Beginner’s Conversational Pa. German Class

THIS CLASS IS FULL.

Saturday mornings from 10 am to 12 noon, October 17, 24, 31, November 7, 14, and 21.

Taught by Kevin Sterner, this course will introduce students to the Pennsylvania German language in six two-hour sessions. The emphasis will be on conversation, listening, and pronunciation, but there will be some reading, some culture, and lots of fun along the way! We will generally follow the first several chapters of the second edition of Schwetz Mol Deitsch! by Douglas J. Madenford and Joshua R. Brown, but we’ll use some other materials besides. No familiarity with the language, or with Standard German, is assumed or required. Macht’s gut, un sehn eich in Klaess!

Kevin Sterner was raised near Schoenersville, PA, in the Lehigh Valley. He is descended from long lines of Pennsylvania Dutchmen on both sides, but was not raised speaking the Pennsylvania Dutch dialect. After earning a Ph.D. in experimental high-energy physics in 1993, he spent 11 years on the faculty and staff at the University of Pennsylvania. His return to Southeastern PA gave him the opportunity to learn the language of his grandparents. He has twice won the “Hiwwe wie Driwwe” award in Germany for his dialect writings. Today he is the Principal Data Scientist for BDP International, Inc., a shipping logistics company in Old City Philadelphia. He lives in Fagleysville in upper Montgomery County, PA.

Advance registration required. Class fee plus textbook is $90 (MHC members $85). No refunds given unless class is cancelled due to insufficient enrollment.