What Language Do The Amish Speak?

Amish speak a version of German known as Pennsylvania German, or Pennsylvania Dutch. It has some similarities with dialects of German spoken in Europe today. This is their first language.

Pennsylvania Dutch, as spoken by the Amish today, includes some English words. Accents, and manners of speaking Pennsylvania Dutch, can vary between Amish communities. Besides PA Dutch, most Amish people speak two other languages – English and High German.

• PA Dutch – the “Amish Language”
• Amish speak English too
• Amish learn 3 languages
• High German – Language of church
• Amish language FAQ

The “Amish Language”

Pennsylvania Dutch is generally not a written language. However, some attempts have been made to transcribe the language to a written form. Dictionaries have been compiled and some books written in the dialect. The language is a variety of German which also incorporates some English words – particularly for modern terms and innovations.

Additionally, the so-called “Swiss Amish”, primarily found in Indiana, speak a Swiss dialect which differs from that spoken by the majority of Amish. This can even cause difficulties in understanding between a Swiss-speaking Amishman and one from a PA Dutch language background.

Amish may refer to the Pennsylvania Dutch language in different ways. They may say that they speak “Dutch”, “Deitsch”, or even “speak Amish”. And though Pennsylvania Dutch is often referred to as the “Amish language”, in truth the Amish share it with others.

They include the Old Order Mennonites, and some non-Plain people (though that number has declined greatly). At one point in history, many non-Plain citizens of southeastern Pennsylvania spoke Pennsylvania Dutch. Over time the use of Pennsylvania Dutch dwindled among non-Plain population in favor of English.

Amish also speak English

When Amish write letters, they do so largely in English, with some occasional use of German possible. Amish use English when conversing with non-Amish individuals, and when doing business with outsiders.

It’s common that when a non-Amish person enters a conversation with Amish people, the Amish speakers will switch from Pennsylvania Dutch to English as a courtesy. As one observer noted:

My Amish friends always speak English when I’m in their presence. Some people in the community seem to have mastered the language while others obviously struggle. It seems to be directly related to how much contact they have with outsiders.

Whenever a visitor stops by and I’m there, they will always speak in English, even when they have very poor command of the language. I’ve always thought that was very kind and considerate. However, even the ones who seem to speak English perfectly will say that speaking PA Dutch is easier.

Old Order Mennonites speak Pennsylvania Dutch as well, and Amish and Old Order Mennonites will converse in the language. Amish tend to switch to English when non-Amish enter within earshot, out of respect and to involve the others.

English proficiency varies among Amish

As hinted at in the comment quoted above, just because Amish people speak English, it doesn’t mean they have the same command or comfort level with the language as non-Amish people do.

Besides distinctive accents when speaking English (in some communities in particular), this is evident in mispronunciations of common words (e.g. “favoright” for the word “favorite”) or by calques (aka loan translations) such as “it wondered me” for “I wondered”.

Though many Amish speak English without difficulty, for most Amish people it is still a second language. I once asked someone from a much “higher” Amish group whether dealing in English still “felt” like using a foreign language. She replied that it did, saying that she thinks in Pennsylvania Dutch – even though she does much work in English.

The level of English proficiency can also vary across Amish groups – sometimes greatly. Karen Johnson-Weiner, who has done extensive work on both Pennsylvania Dutch language and Old Order education, explores this topic in Train Up a Child: Old Order Amish and Mennonite Schools.

Johnson-Weiner notes that Swartzentruber Amish (the most traditional of Amish groups) learn “an English no longer spoken by their non-Amish neighbors” (p 59). Vocabulary taught in Swartzentruber schools, typically based in outdated school texts like McGuffey’s Readers or the circa-1919 Essentials of Spelling, is archaic (p 58).

Much of it, she notes, is “of little use” in practical matters. For example, sixth graders “memorize for spelling tests such words as “luncheon”, “telegraph”, “madam”, “trolley”, and “piano””.

Eighth graders must tackle “words no longer used by their English-speaking neighbors, including household terms such as “emetic,” “gimp,” “chiffonier,” and “poultice,”; industrial terms such as “magneto” and “adz”; urban terms such as “jitney” and “linotype”; and rural words such as “Bordeaux,” “sulky,” and “whiffle tree”” (p 58).

There are a number of reasons these texts are used, including “reinforc[ing] a sense of continuity in the community” (p 60). The net result, though, is that graduates of these schools are likely to have a weaker grasp on the English language.

On the other hand, Amish in more progressive churches often have a much more fluid command of the English language. This is in part because of their different Old Order education – and in part due to greater exposure to non-Amish people. Outsiders should not be surprised to hear some Amish people comfortably using current American slang and expressions.

Amish learn three languages

Pennsylvania Dutch is the language of the home. It is the first language an Amish child learns. Most Amish children have limited exposure to English before entering first grade.

In Amish schools, instruction is in English, along with some classes in High German. Some Amish children become quite proficient at English at a young age. This phenomenon has become more common with the rise of Amish business and greater exposure to the non-Amish world.

In many cases, however, Amish children will have little command of the language before entering grade school. Parents or siblings will translate from English to Pennsylvania Dutch for the youngest ones. Since nearly all books are in English, Amish parents will translate to “Dutch” while reading.

High German

Bibles used by Amish are written in High German, and verses read in church are also in High German, as is the Amish songbook, the Ausbund. Proficiency in High German can vary among Amish.

