Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Pennsylvanian, the strange language

I was born in Herndon, P-AY. Dad went to Shamokin High School, Mom went to Dalmatia High School (which was converted into Dalmatia Elementary that I attended). Great-grandfather worked in the Glen Burn Mine for a while back in the 'teens. My grandfather told me the story of when he was a boy watching the miners' shift change at night. With all of the glowing miners lights coming up, and going down, the hill it reminded him of fireflies in the dark. "Grampaw's" nickname was "Fats" and his best friend was "Polack Johnny". Those two guys took me on the Glen Burn mine tour one time. I think it was done to instill in me the fear of ever going to work in a coal mine. It worked. Pop used his grandfather's miner's lamp when he was a kid checking his trap line in the pre-dawn hours. I still have it hanging on a hook in my gun cabinet.

When our family migrated to Western Maryland in 1963, my ten year old sensibilities were affronted by the thick West Virginia-style accent prevalent among the local kids. I couldn't understand what they were saying at first, and they had a hard time understanding me. We were constantly having to "import" such staples as good Lebanon Baloney, properly smoked sausage, and Yuengling beer (for the old man).

In our neck of the woods- Herndon/Dornsife/Dalmatia- the older generations were truly bilingual. Pennsylvania Dutch was heard as much as English. In fact my grandparents spoke more "Dutch" than they did English, especially between themselves. (Don'tcha know?)