Werdersch (german: Mundart der Weichselwerder) is a

subdialect Subdialect (from Latin , "under", and Ancient Greek , "discourse") is a linguistic term designating a dialectological category between the levels of dialect and idiolect. Subdialects are basic subdivisions of a dialect. Subdialects can be divided ...

Low Prussian Low Prussian (german: Niederpreußisch), sometimes known simply as Prussian (''Preußisch''), is a moribund dialect of East Low German that developed in East Prussia. Low Prussian was spoken in East and West Prussia and Danzig up to 1945. In Da ...

, which itself is a subdialect of

Low German : : : : : (70,000) (30,000) (8,000) , familycolor = Indo-European , fam2 = Germanic , fam3 = West Germanic , fam4 = North Sea Germanic , ancestor = Old Saxon , ancestor2 = Middle L ...

. This dialect is spoken in Poland and was spoken in the former province of

West Prussia The Province of West Prussia (german: Provinz Westpreußen; csb, Zôpadné Prësë; pl, Prusy Zachodnie) was a province of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and 1878 to 1920. West Prussia was established as a province of the Kingdom of Prussia in 177 ...

. The (''Vistula river islands'') were Żuławy Gdańskie between Wisła Gdańska and Gdańskie Wyżyny and Żuławy Malborskie between

Vistula The Vistula (; pl, Wisła, ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest river in Europe, at in length. The drainage basin, reaching into three other nations, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra in ...

Szkarpawa The Szkarpawa (, german: Elbinger Weichsel) is a distributary river in the Vistula delta of northern Poland. It branches off the Vistula near Drewnica and flows eastward to the Vistula Lagoon at Osłonka. In the past it was known as ''Wisła El ...

Vistula Lagoon The Vistula Lagoon ( pl, Zalew Wiślany; russian: Калининградский залив, transliterated: ''Kaliningradskiy Zaliv''; german: Frisches Haff; lt, Aistmarės) is a brackish water lagoon on the Baltic Sea roughly 56 miles (90 ...

, and

Nogat The Nogat is a 62 km long delta branch of the Vistula River in northern Poland. Unlike the main river, it does not empty into Gdańsk Bay but rather into the Vistula Lagoon. The Nogat has its origin near the village of Biała Góra as a d ...

History

Werdersch developed after

Dutch-speaking Dutch ( ) is a West Germanic language spoken by about 25 million people as a first language and 5 million as a second language. It is the third most widely spoken Germanic language, after its close relatives German and English. ''Afrikaans'' i ...

Mennonites Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...

from the Netherlands moved in the sixteenth century to the region where Werdersch is spoken. Half of the Dutch there were Mennonites, the other half other

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

. Though not all were from

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

, they were referred to as Hollanders. German colonists were also referred to as Hollanders.

Catherine the Great , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anhal ...

called Mennonite immigrants from the area to

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

. Werdersch is closely related to

Nehrungisch Nehrungisch is a dialect (''Mundart'') of Low Prussian, belonging to the Low German language variety. It was spoken in East Prussia and West Prussia, in the region around the Vistula Spit (''Frische Nehrung'') near Gdansk. The easternmost local ...

. Plautdietsch was spoken in this area even by non-Mennonites. Many of the Mennonites spoke

Low German : : : : : (70,000) (30,000) (8,000) , familycolor = Indo-European , fam2 = Germanic , fam3 = West Germanic , fam4 = North Sea Germanic , ancestor = Old Saxon , ancestor2 = Middle L ...

. Groups of Flemish Mennonites and Frisian Mennonites were early arrivals. The division between Flemish Mennonites and Frisian Mennonites was religious rather than ethnic. The early

Anabaptists Anabaptism (from New Latin language, Neo-Latin , from the Greek language, Greek : 're-' and 'baptism', german: Täufer, earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re- ...

from the province of

Friesland Friesland (, ; official fry, Fryslân ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of ...

at that time spoke Frisian. This division continued into Russia. Most of the founders of

Molotschna Molotschna Colony or Molochna Colony was a Russian Mennonite settlement in what is now Zaporizhzhia Oblast in Ukraine. Today, the central village, known as Molochansk, has a population less than 10,000. The settlement is named after the Molochna Ri ...

and

Chortitza Chortitza Colony was a volost Yekaterinoslav Governorate granted to Plautdietsch-speaking Russian Mennonite for colonization northwest of Khortytsia Island and is now part of Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. Chortitza was founded in 1789 by Mennonite set ...

