Amish children, for example, learn to read and write in English in their parochial schools, though they also develop passive knowledge of High German for use in religious worship. As with the Groundhog Lodge program, English spelling conventions are usually observed in written Pennsylvania Dutch.
For more information on Pennsylvania Dutch, visit padutch. Here are links to samples of Pennsylvania Dutch:. All Amish children, whether from Swiss German or Pennsylvania Dutch-speaking communities, learn standard German so they can read the Bible.
More from this author. More More. End of insertion. External Content. Language connects Swiss migrants to home This content was published on Jan 1, Jan 1, Choosing to move to a new country is a big step, but what effect does that have on the culture and language the person takes with them?
Related communities Aside from the Amish and Mennonite communities in the United States, there is another Anabaptist group that took root in North America after fleeing persecution in Europe: the Hutterites.
Swiss CO2 emissions: Small country, big footprint The much-lauded Swiss quality of life has a dark side — namely levels of consumerism and convenience that jack up the national carbon footprint. Tags: Culture Religion. Links Mark Louden's website Guido Seiler's website. Newest first Oldest first. Read more More More. The Anabaptist Felix Manz meets a terrible end This content was published on Sep 3, Sep 3, The people of Zurich crowded along both sides of the Limmat river to follow the drowning of Anabaptist Felix Manz in When the Swiss made America This content was published on May 11, May 11, A record number of Swiss joined the huge emigration waves to the United States in the s.
Singing Swiss folk songs the American way This content was published on Aug 1, Aug 1, A CD released this year of old Swiss folk songs highlights the debt the Swiss owe North American communities for preserving part of their cultural Swiss reach out to Anabaptist communities This content was published on Mar 26, Mar 26, State and church authorities have launched a series of commemorative events to reconcile the Swiss with a dark chapter from their past.
The Amish come home This content was published on Aug 2, Aug 2, When a group of Amish visit Switzerland, they are as much an attraction as the sites they come to see. The Anabaptist religions promote a simple, traditional lifestyle, without the influence of modern technology, based on the same simplicity of faith practised by the early Christian Church.
For the Amish, family and a close-knit community structure is of utmost importance, and they are thus averse to anything that they feel could come in the way of that. Most wear handmade, traditional clothing, and no jewellery. Unmarried men are usually clean-shaven, while married men are distinguished by their beards. Some Amish people even forgo things such as electricity , indoor plumbing , and even education beyond the 8th grade - but each community has its own rules on dress, hair length, buggy styles and farming techniques.
The Pennsylvania Dutch language was in danger of extinction in the period after the Second World War. At the time, speaking German did not earn you any favours in America, and the language began to die out in favour of English, except in the Plain communities consisting of Old Order Amish and Mennonites.
Today, the majority of Deitsch speakers are Amish They, along with other speakers, have ensured — through their traditional lifestyles, and minimal contact with the outside world — the survival of this unique language for centuries. Thus, the future of this language is bright. With numbers doubling every 20 years due to high birth rates and low attrition rates, Pennsylvania Dutch is the fastest-growing small-minority language in the United States.
Gehman — , a native of Lancaster County who went on to become an eminent scholar at the Princeton Theological Seminary. Most Pennsylvania Dutch speakers have never learned to read or write in their native language since their literacy needs have been met by English, German, or, in the case of the Old Orders today, both.
Going back to the early nineteenth century, however, a number of Pennsylvania Dutch speakers began to write prose and poetry in their native language, creating several thousand texts that offer us a fascinating window on Pennsylvania Dutch history and culture.
A small sample of this vernacular literature, which was produced mostly by nonsectarian writers, is featured in Pennsylvania Dutch: The Story of an American Language and on this website. Writing Pennsylvania Dutch is no longer as widespread as it once was, but the tradition is carried on by some native speakers, as well as non-native speakers, as on the German website Hiwwe wie Driwwe. There are other institutions devoted to the promotion of Pennsylvania Dutch language and culture, including the Pennsylvania German Society and the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center at Kutztown University, where students can minor in Pennsylvania German Studies.
These efforts, along with the important fact that Pennsylvania Dutch is thriving among Old Order sectarians, point to a very bright future for the language. Linen Theme by The Theme Foundry.
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