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“Between Two Worlds: Language Shift and Religious Identity in Kansas Mennonite Communities”

Monday, February 16, 2026
1:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
157 Burrowes Building
“Between Two Worlds: Language Shift and Religious Identity in Kansas Mennonite Communities”

Our linguistic identities are intricately connected to the social structures we live in. But what happens when radical transformation of communal values and faith require a renegotiation of language practice? And how are changes in religious practice tied to altered linguistic patterns? To explore these questions, this talk will zoom in on a multilingual community of Mennonites in Kansas whose traditional triglossic pattern of Plautdietsch, High German, and English is dissolving in favor of shift towards English in all social spheres. This research not only illuminates specific patterns of language contact and structural complexity in Plautdietsch but also offers broader insights into how communities navigate linguistic identity during periods of religious and societal transformation.

157 Burrowes Building

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