colonies in Russia were Flemish Mennonites speaking Werdersch. Most residents of

Chortitza Colony Chortitza Colony was a volost Yekaterinoslav Governorate granted to Plautdietsch-speaking Russian Mennonite for colonization northwest of Khortytsia Island and is now part of Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. Chortitza was founded in 1789 by Mennonite set ...

were from Żuławy Malborskie ( in German). The congregations of Flemish Mennonites in the area of the Weichselwerder were Ellerwald, Fürstenwerder, Heubuden, Ladekopp, Rosenort and Tiegenhagen. Orlofferfelde and Thiensdorf had a congregation of Frisian Mennonites. Daughter settlements of Molotschna in Ukraine (German names of the period) included Ogus-Tobe, Ali-Bai, Semisotka, Usnajak, Fernheim, Itschki, Sarona, Dselair, Tschatte, Arkachin, Selenaja, Bek-Bulatschi, Baschlitscha, Karasan, Menelerdshik, Spat, Telentschi, Ataschaja, Scheich-Eli, Kipschak, Wassiljewka, Salgirka, Kiat, Kitai, Kasantschi, Jangil, Atartschik, Durmen, Ebenfeld, Lustigstal, Alatsch, Kirgis, Keneges, Tamak, Dsanbore, Kutjuki, Jalantusch, Aktatschi-Busan, Bijuk-Busan, Bijuk-Kuban, Busul-Montanai, Sabantschi, Terkle-Kitai, Bakschai, Bubschik, Busul, Adshembet, Annowka, Borangar, Barak, Danilowka, Elgeri-Montanai, Kadagai, Mara, Pascha-Tschokmak, Schöntal, Topalowka, Tschongraw, Tsche-Tsche, Tokultschak, Toksaba, Teschi, Sabantschi, Kara-Kodsha, Tschambuldi, Olgase-Kamrat, Stanislawka, Kara-Tschikmak, Shangara, Timir, Sagradowka (including inter alia Orloff, Tiege, Nikolaifeld, Neuschönsee, Altonau), Tributzkoje (Nowo-Nikolajewka and Wolodjewka), Alexefeld, Brasol (with villages Schönfeld-Kransopol, Blumenheim-Werbowskoje, Rosenhof, Blumenfeld), Miropol, Alexandropol, Memrik (with villages Kalinowo, Mmerik, Kotljarewka, Karpowka, Alexandrowka, Ljessowka, Michailowka, Marainowka, Nikolajewka, Orlowo), Alexanderheim, Samojlowka (with villages Samojlowka, Schestakowo, Nowo-Stepnoje and Ryskowo), Millerowo, Masajewka and Nikolaipol. In the

Caucasus Mountains The Caucasus Mountains, : pronounced * hy, Կովկասյան լեռներ, : pronounced * az, Qafqaz dağları, pronounced * rus, Кавка́зские го́ры, Kavkázskiye góry, kɐfˈkasːkʲɪje ˈɡorɨ * tr, Kafkas Dağla ...

, the daughter colonies included Kuban (with villages Welikoknjascheskoje and Alexandrodar), Tempelhof-Orbelianowka (with villages Tempelhof and Orbelianowka), Suworowka (Nikolaifeld, Großfürstental, Lwarow and Arrival), Olgino (Olgino, Romanowka, Miropol and Loschkarewo) and Terek (Alexandrowka, Chartsch, Konstantinowka, Marjanowka, Rohrbach, Sulak, Talma, Wanderloh, Middelburg, Pretoria and Tarawowka). Northeast Russia had the following daughter colonies: Neu-Samara (with villages Bogamasowo, Pleschanowo, Krassikowo, Kamenetz, Lugowsk, Podolsk, Kuterla, Dolinsk, Donskoje, Koltan and Annenskoje), Rownopol (Ebenfeld), Dawlekanowo (including the villages Karambasch, Gortschakowo, Beresowka-Udrak, Jurmankej, Kulikowo) and Orenburg (the villages Aliessowo, Stepanowka, Klubnikowo, Kubanka, Karaguj, Kameschewoje, Tscherno-Osernoje and Selenoje). Mennonite migrants to the United States in the 19th century mainly originated from Molotschna. The settlers destined for the US went to the Midwestern part of the US. The group in the Midwestern US expanded into the Central Valley of California, but never forming a large Mennonite community. Mennonites from the Molotschna region in 1874 arrived in the area around Wichita, Kansas. The groups which are in this area originate from the

Krimmer Mennonite Brethren The US Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches (USMB) is an association of Mennonite Brethren Churches in the United States. Background On January 6, 1860, a small group of Mennonites in Ukraine, influenced by Moravian Brethren and Lutheran Pietis ...

