Kurt Kehr Collection of Virginia German Dialects

Access and use

Location of collection:
James Madison University
Second Floor Room 203, MSC 1704
Carrier Library
James Madison University
880 Madison Drive
Harrisonburg, VA 22807
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Tiffany Cole
Phone: (540) 568-3444
Phone: (540) 568-3612
Fax: (540) 568-3405
Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the James Madison University Special Collections Library to use this collection.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have been transferred to the James Madison University Special Collection Library. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library Reference Desk (library-special@jmu.edu). Audio materials may not be reproduced without the consent of the heirs of the participants.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], [box #: folder #], Kurt Kehr Collection of Virginia German Dialects, 1969-1994, SC 0206, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.

Summary

Extent:
0.21 cubic feet 1 box, 18 audiocassettes, 24 CD-Rs
Creator:
Kehr, Kurt
Abstract:
The Kurt Kehr Collection of Virginia German Dialects, 1969-1994 is comprised of 18 recordings of German speaking residents of Virginia and West Virginia, conducted by Dr. Kurt Kehr of Mary Baldwin College, in Staunton, Virginia, as well as copies of articles written by Dr. Kehr on German dialects.
Language:
English, German, and Virginia German
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], [box #: folder #], Kurt Kehr Collection of Virginia German Dialects, 1969-1994, SC 0206, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.

Background

Scope and content:

The Kurt Kehr Collection of Virginia German Dialects, 1969-1994 is comprised of 18 recordings of German speaking residents of Virginia and West Virginia, conducted by Dr. Kurt Kehr of Mary Baldwin College, in Staunton, Virginia. Kehr was interested in German-Virginia dialects and the topics of interviews included personal histories, requests for translations, discussion of Virginia German terms, and personal stories. This collection contains two sets of interviews. Interviews in Collection A were conducted from 1969-1975, during Kehrs work at Mary Baldwin College. Collection D contains interviews, conducted in 1994, with some of the same participants as Collection A. Both Collection A and D contain photocopies of notes on the interviews by Dr. Kurt Kehr, written largely in German.

The collection also includes a set of articles written by Kehr, based in part on research conducted through the audio recordings. Topics of the articles include the origin of the Virginia Dialect, the impact of religion on language, regional differences in dialects, and German spells used in Virginia and West Virginia.

Biographical / historical:

Dr. Kurt Kehr was a professor and head of the German Department at Mary Baldwin College, in Staunton, Virginia, from 1967-1976. During this time, he interviewed people throughout the Shenandoah Valley and West Virginia areas to learn about various Virginia German dialects. At the point of the donation, Kehr was employed by the Research Institute for German Language at the Philipps-University in Marburg, Germany.

Acquisition information:
Donated by Dr. Kurt Kehr of the Research Institute for German Language at the Philipps-University in Marburg, Germany, on April 13 and September 26, 1994.
Processing information:

Audiocassette tapes were transferred to gold compact discs for preservation in 2010. Some material had already been lost. Collection was originally assigned Collection Number SC 5028.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into three series:

  1. Articles by Kurt Kehr, 1969-1992. The articles are arranged chronologically by their date of publication.
  2. Kurt Kehr Interviews A, 1969-1975. Recordings are arranged in the original order assigned by Kehr.
  3. Kurt Kehr Interviews D, March-April 1994. Recordings are arranged in the original order assigned by Kehr.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard