East Pomeranian dialect

Not to be confused with Pomeranian language.

East Pomeranian (Ostpommersch) or Farther Pomeranian (Hinterpommersch) is an East Low German dialect moribund in Europe, which used to be spoken in the region of Farther Pomerania when it was part of the German Province of Pomerania, until World War II, and today is part of Poland. Currently, the language survives mainly in Brazil, where it is spoken by descendants of German immigrants of the 19th century and where it was given its own script by the linguist Ismael Tressmann. It has co-official status in 11 Brazilian municipalities and has been recognized as a historical and cultural heritage of the Brazilian state of Espírito Santo. East Pomeranian is also spoken in central Wisconsin and parts of Iowa, in the United States.

East Pomeranian
Native to	Diaspora of German expellees in the Americas; formerly Province of Pomerania
Native speakers	Native: ≅ 300.000
Language family	Indo-European Germanic West Germanic North Sea Germanic Low German East Low German East Pomeranian
Writing system	Latin (German alphabet)
Official status
Official language in	Brazil (11 municipalities)
Recognised minority language in	United States Poland
Language codes
ISO 639-2	nds for Low German
ISO 639-3	nds for Low German
Glottolog	east2293

Nowadays, spoken East Pomeranian in Brazil has mostly been influenced by Portuguese language and Hunsrik, a German dialect derived from the Hunsrückisch native to Brazil. It excludes the dialect spoken in the United States, known as Wisconsin Pomeranian, which was influenced by the English language.

The varieties of East Pomeranian are: Westhinterpommersch, Osthinterpommersch, Bublitzisch around Bobolice and Pommerellisch;^{[citation needed]} Further the east, German dialects transitioned to Low Prussian-East Pomeranian and Vistula Delta German spoken in and around Danzig/Gdansk.^{[1][better source needed]}

Brazilian Municipalities that have co-official East Pomeranian dialect

Municipalities in which the East Pomeranian dialect has co-official status in Espírito Santo, Brazil.

Espírito Santo

• Afonso Cláudio (in the district of Mata Fria)^[2]
• Domingos Martins^[3][4][5]
• Itarana^[6][7]
• Laranja da Terra^[4][5]
• Pancas^[4][8][9]
• Santa Maria de Jetibá^[4][10]
• Vila Pavão^[4][11]

Minas Gerais

• Itueta^[12]

Santa Catarina

• Pomerode^[13][14]

Rio Grande do Sul

• Canguçu^[15]
• São Lourenço do Sul (under approval)^[16]

Rondônia

• Espigão d'Oeste^[17]

Grammar

Verbs

Conjugation patterns of Brazilian Pomeranian^[18]

verbs				breeka, to break"	häwa, "to have"	wila, "to want/ to become"	måka, "to male"	bruuka, "to need"	raupa, "to call/ to shout"	srijga "to scream"
Infinitive				breeka	häwa	wila	måka	bruuka	raupa	srijga
Participle	Past			brooka	hat	wud	måkt	bruukt	roopa	sreega
Indicative	Present	Singular	1st person	breek	häw	wil	måk	bruuk	raup	srijg
			2nd person	breekst	häst	wist	mökst	bruukst	raupst	srigst
			3rd person	breekt	hät	wil	mök	bruukt	raupt	srijgt
		Plural		breeka	häwa	wila	måka	bruuka	raupa	srijga
	Past	Singular	1st person	braik	haar	wu	maik	brüükt	raip	sreig
			2nd person	braikst	haast	wust	maikst	brüükst	raipst	sreigst
			3rd Person	braik	haar	wu	maik	brüükt	raip	sreigt
		Plural		braika	haara	wula	maika	brüüka	raipa	sreiga

Phonology

Source:^[19]

Vowels

	Front				Central		Back
	Unrounded		Rounded
	short	long	short	long	short	long	short	long
Close	ɪ	iˑ	ʏ	yˑ			ʊ	uˑ
Mid					ə
Open-mid	ɛ	ɛː ɛˑ	œ		(ɐ)		ɔ ɔˑ
Open						aː	ɑ

Diphthongs

	Ending point
	Front	Back
Near-close	ui̯
Mid	ei̯ oi̯ ø:i̯	ou̯
Open	ɑi̯	ɑu̯

Consonants

		Labial	Alveolar	Post- alveolar	Palatal	Velar/ Uvular	Glottal
Nasal		m	n			ŋ
Plosive	Fortis	p	t			k	(ʔ)
	Lenis	b	d			ɡ
Affricate	Fortis		(ts)	(tʃ)
	Lenis			(dʒ)
Fricative	Fortis	f	s	ʃ	(ç) (ʝ)	(x) (ɣ)	h (ɦ)
	Lenis	v	z	(ʒ)
Approximant		(β)	l		(ʎ) j	(w)
Rhotic			r

See also

• Brazilian German