, Alexanderwohl, so-called Prussian Mennonites, and Volhynia Mennonites. The Alexanderwohl,

Mennonite Brethren The Mennonite Brethren Church is an evangelical Mennonite Anabaptist movement with Wiktionary:congregation, congregations. History The conference was established among Plautdietsch language, Plautdietsch-speaking Russian Mennonites in 1860. Durin ...

, and

General Conference Mennonite Church The General Conference Mennonite Church (GCMC) was a mainline association of Mennonite congregations based in North America from 1860 to 2002. The conference was formed in 1860 when congregations in Iowa invited North American Mennonites to join ...

are all denominations of Molotschna origin in central Kansas. The groups of Mennonites arriving in the 1870s are associated with the Mennonite settlements in

Henderson, Nebraska Henderson is a city in York County, Nebraska, York County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 991 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. History Henderson was platted in 1887 when the Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad ...

Mountain Lake, Minnesota Mountain Lake is a city in Cottonwood County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,104 at the 2010 census. Mountain Lake was initially composed mostly of the 1,800 Low German (or more specifically, Plautdietsch) speaking Mennonite ...

Corn, Oklahoma Corn is a town in Washita County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 503 at the 2010 census. Geography Corn is located 13 miles northeast of Cordell in west-central Oklahoma. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, its geographic coor ...

and

Fresno, California Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, makin ...

. Mennonites in Fresno, California are mostly associated with the groups from the Midwestern states.

Reedley, California Reedley is a city in Fresno County, California, United States. It is located in the San Joaquin Valley, east-southeast of Fresno, at an elevation of . The population at the 2010 census was . Its chief economic source is agriculture, particularl ...

, near Fresno, has a sizable population of Mennonite origin. Mennonites founded

Fresno Pacific University Fresno Pacific University (FPU) is a private Christian university in Fresno, California. It was founded as the Pacific Bible Institute in 1944 by the Pacific District Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches. The university awarded its first Bac ...

Bethel College (Kansas) Bethel College is a private Christian college in North Newton, Kansas. It is affiliated with Mennonite Church USA. History Bethel College, founded in 1887, is the oldest Mennonite college in North America. Bethel College became the second inst ...

and

Tabor College (Kansas) Tabor College is a private Mennonite college in Hillsboro, Kansas. It is owned and operated by the Mennonite Brethren Church and adheres to Anabaptist doctrine. There were 594 students enrolled at the Tabor College Hillsboro campus for the Fa ...

were founded by Mennonites. Manitoba

East Reserve The East Reserve was a block settlement in Manitoba set aside by the Government of Canada exclusively for settlement by Russian Mennonite settlers in 1873 (although settlement did not occur until 1874). Most of the East Reserve's earliest settlers ...

had a minority of Molotschna origin among its Mennonites. In the 1940s, about 800 Mennonites from Canada West Reserve immigrated to North Mexico, most of whom Canadian Sommerfelder or Kleine Gemeinde Mennonites. Molotschna-Plautdietsch is spoken in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

in Sommerfeld and by

Kleine Gemeinde Kleine Gemeinde is a Mennonite denomination founded in 1812 by Klaas Reimer in the Russian Empire. The current group primarily consists of Plautdietsch-speaking Russian Mennonites in Belize, Mexico and Bolivia, as well as a small presence in Canada ...

. Vocalism of Plautdietsch in

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

, and

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

mostly is different from that farther North. Many speakers of Plautdietsch show main features of both Molotschna-Plautdietsch and Chortitza-Plautdietsch. Molotschna-Plautdietsch is spoken in

Neuland Colony Neuland Colony (Plautdietsch: Nielaunt /ˈnilɔnt/) is a Mennonite settlement in Paraguay. After thousands of Plautdietsch-speaking Russian Mennonites fled the Soviet Union during the Great Trek of World War II, many were left displaced by the w ...

