Plautdietsch Humour (Humooa opp Plautdietsch)

From his earliest recollections as a child in a completely Plautdietsch community in central Kansas, the author has culled stories, sayings, jokes, and many other kinds of humour in an effort to retain, for those interested, something of that wealth of material which contributed to a sense of humour among a people widely considered to be very serious. In the early centuries of their existence, these Low Saxon (Low German) people probably did not laugh very much. But with the passage of time, as they became amalgamated with peoples among whom they lived, that changed gradually. Today, as one listens to a small group of older people exchanging stories, one senses quickly a mixture of friendly repartee, satire, incongruity, some sarcasm, even a bit of irony, but primarily a great deal of simple, mutually understood and shared 'funny' stuff. That is the central unifying background, even purpose, of this collection.

The subject index near the beginning of the book will help to make this clear. The subject matter is broad, and the author had hoped that it would be possible to present everything in the book in the dialect of Plautdietsch, but sometimes an English word, even a sentence, has been interjected in an effort to make it clear for some who may have known, even spoken, Plaiutdietsch in their youth, but which has become rusty, will not miss the point.