'Separate and peculiar': the survival of 'Pennsylvania Dutch' in Ontario, Canada

This paper explores the sociolinguistic history and current status of Pennsylvania German (PG) in Ontario, Canada, focusing on Mennonite communities in Waterloo County. It examines settlement patterns, language maintenance, and structural changes resulting from contact with English. While PG proficiency varies across religious groups, language shift is accelerating among progressive Mennonites, with intergenerational transmission declining. In contrast, Old Order Mennonites maintain PG through religious conviction and cultural separation, though urban expansion threatens this isolation. The study highlights how religious conservatism correlates with linguistic resilience, and how community dispersion may undermine language vitality. It also considers grammatical changes in PG, proposing a broader survey across sectarian and non-sectarian groups to understand the mechanisms and variability of language change in this unique context (AI generated abstract, Copilot)