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

Fernheim Colony The Fernheim Colony is a Plautdietsch-speaking settlement of Russian Mennonite, Mennonites originally from Russia of about 5000 in the Gran Chaco, Chaco of Paraguay. Mennonites from the Soviet Union founded it between 1930 and 1932. Filadelfia i ...

in Paraguay has residents of ''Werdersch'' cum Molotschna origin. Friesland Colony, Paraguay, was founded by people having moved from Fernheim Colony. Molotschna-Plautdietsch is also spoken in Southern

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. Santa Catarina and

Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, , ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative_units_of_Brazil#List, fifth-most-populous state and the List of Brazilian st ...

have residents of ''Werdersch'' cum Molotschna origin. Convenção Brasileira das Igrejas Evangélicas Irmãos Menonitas has half the members of Mennonite congregations in Brazil. The denomination ''Flemish Mennonites'' was predominant in the Żuławy Malborskie, the denomination ''Frisian Mennonites'' in the Żuławy Elbląskie. Later groups of settlers had more predominant representation of Frisian Mennonites from more southerly (Werder) areas. Tres Palmas Colony, Paraguay, traces its origin to Molotschna.

Phonology

Werdersch has alveolar /r/, like

Eastern Low Prussian , state = Lithuania, Poland, Russia (formerly Germany) , region = East Prussia , ethnicity=Germans, Prussian Lithuanians , familycolor=Indo-European , fam2= Germanic , fam3=West Germanic , fam4=North Sea Germanic , fam5=Low ...

. Werdersch has, at least in some words, long /u/ as short /u/ and long /i/ as short /i/. Molotschna- Plautdietsch is descended from Werdersch. In originally closed syllables excluding before original /r/, /ld/ and /lp/, /e/ is given as front vowel /a/. In contrast to Nehrungisch and Chortitza-Plautdietsch, it and Molotschna-Plautdietsch have High German /au/ as /au/. In contrast to Nehrungisch and Chortitza-Plautdietsch, it and Molotschna-Plautdietsch have no shortened /u/ before /p/. Werdersch has shortened ''u'' before gutturals. It has for High German , English ''through''. The Molotschna-related -diphthongs before velars are , , . Werdersch had ''a'' in the closed syllable before ''l'' as ''o''. Molotschna-Plautdietsch has palatal oral stops and . For Chortitza-Plautdietsch iw �ːwit has u � Plautdietsch varieties which have the reflex ːof MLG ū, almost always develop a centralized reflex of MLG ō. Molotschna forms which do not have the reflex ːoften have a central reflex, �ː In less conservative varieties, the nucleus of words such as ''heet'' has also begun to fall and further dissimilate itself from its off-glide. Speakers from the earlier Midwestern settlements sometimes have a raised allophone of words, such as ''Äkj'': e Molotschna speakers from the original late 1800s settlements often lack an off-glide in some OA sounds, but do have off-glides in other OA sounds (e.g., Oabeid 'work' �ɐbaidvs Foagel 'fowl' oːɣl koake 'to cook' oːke and Büak 'book' oːk. Molotschna speakers from Mexico with the traditional Molotschna Dialect OA form retain the original off-glide in words like Foagel 'fowl' oɐɣl List of

isogloss An isogloss, also called a heterogloss (see Etymology below), is the geographic boundary of a certain linguistic feature, such as the pronunciation of a vowel, the meaning of a word, or the use of some morphological or syntactic feature. Major d ...

es within Werdersch: *''/a/'' mostly as ''/au/'' */n/-loss in *Long ''/o/'' is shortened before l+dental; umlaut lacks in words such as *Final ''-n'' *''/l/''-loss in and *Loss of ''/n/'' in ''an-'', ''in-'' ''un-'' before fricatives, /r, l, m, n and g. *, , etc. versus , , etc. *, etc. versus , etc. *Shortening of /î/ to /i/ before velars *Shortening of /û/ to /u/ before velars * /i, e and ar/ becoming /e, a and or/ respectively

Grammar

Molotschna-Plautdietsch uses

dative case In grammar, the dative case (abbreviated , or sometimes when it is a core argument) is a grammatical case used in some languages to indicate the recipient or beneficiary of an action, as in "Maria Jacobo potum dedit", Latin for "Maria gave Jacob a ...

, but not

accusative case The accusative case (abbreviated ) of a noun is the grammatical case used to mark the direct object of a transitive verb. In the English language, the only words that occur in the accusative case are pronouns: 'me,' 'him,' 'her,' 'us,' and ‘the ...

