Low Prussian (German: Niederpreußisch), sometimes known simply as Prussian (Preußisch), is a dialect of East Low German that developed in East Prussia. Low Prussian was spoken in East and West Prussia and Danzig up to 1945. It developed on a Baltic substrate through the influx of Dutch and Low German speaking immigrants. It overruled Old Prussian, which then became extinct in the 17th century.
Plautdietsch, a Low German variety, is included within Low Prussian by some observers. Excluding Plautdietsch, Low Prussian can be considered moribund due to the evacuation and forced expulsion of Germans from East Prussia after World War II. Plautdietsch, however, has several thousands of speakers throughout the world, most notably in South America, Canada and Germany.
Simon Dach's poem Anke van Tharaw, the best known East Prussian poem, was written in Low Prussian.
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According to one summary of Low German dialects, words very characteristic of Low Prussian are doa ('dor', there), joa ('jo', yes), goah ('goh', go) and noa ('nober', neighbor), which feature the diphthong "oa" instead of the usual "o" or "a". The dialect is also marked by a substitution of "k" for "ch", such as in mannke ('minsch', person), and a loan of High German-like words, such as zwei ('twee', two). Words are often shortened, in a manner similar to that of the neighboring Pomeranian dialect, giving beet (beten, little bit) and baakove ('bakåben', bake oven).
Some observers argue that it resembles Dutch and Flemish because of these features . Low Prussian also has a number of words in common with Plautdietsch, such as Klemp (cow), Klopps (lump, ball of earth), and Tsoagel (tail).
Some other words[1] are:
After the assimilation of the Old Prussians, many Old Prussian words were preserved within the Low Prussian dialect.
| Low Prussian | Old Prussian | Latvian | Lithuanian | Standard German | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flins | plīnksni | plācenis | blynas | Pfannkuchen | pancake, scone, biscuit |
| Kaddig | kaddegs | kadiķis | kadagys | Wacholder | juniper |
| Kurp | kurpi | kurpe | kurpė | Schuh | shoe |
| Kujel | kūilis | cūka, mežacūka, kuilis | kuilys, šernas | Wildschwein | boar |
| Margell, Marjell | mērgā | meitene, meiča | merga, mergelė, mergaitė | Magd, Mädchen, Mädel | maiden, girl |
| Paparz | papartis | paparde | papartis | Farn | fern |
| Pawirpen | (from pawīrps) | algādzis, strādnieks | padienis | Losmann | freelancer |
| Zuris | sūris | siers | sūris | Käse | cheese |
In addition to the words of Old Prussian origin, another source of Balticisms was Lithuanian. After the migration of Lithuanians in the 15th century, many Lithuanian loanwoards appeared in the Low Prussian dialect.
| Low Prussian | Lithuanian | Standard German | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alus | alus | Bier | beer |
| Burteninker | burtininkas | Wahrsager, Zauberer, Besprecher | magician |
| kalbeken | kalbėti | sprechen | to talk |
| Kausche, Kauszel | kaušas | Schöpfkelle, Trinknapf | dipper |
| Krepsch, Krepsche, Krepsze | krepšys, krepšas | Sack, Handsack, Ranzen | basket |
| Lorbas | liurbis | Tölpel, Tolpatsch, Waschlappen | loser, fumbler |
| Packrant | krantas, pakrantė, pakraštys | Rand, Küste | edge, coast |
| Pirschlis | piršlys | Brautwerber | |
| Wabel, Wabbel | vabalas | Käfer | bug |
