How Texas Is In Serious Danger Of Losing Its Own Unique Dialect

There once was a time, if you traveled to the Texas Hill Country, you would hear something that could only be heard in Texas. It's so unique that universities across the US have studied it, historians have written about it, and there's tons of YouTube videos of people reacting to it. Texas is home to its very own unique German dialect.

Here is how Texas is in serious danger of losing its own unique German dialect.

It's referred to as Texas German. Texas is the only place in the world where you can hear it. At one point it dominated the Hill Country in Texas as German emigrants moved in seeking to make their fortunes.

Supposedly, Texas German comes from the large amount of German emigrants moving to the state in the 1800s. As these emigrants showed up speaking different German dialects, and then learned English, it all melded together into a dialect heard only in the Lone Star State.

Texas made education English-only. No matter what was spoken at home, you would learn in English. The hostility toward the German language continued through World War I and World War II, leading to fewer children being taught the language at home.

The hostility toward the German language during this time was very real. I attended school in a town that changed the name of the town, and many residents changed their last names, during that time.

Estimates say that by the 1950s, there were practically no new speakers of Texas German.

To make matters even worse, it seems that the Texas German dialect is in danger of disappearing entirely. The best estimate I've seen so far is 2040. Some say within about a decade the dialect will have practically disappeared.

It's sad, really. Something so unique to our state that speaks to the history of what helped make Texas what it is, is in danger of being something that only a few remember.