. Molotschna-Plautdietsch is the dominant Plautdietsch variety in

. Molotschna-Plautdietsch has for ''them''. Molotschna-Plautdietsch has the formal address using the pronoun of the third person. Molotschna-Plautdietsch has infinitive and plural, both ending on /-ə/. For verbs with two

preterite The preterite or preterit (; abbreviated or ) is a grammatical tense or verb form serving to denote events that took place or were completed in the past; in some languages, such as Spanish, French, and English, it is equivalent to the simple pas ...

forms, Molotschna-Plautdietsch mostly uses the

velar Velars are consonants articulated with the back part of the tongue (the dorsum) against the soft palate, the back part of the roof of the mouth (known also as the velum). Since the velar region of the roof of the mouth is relatively extensive an ...

form with /au/. It has the velar stem vowel of Dutch and a limited number of palatal preterite forms. Molotschna-Plautdietsch has for the infinitive ''have''. Molotschna-Plautdietsch has palatalization given as ''c'' and ''ɟ'', which probably used to exist in West Prussia as well. It has the preterite forms and .

List of surnames

This is a list of surnames common among Mennonites in Canada originating (indirectly) from Russia in descending frequency. The number in brackets indicates the number of places they are higher than on a 20-entry list of surnames of Mennonites in Canada originating (indirectly) from Russia. This list only includes surnames higher on the list concerning West Prussian Mennonites than on the list of surnames of Mennonites in Canada. * Penner (4) * Wiens (not on the 20-entry list) *

Janzen Janzen is a German and Dutch surname (nowadays an English first name too), and may refer to: * Chantal Janzen (born 1979), Dutch actress * Daniel Janzen (born 1939), American ecologist * Johannes Janzen (1896-1980s), First World War flying ace * J ...

(12) * Enns (6) * Janz (not on the 20-entry list) * Froese (not on the 20-entry list) * Regehr (not on the 20-entry list) * Harder (8) *

Ewert Ewert is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname * Adolph W. Ewert (born 1865), American politician in the state of South Dakota * Taylor Ewert (born 2001), American Track and Field runner *Arthur Ewert (1890� ...

(not on the 20-entry list) * Pauls (not on the 20-entry list) * Fast (not on the 20-entry list) *

Franz Franz may refer to: People * Franz (given name) * Franz (surname) Places * Franz (crater), a lunar crater * Franz, Ontario, a railway junction and unorganized town in Canada * Franz Lake, in the state of Washington, United States – see ...

(not on the 20-entry list) * Epp (not on the 20-entry list) *Fieguth (not on the 20-entry list) * Albrecht (not on the 20-entry list) Abrahams,

Arens Arens is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Cody Arens (born 1993), American teen actor and voice actor *Egmont Arens (1889–1966), American publisher * Henry M. Arens (1873-1963), American politician * Jan-Hein Arens (born 1974 ...

, Behrends, Cornelius, Daniels, Dirksen, Doercksen, Frantzen, Goertzen, Gossen, Harms,

Heinrichs Heinrichs is a surname derived from Heinrich (surname), Heinrich. Notable people with this name include: * April Heinrichs (born 1964), American soccer player * Conrad-Oskar Heinrichs (1890–1944), German General during World War II * Dolph Heinri ...

Jantzen Jantzen is a brand of swimwear that was established in 1916 and first appeared in the city of Portland, Oregon, United States. The brand name later replaced the name of the parent company that manufactured the branded products. The brand feature ...

, Pauls,

Peters Peters may refer to: People * Peters (surname) * Peters Band, a First Nations band in British Columbia, Canada Places United States * Peters, California, a census-designated place * Peters, Florida, a town * Peters Township, Kingman County, Kan ...

Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad. The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', '' ...

and Woelms were among the surnames of Frisians. The surnames, that mostly occurred in Frisian congregations included Adrian, Brandt, Buller, Caspar, Flaming, Hamm, Harms, Isaak, Kettler, Kliewer, Knels, Stobbe, Teus, Töws, Toews. A surname, that also mostly occurred in Frisian congregations, is Pauls, as well as Peters. Unruh also mostly was in Frisian congregations, the same going for Fransen and Schmidt.

Today

Evangelical Mennonite Conference The Evangelical Mennonite Conference is a conference of Canadian evangelical Mennonite Christians headquartered in Steinbach, Manitoba, with 62 churches from British Columbia to southern Ontario. It includes people with a wide range of cultural ...

is a denomination of Molotschna origin limited to Canada. More than half of its churches are in

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

province.

