As I recall the use of "Tattle" as a child in Schuylkill Co. We used it by saying "Tattle Tale", meaning you rated on me, but telling some one, like parents, teacher or friend. Joe Joe & Lorraine Mesa in the "Land of Arizona" Http://www.joebuffington.homestead.com/index.html http://www.joebuffington.homestead.com/MilitaryPage.html My Daughter "JILL" web site http://www.visualharmonyphotography.com/-/visualharmonyphotography/ ----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard Emlin Reed" <remlinr@tampabay.rr.com> To: <padutch-life@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, August 24, 2007 3:09 PM Subject: [PD-LIFE] Tattletales > When I recall my childhood, I seem to remember that there was an awful lot > of tattling going on among us kids; but, when I try to remember the > PA-Dutch word for tattle, memory fails me. I have tried searching for > PA-Dutch websites that might divulge the forgotten word, but to no avail. > I looked for the German word for tattle; and utter confusion ensued. My > 1998 Webster's New World German Dictionary doesn't list "tattle". It does > list "gossip" which the American Heritage Dictionary lists as a synonym > for "tattle". The German words for "gossip" are "schwatzen" (colloquially) > or "klatschen" (maliciously.) In PA-Dutch, we used "shwetzen" for > speaking, talking, commmunicating. We didn't use "klatschen" at all; but > it has been adopted as part of the English idiom "Coffee Klatsch" which, > of course, is, euphemistically speakng, a conversational group. Klatschen > does seem related to tattling since both have a malicious connotation; > but, as I said, it was not used in PA-Dutch. > My old 1922 William James Dictionary lists "tattle" with German > counterparts, "schwatzen" and "plaudern". I have already explained the > former; the latter, in PA-Dutch, tended toward "garrulousness". It was > pronounced "blauder". Ich blauder; du blaudersht; er blaudert; meer > blaudera; deer blaudert; sie blaudera. I guess the English equivalent is > "blabber". > Then I found an English-German dictionary on line which had among its > German translations for tattle the word "tratschen". This induced a vague > memory of "retsh". "Doo husht oof mich geretsht". "You tattled/retsht on > me". My sister seems inclined to agree with me; but she isn't sure, > either. Is there anyone in our PADutch-Life group who can come to my > assistance? > > Richard Emlin Reed > Wesley Chapel, FL > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > PADUTCH-LIFE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >