalbėti	sprechen
Kausche, Kauszel	kaušas	Schöpfkelle, Trinknapf
Krepsch, Krepsche, Krepsze	krepšys, krepšas	Sack, Handsack, Ranzen
Lorbas	liurbis	Tölpel, Tolpatsch, Waschlappen	,
Packrant	krantas, pakrantė, pakraštys	Rand, Küste	,
Pirschlis	piršlys	Brautwerber
Wabel, Wabbel	vabalas	Käfer

References

Bauer, G.: Baltismen im ostpreußischen Deutsch. In: Annaberger Annalen, Nr.13, 2005, p.5-82.

See also

★ German dialects

★ High Prussian

★ Old Prussian

External links

★ Map of German dialects in 1897

★ Brief descriptions of most of the major Low German dialects