Fellowship of Evangelical Bible Churches The Fellowship of Evangelical Bible Churches (FEBC) is a small evangelicalism, evangelical Christianity, Christian denomination with an Anabaptist Mennonite heritage. Most of the denomination's approximately 5000 members are in congregations locat ...

has most of its churches in the Midwest of the U. S. or Manitoba, Canada.

are a denomination originating from Molotschna.

Mennonite Church USA The Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) is an Anabaptist Christian denomination in the United States. Although the organization is a recent 2002 merger of the Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church, the body has roots in the Radi ...

has more members of Molotschna rather than of Chortitza origin. The first Mennonite Brethren congregation in Western Europe was founded in Neuwied in 1950, by people from the Soviet Union and Poland. The next two congregations bearing the name Mennonite Brethren to be founded were Neustadt an der Weinstraße in 1960 and Lage, North Rhine-Westphalia in 1965. The ''Baptisten-Brüdergermeinde Bonn'' (''Baptist-Brethren Congregation of Bonn'', later renamed was founded in 1974, resulted in the foundation of ''Bibelseminar Bonn''. The first Mennonite congregation in Bielefeld, nowadays a Mennonite Brethren congregation in Heepen, was founded in Brackwede, Bielefeld in 1974. The first Mennonite Brethren congregation founded by ''Aussiedler'' in the Federal Republic of Germany was founded in Espelkamp in 1974. The German association ''Bund Taufgesinnter Gemeinden'' was founded by Baptist and Mennonite Brethren congregations in 1989.

International Community of Mennonite Brethren

The United States probably have the largest number of members of International Community of Mennonite Brethren in America.

has Convenção das Igrejas Evangélicas Irmãos Menonitas and

has Vereinigung der Mennoniten Brüder Gemeinden Paraguays. Its members in Germany are: Arbeitsgemeinschaft Mennonitischer Brüdergemeinden Deutschland, Verband Mennonitischer Brüdergemeinden in Bayern and BeF(Taufgesinnte Gemeinden).

Places in Germany with congregation of Bund Taufgesinnter Gemeinden association in 1998

Andernach Andernach () is a town in the district of Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, of about 30,000 inhabitants. It is situated towards the end of the ''Neuwied basin'' on the left bank of the Rhine between the former tiny fishing village ...

Ansbach Ansbach (; ; East Franconian: ''Anschba'') is a city in the German state of Bavaria. It is the capital of the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Ansbach is southwest of Nuremberg and north of Munich, on the river Fränkische Rezat, a ...

Augsburg Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ' ...

(2) *

Augustdorf Augustdorf is a municipality in the Lippe district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It has an area of 42.18 km² and about 10,100 inhabitants (2020). History In 1775 Simon August, Count of Lippe-Detmold Simon August, Count of Lippe (12 ...

Bad Salzuflen Bad Salzuflen is a town and thermal spa resort in the Lippe district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. At the end of 2013, it had 52,121 inhabitants. Geography Bad Salzuflen lies on the eastern edge of the Ravensberg Basin, at the confluence o ...

Bickenbach, Hesse Bickenbach is a municipality in the Darmstadt-Dieburg district of Hesse, Germany. It is situated on the Hessische Bergstraße wine region. Political geography The States of Germany, federal state of Hesse is divided into three administrative re ...

Bielefeld Bielefeld () is a city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 341,755, it is also the most populous city in the administrative region (''Regierungsbezirk'') of Detmold and the ...

(one in Brackwede and Heepen each) *

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr r ...

Bornheim (Rheinland) Bornheim ( Ripuarian: ''Bonnem'') is a town in the Rhein-Sieg district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated on the West bank of the Rhine, approx. 10 km north-west of Bonn, 20 km south of Cologne. The town borders on Bonn ...

Detmold Detmold () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with a population of . It was the capital of the small Principality of Lippe from 1468 until 1918 and then of the Free State of Lippe until 1947. Today it is the administrative center of ...

Espelkamp Espelkamp ( nds, Espelkämpe) is a town in the Minden-Lübbecke district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Espelkamp is situated approximately 10 kilometers north of Lübbecke and 20 kilometers north-west of Minden. Neighbouring pla ...

