CONTACT:
Luanne von Schneidemesser
6129 Helen C. White Hall, 600 N. Park St.,
Madison WI 53706
608 265-0532 (work)
608 233-3051 (home)
Lvonschn at wisc.edu
Luanne von Schneidemesser will negotiate costs with you. Contact her directly to make arrangements. REGION:
Dane County, Southern WisconsinHUMANITIES EXPERTISE:
Cultural Anthropology, Ethnic Studies, Folklore, History, Languages, Linguistics
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LUANNE VON SCHNEIDEMESSER
Luanne von Schneidemesser is senior editor for the Dictionary of American Regional English, where she has been on staff since 1978. Her PhD is in German linguistics. She has been an officer/board member of the American Dialect Society, the Dictionary Society of North America, and the American Council of Learned Societies. She has written on pop and soda, terms used in children’s games, the dialect vocabulary of the Upper Midwest, Kansas vocabulary, and German loanwords in English. She is part of the Wisconsin Englishes project, headquartered at the UW-Madison.
Public Presentations:
Wisconsin English Words
If you’ve lived in Wisconsin “from little on” or even if you’ve been here for only a short time, you’re probably aware that the words and ways of Wisconsinites can be unique. If, for example, you go to church suppers and Friday-night fish fries, play sheepshead, borrow your friend money to buy bakery, drink from a bubbler instead of from a drinking fountain, or have ever budged in line, you know you’re from Wisconsin. Von Schneidemesser will discuss how the various ethnic and cultural groups which settled Wisconsin have influenced and enriched the language of Wisconsin, exemplifying with words and phrases used in Wisconsin English. She will show how language continues to develop and change with examples of more recent terms taken into our language.
German Words in American English: DARE Evidence and Beyond
In the 1990 census, almost 58 million residents of the U.S. claimed German ancestry, making it the largest ancestry group. A large number of German words have been taken into American English, either in their German form (Angst, schafskopf, gesundheit, bratwurst) or translated into English (sheepshead, hand cheese, borrow, from little on). Starting with words and phrases from German in the Dictionary of American Regional English - over 500 are listed - (many used more in speech than in writing) but not limiting the talk to those, von Schneidemesser will discuss these German words and phrases, which in some cases are used only regionally but in other cases are known and used nation-wide.
Other Public Program Ideas: Luanne von Schneidemesser is available to share expertise as part of a panel and collaborate on public programs. Contact her directly to discuss ideas.
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