Which people is “Eastern German” used for?

[princeton90]

Baltic Germans? Prussian Germans? Volga Germans? Germans from former Eastern Germany? All of them? Some of them?

[PlattitüdenPaule]

Originally the term was used for people from East Prussia, Silesia, Pommerania and Sudetenland (Czechia).

Nowadays it usually is used by west Germans for the regions and inhabitants of the former DDR. (although middle Germans would be the correct term. Former DDR inhabitants refer to themselves as middle Germans, too.)

[rothaer]

Originally the term was used for people from East Prussia, Silesia, Pommerania and Sudetenland (Czechia).

Nowadays it usually is used by west Germans for the regions and inhabitants of the former DDR. (although middle Germans would be the correct term. Former DDR inhabitants refer to themselves as middle Germans, too.)

It may depend on whether you have a division where there at all are Mitteldeutsche (Central Germans) or not. I think in an English language usage there are no Central Germans considered.

So Eastern Germans imo means all these that are hailing from former GDR area and Pomerania, Silesia, West- and East Prussia, Sudetenland and resembling areas. Such an Eastern German entity does also have a factual context, because these areas are connected by having been formed by the Ostsiedlung, i. e. the colonisation of former Slavic (and Baltic in East Prussia) settlement areas. This in turn is connected with a somewhat different structure of the land, including place names with Slavic and Baltic etymology. Eastern Germans genetically notably also descend - besides from medieval German settlers - from the respective Slavic (Wendish) and Baltic (Prussian) tribes.

[Blondie]

My opinion is:
east germans: former DDR
eastern germans: danube swabians, transylvanian saxons, volga germans, zipser germans etc

[Diego Garcia]

für die ehemalige DDR leute, auch bennant als "ossies" [und "wessies" od. "west-gothen" für die leute vom westen]

[rothaer]

für die ehemalige DDR leute, auch bennant als "ossies" [und "wessies" od. "west-gothen" für die leute vom westen]

Daß man als Spanier von den Westgoten nicht loskommt, ist klar... ;-)

[Peterski]

From genetic point of view, I would say East Germans are the ones with >20% of Balto-Slavic admixture.

[Diego Garcia]

Daß man als Spanier von den Westgoten nicht loskommt, ist klar... ;-)

nö, aber westdeutschen wurden auch so gennant in der ehemalige-DDR, zumindest von der SED seite...

... vielleicht wegen einer reaktion zu "ossies"...

nichts zu tun mit spaniern od. mit den westgothen die hier kammen

[rothaer]

From genetic point of view, I would say East Germans are the ones with >20% of Balto-Slavic admixture.

Okay, but you will admit that for the determination of who is referred to with the linguistic term "Eastern German", it would be a little bit unpractical to first make a DNA test with every individual. It would somewhat delay the dialogue. ;-)

Though I would appreciate that test density in Germany...

[Brás Garcia de Mascarenhas]

The Germanic territories and their populations that lie east of the Elbe river.