Frankenthal Frankenthal (Pfalz) ( pfl, Frongedahl) is a town in southwestern Germany, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. History Frankenthal was first mentioned in 772. In 1119 an Augustinian monastery was built here, the ruins of which — known, aft ...

Gummersbach Gummersbach (; ksh, Jummersbach) is a town in the States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, being the district seat of the Oberbergischer Kreis. It is located east of Cologne. History In 1109 Gummersbach was mentioned in offic ...

Günzburg Günzburg (; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Genzburg'') is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is a ''Große Kreisstadt'' and the capital of the Swabian Günzburg (district), district Günzburg. This district was constituted in 1972 by combining the city ...

Harsewinkel Harsewinkel () is a town in Gütersloh District in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It lies on the river Ems, some 15 km north-west of Gütersloh. It is the home and domicile of Europe's leading combine harvester manufacturer C ...

Lemgo Lemgo (; nds, Lemge, Lemje) is a small university town in the Lippe district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated between the Teutoburg Forest and the Weser Uplands, 25 km east of Bielefeld and 70 km west of Hannover. T ...

Neuwied Neuwied () is a town in the north of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, capital of the District of Neuwied. Neuwied lies on the east bank of the Rhine, 12 km northwest of Koblenz, on the railway from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne. Th ...

Oerlinghausen Oerlinghausen (Low German ''Ankhiusen'') is a city in the Lippe district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany located between Bielefeld and Detmold in the Teutoburger Wald. It has c. 16,700 inhabitants (2013). Geography Geographically, Oerlinghaus ...

Rahden Rahden is a town in the far north of North Rhine-Westphalia between Bielefeld and Bremen and between Hanover and Osnabrück. Rahden is part of the Minden-Lübbecke District in East Westphalia-Lippe. Rahden was first mentioned in 1033 and 1816 to ...

Soest, Germany Soest (, as if it were 'Sohst'; Westphalian: ''Saust'') is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Soest district. Geography Soest is located along the ''Hellweg'' road, approximately south-west of Lippstadt, ro ...

Velbert Velbert ( Low Rhenish: ''Vèlbed'') is a town in the district of Mettmann, in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The town is renowned worldwide for the production of locks and fittings. Geography Velbert is located on the hills of 'Niede ...

Waldbröl Waldbröl is a town in the southern part of the Oberbergischer Kreis (upper Berg county), in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Location The town is located on the slopes of the Nutscheid range of hills and is part of the Bergisches Land ...

Wiehl Wiehl () is a municipality in the Oberbergischer Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approximately 41 km east of Cologne. The neighbouring municipalities Reichshof, Waldbröl, Nümbrecht, Much, Engelskirchen and Gummersb ...

Wissen Wissen is a town in the district of Altenkirchen, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the river Sieg, approximately 12 km northeast of Altenkirchen. Wissen is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") ...

Places in Germany with congregation of Arbeitsgemeinschaft Mennonitischer Brüdergemeinden in Deutschland in 1998

(3: Brake, Immanuel, Stieghorst) *

Borken, North Rhine-Westphalia Borken (, Westphalian: ''Buorken'') is a town and the capital of the district of the same name, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Borken is situated 10 km east of the Dutch border. Borken station is the northern terminus on the ...

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

Dülmen Dülmen () is a town in the district of Coesfeld (district), Coesfeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Dülmen is situated in the south part of the Münsterland area, between the Lippe (river), Lippe river to the south, the Baumberge ...

Lage, North Rhine-Westphalia Lage () is a town in the Lippe district of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, approximatively 8 km northwest of the administrative centre Detmold. It has 35,099 inhabitants (2016). The coat of arms of Lage depicts a farmer's plough. The city ...

Mutterstadt Mutterstadt is a municipality in the Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Though classified as rural the municipality does contain urbanized areas. It is situated approximately 7 km southwest of the city center of Ludwigshafe ...

Neustadt an der Weinstraße Neustadt an der Weinstraße (, formerly known as ; lb, Neustadt op der Wäistrooss ; pfl, Naischdadt) is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With 53,300 inhabitants , it is the largest town called ''Neustadt''. Geography Location T ...

Steinhagen, North Rhine-Westphalia Steinhagen is a municipality in the district of Gütersloh in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the south slope of the Teutoburg Forest, approx. 10 km west of Bielefeld and 15 km north of Gütersloh. The vil ...

Schloß Holte-Stukenbrock Schloß Holte-Stukenbrock is a city in the Gütersloh (district), district of Gütersloh in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located near the Eggegebirge, approx. 15 km east of Gütersloh and 15 km south-east of Bielef ...

Vreden Vreden is a small town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany near the Dutch border. The town is located near the river Berkel. The first mentioning of the town is proven for the year 839. In 1252 Vreden obtained city rights. Demographics Religion * ...

Places in Germany with Independent Mennonite Brethren congregation in 1998

Albisheim Albisheim is a municipality in the Donnersbergkreis, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is in the middle of the Zellertal. History In the year 835 the village is first mentioned in a document. It has been a market town for many years. Also t ...

(Brake) *

Birkenfeld Birkenfeld () is a town and the district seat of the Birkenfeld district in southwest Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is also the seat of the like-named ''Verbandsgemeinde''. The town itself has approximately 7,000 inhabitants. Geography ...

Daun, Germany Daun is a town in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the district seat and also the seat of the ' of Daun. Geography Location The town lies in the , a part of the Eifel known for its volcanic history, geograp ...

* Friedrichstal *

Halver Halver is a town in Germany. History Around 950 the ''Oberhof Halvara'' was first mentioned in the ''Werdener Probsteiregister''. For more than 500 years Halver was the seat of a Fehmic court, the earliest definite evidence of which is in 1243; ...

Linz am Rhein Linz am Rhein (in English ''Linz on the Rhine'') is a municipality in the district of Neuwied, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the river Rhine near Remagen, approx. 25 km southeast of Bonn and has about ...

Nümbrecht Nümbrecht is a municipality in the Oberbergischer Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is a health resort, known for its good climate. Geography Nümbrecht is located about 40 km east of Cologne. Neighbouring places Division of ...

(2) *Rhaunen *

Salzwedel Salzwedel (, officially known as Hansestadt Salzwedel; Low German: ''Soltwedel'') is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is the capital of the district (''Kreis'') of Altmarkkreis Salzwedel, and has a population of approximately 21,500. Salzwe ...

* Urbach *

Weilerbach Weilerbach is a municipality in the district of Kaiserslautern, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated approximately 11 km north-west of Kaiserslautern. Weilerbach is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective municipality" ...

Places in Germany with congregation of Verband Mennonitischer Brüdergemeinden in Bayern association in 1998

, p. 385 *

Bad Reichenhall Bad Reichenhall (Central Bavarian: ''Reichahoi'') is a spa town, and administrative center of the Berchtesgadener Land district in Upper Bavaria, Germany. It is located near Salzburg in a basin encircled by the Chiemgau Alps (including Mount Staufe ...

Burghausen, Altötting Burghausen is the largest town in the Altötting district of Upper Bavaria in Germany. It is situated on the Salzach river, near the border with Austria. Burghausen Castle rests along a ridgeline, and is the longest castle in the world (1,043 m) ...

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

Simbach am Inn Simbach am Inn ( en, Simbach on the Inn) is a town on the river Inn in the Rottal-Inn district of Bavaria, Germany. The Austrian city Braunau am Inn lies on the opposite side of the river from Simbach. History Simbach was one of the first places ...

Traunreut Traunreut (; Central Bavarian: ''Traunreit'') is a town in southeastern Bavaria, Germany in the Traunstein district. It is located at . Traunreut lies in the heart of the Chiemgau region between Munich and Salzburg, approximately 10 km east ...

Traunstein Traunstein (Central Bavarian: ''Traunstoa'') is a town in the south-eastern part of Bavaria, Germany, and is the administrative center of a much larger district of the same name. The town serves as a local government, retail, health services, ...

Trostberg Trostberg (; Central Bavarian: ''Droschberg'' or ''Troschtberg'') is a town in the district of Traunstein, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Alz, 19 km northwest of Traunstein. As with other 'old towns' in the region, it is a ...

Wasserburg am Inn Wasserburg am Inn (Central Bavarian: ''Wassabuag am Inn'') is a town in Rosenheim district in Upper Bavaria, Germany. The historic centre is a peninsula formed by the meandering river Inn. Many Medieval structures remain intact, giving the city a ...

References

Bibliography

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External links

Quantitative perspectives on variation in Mennonite Plautdietsch
Doctoral thesis including additional information {{DEFAULTSORT:Werdersch Low Prussian dialect German dialects Languages of Poland Languages of Ukraine