Guide to: DVHH UNIFORM TERMINOLOGY
Correct and Preferred Usage of Terms used on the DVHH website and associated media outlets.
-Updated 06 Jan 2013, Nick Tullius, Editorial Staff.
Published at DVHH.org 06 Jan 2013 by Jody McKim Pharr.

The DVHH Editorial Team is responsible for making judgment calls regarding UNIFORM TERMINOLOGY for all DVHH publications.

From the beginning of DVHH, there was a general agreement for giving priority to the German spelling of our village names, because our elders understand them, and for consistency of genealogical research.

Most researchers on both sides of the Atlantic agreed with the restoration of the original spellings of first names in Dave Dreyer’s Ship Lists. It's only logical and consistent to do the same with the designations and not introduce more variations (leading only to confusion by the majority of Donauschwaben associated with the DVHH and even more in Europe, where the vast majority of our tribe now resides).

In English texts it seems logical and consistent to use the proper English terms, where they exist: Danube Swabians, Hungary, Syrmia, Slavonia, etc. Where they don’t exist (Marosch, Temeswar, Pest, etc). I think that German can be justified as a default, at least when the historical context is important.

For today’s travel or correspondence, it is appropriate to use the current names (Timişoara, Beograd, Nov Sad, Pécs, etc). In some cases, a multilingual spelling is justified: Timişoara/Temeswar/Temesvár, etc.

For the sake of consistency, the terms Donauschwaben or Danube Swabian will be used throughout the DVHH web site, publications and associated media outlets.

SUGGESTIONS FOR A UNIFORM TERMINOLOGY SUMMARY TABLE
(Pairs of words show the singular and plural forms) 

Danube-Swabian folk  donauschwäbische Tracht   schwowischi Tracht dress

Danube-Swabian folk  donauschwäbische Trachten schwowische* Trachte* Dresses

* The ending letter “e” marked with a star is pronounced like the letter “a” in the English word “about” (may be pronounced differently in some villages or towns).

Other terms referenced for the Danube Swabian people, by themselves and others:

          “Shwoveh” (customary spelling “Schwowe”) means Swabians; (see Schwowe* in summary table above); 

          “Shwovish”  (customary spelling “Schwowisch”) is the corresponding adjective Swabian <something> . It corresponds to the adjectives “English” and “Deutsch” in the table below. (see also “schwowischi Tracht” in the summary table above).