The Forest of Time
Encyclopedia
The Forest of Time is an alternate history novella
by science-fiction writer Michael Flynn. It was originally published in the June 1987 issue of Analog
magazine. In 1988, the story was nominated for the Hugo Award
for Best Novella
.
It takes place in an alternative world where the Thirteen Colonies, after getting independent of Britain, did not succeed in creating the United States but developed into separate and mutually hostile nation-states which often fight bitter wars with each other.
The plot takes place in a Pennsylvania
whose inhabitants speak a language which they call "Pennsylvanisch" and which a character describes as "[a] German
dialect mainly derived from Swabian
and with many English loan words, which a speaker of High German would find it difficult to follow".
This language has a rich literature of which the Pennsylvanians are proud and they feel suspicious of and threatened by the hostile English-speaking nations of New York
to their north and Virginia
to their south.
In that Pennsylvania, it is only the Quaker communities who still speak English as their native language, and are therefore recruited by the Pennsylvanian Intelligence Service as spies to be infiltrated into the territory of the neighboring nations.
In actual US history, a large part of Pennsylvania's population in the 18th century were indeed German-speakers, though the elites in the colony and later state were English-speaking. The numbers of German speakers dwindled in later periods, though the language still survives, especially among the Amish
. It is known as "Pennsylvania Dutch
" ("Dutch" here meaning "German" rather than referring to the Netherlands
) and sometimes also called "Pennsylvanisch" by its own speakers.
Flynn assumes that in a situation where Pennsylvania became an independent nation-state, distinct from and often fighting with its neighbors, Pennsylvanisch would have had a chance to become the official and dominant language, which later immigrants would learn upon arrival.
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
by science-fiction writer Michael Flynn. It was originally published in the June 1987 issue of Analog
Analog Science Fiction and Fact
Analog Science Fiction and Fact is an American science fiction magazine. As of 2011, it is the longest running continuously published magazine of that genre...
magazine. In 1988, the story was nominated for the Hugo Award
Hugo Award
The Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
for Best Novella
Hugo Award for Best Novella
The Hugo Awards are given every year by the World Science Fiction Society for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was once officially...
.
It takes place in an alternative world where the Thirteen Colonies, after getting independent of Britain, did not succeed in creating the United States but developed into separate and mutually hostile nation-states which often fight bitter wars with each other.
The plot takes place in a Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
whose inhabitants speak a language which they call "Pennsylvanisch" and which a character describes as "[a] German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
dialect mainly derived from Swabian
Swabian
Swabian may refer:* to the German region of Swabia ; or* to Swabian German, a dialect spoken in Baden-Württemberg in south-west Germany and adjoining areas See also:...
and with many English loan words, which a speaker of High German would find it difficult to follow".
This language has a rich literature of which the Pennsylvanians are proud and they feel suspicious of and threatened by the hostile English-speaking nations of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to their north and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
to their south.
In that Pennsylvania, it is only the Quaker communities who still speak English as their native language, and are therefore recruited by the Pennsylvanian Intelligence Service as spies to be infiltrated into the territory of the neighboring nations.
In actual US history, a large part of Pennsylvania's population in the 18th century were indeed German-speakers, though the elites in the colony and later state were English-speaking. The numbers of German speakers dwindled in later periods, though the language still survives, especially among the Amish
Amish
The Amish , sometimes referred to as Amish Mennonites, are a group of Christian church fellowships that form a subgroup of the Mennonite churches...
. It is known as "Pennsylvania Dutch
Pennsylvania German language
The Pennsylvania German language is a variety of West Central German possibly spoken by more than 250,000 people in North America...
" ("Dutch" here meaning "German" rather than referring to the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
) and sometimes also called "Pennsylvanisch" by its own speakers.
Flynn assumes that in a situation where Pennsylvania became an independent nation-state, distinct from and often fighting with its neighbors, Pennsylvanisch would have had a chance to become the official and dominant language, which later immigrants would learn upon arrival.
External links
See Also
- The Disunited States of AmericaThe Disunited States of AmericaThe Disunited States of America is an alternate history novel by Harry Turtledove. It is a part of the Crosstime Traffic series, and takes place in an alternate world where the U.S. was never able to agree on a constitution and has long since evolved with each state as a separate country...
- Russian AmerikaRussian AmerikaRussian Amerika is an alternate history novel written by Stoney Compton. It is set in a world where Alaska is still owned by Russia.- Background :The story is an alternate history, set in North America, which is made up of several nations:...