German in the United States

German in the United States

Before the World War I, more than 6 percent of American schoolchildren received their primary education only in German. Furthermore, more than 45 million Americans claim they have German ancestors. Only 1.5 million, however, speak that language at the present time.

The Amish speak a dialect of German known as Pennsylvania Dutch. There is a dying dialect called Texas German based in the Texas Hill Country in the vicinity of the town of Fredricksburg.

A myth holds that German was to be the official language of the US, replacing English to sever ties with Great Britain, but this is inaccurate: It is based on a failed early attempt to have government documents translated into German.