It is safe to say that Amish are at least a bilingual people, with individuals having a varying degree of ability in High German. Some Amish people will have a better command of High German than others. High German is not the same as Pennsylvania Dutch/Pennsylvania German.

An anecdote of Amish language use

An Amish “taxi” driver observed the following on the use of English and Pennsylvania Dutch by her Amish customers. This anecdote nicely captures much of the dynamic of language use by the Amish:

I “taxi” for the Amish in our area and find that there is a variety of language use in my car. Some passengers chat almost exclusively in the Amish dialect except when they speak to me while others use English for the most part. One regular customer has apologized for speaking Amish in my car because she feels that it is “rude”. I have told her that I don’t consider it rude when she speaks to other Amish in front of me as long as I don’t hear my name (LOL)! Some, especially the younger women, switch back and forth, throwing in English words for which there may be no Amish (products, etc.)

I had a local bishop explain to me that the Amish word for ‘six’ sounds like ‘sex’ and he didn’t want me to think they were talking about sex. That kind of tickled me as I really don’t listen that closely to conversations. I find that children under the age of 5 don’t understand a lot of English and when I talk to them their mothers will often translate my comment to them and then translate their comments back to me. Some school age children speak English very well, and others do not.

I think one determining factor is how much contact their family has with the English, those that have shops or stores often speak better English, using idioms and slang more frequently. One teen uses “whatever” and “no way” quite a bit. I am learning a word here or there but no way can I follow conversation.

Amish language & identity

The Pennsylvania Dutch dialect is not only a means of communication but also seen as important in a symbolic sense. Along with Plain clothing and the horse-and-buggy, it is seen as a marker of the Amish and other Plain people, marking them in contrast with the outside world.

Thus the preservation of the Pennsylvania Dutch language is important to the Amish. In some communities there is concern that Pennsylvania Dutch may be falling out of use in favor of English.

Amish Language FAQ

1. What language do the Amish speak?
2. Why to Amish people call their dialect “Dutch”?
3. Is the dialect Amish speak the same everywhere?
4. When do Amish children learn English?
5. Do Amish speak High German?
6. Do Amish speak English with an accent?
7. How can an outsider learn PA Dutch?

What language do the Amish speak?

Amish speak a dialect called Pennsylvania Dutch or Pennsylvania German. It is a German dialect which in its everyday usage often incorporates English words. The dialect is generally not written. It’s spoken in everyday conversation as the primary language of the home, business, and social interaction.

Why do Amish people call their language “Dutch?

It’s not what they speak in Holland. 

True. Pennsylvania Dutch is not the Dutch spoken in the Netherlands, though you may have heard Amish people describing what they speak as “Dutch”.

The name of the dialect comes from the name given to the Pennsylvania Dutch people, a larger group of immigrants which included Amish and Mennonites but also many others of other religious persuasions. There are different theories as to why this group of people came to be known as “Dutch”.

Is the language Amish speak the same in all communities?

No. There are differences, for example, between the Pennsylvania Dutch spoken in Lancaster County and in Midwestern settlements like Holmes County, Ohio. Also, the Swiss Amish speak a different dialect which can be difficult for Pennsylvania Dutch speakers to understand.

When do Amish children learn English?

Typically when they enter the first grade, Amish children will get their first formal training in English. However, some Amish children may get exposure to the English language due to their parents’ occupations (eg, jobs involving contact with English clientele) or via non-Amish neighbors and visitors.

Do Amish speak High German?

High German is considered the language of the church. It is not spoken in everyday usage, but Bibles and other religious books are printed and read in High German. Amish children have German lessons in school.

Do Amish speak English with an accent?

Usually. But it’s not an “Old English” or heavily German accent as it may be portrayed in fictional works, television programs or movies. The Amish accent can vary across settlements.

In some communities it involves a softening of syllables, such as the word “just” being pronounced more like “chust”. Amish may pronounce certain common words in an unusual manner, such as the word “favorite” being enunciated as “favo-right”. They may also use some unusual phrasings, such as “it wondered me”, instead of “I wondered”.

Some Amish accents are stronger than others, and Amish in different communities and situations will be more and less comfortable communicating in English. Generally, businesspeople who have a lot of exposure to non-Amish people tend to have higher language skills while Amish in plainer, more isolated settlements have weaker English abilities.

Can non-Amish people learn Pennsylvania Dutch?

Yes. There are a number of resources available to help non-natives learn the language, including books, dictionaries, and at least one course. If you’re curious about the language, you can view some PA Dutch kitchen terms and similar-sounding words.

You can also hear PA Dutch being spoken by a variety of speakers at the University of Wisconsin’s Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures American Languages project.

More questions on the Amish? Get answers to 300+ questions in 41 categories at the FAQ main page.

References:

• Stoltzfus, Lillian. Speaking Amish. Bird-in-Hand, PA: Eckshank Publishing, 2013.
• Kraybill, Donald B., Karen Johnson-Weiner, and Steven M. Nolt. The Amish. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2013.
• “Group Identity and Language Maintenance: The Survival of Pennsylvania German in Old Order Communities”, Karen Johnson-Weiner, Diachronic Studies on the Languages of the Anabaptists, 1992
• “Community Identity and Language Change in North American Anabaptist Communities”, Karen Johnson-Weiner, Journal of Sociolinguistics 1998 2/3: 375-394
• “Kannst Du Deitsch Schwetza?”, David  Luthy, Family Life, July 1975

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