Asked by: Jack Fiaka
family and relationships parenting teens

Do the Amish speak a different language?

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Most Old Order Amish speak PennsylvaniaDutch, and refer to non-Amish people as "English",regardless of ethnicity. Some Amish who migrated to theUnited States in the 1850s speak a form of Bernese German ora Low Alemannic Alsatian dialect.


Also asked, what language did the Amish speak?

English Language Pennsylvania German language Swiss German Language

One may also ask, do the Amish speak German? The word "Amish" derives from his name. ThePennsylvania Dutch are not Dutch at all. The word Dutch is acorruption of "Deutsch" or German, of which theyspeak an ancient dialect. Some Amish, notably inIndiana, speak a version closer toSwiss-German.

Also to know, do Amish and Mennonites speak the same language?

Pennsylvania Dutch is spoken by about 300,000-350,000Amish and conservative Mennonites today, while Swissand Alsatian German speakers, most of whom are Amish, numberabout 14,000 combined. For the speakers themselves it doesn'treally matter anyway, since the PD word for language anddialect is the same: 'Schprooch'.

How do Amish say hello?

The Amish and Mennonites speak PennsylvaniaGerman (also misleadingly known colloquially as "PennsylvaniaDutch"), a German dialect. 'Hello' as a general greeting is"Hallo" or "Guder Daag".

Related Question Answers

Lettie Hew

Professional

Do Amish use cell phones?

These private phones may be shared by more thanone family. This allows the Amish to control theircommunication, and not have telephone calls invade their homes, butalso to conduct business, as needed. Some New Order Amishwill use cellphones and pagers, but most Old OrderAmish will not.

Roseanne Doman

Professional

Do Amish people drink alcohol?

But there is no place to walk in off the street andpurchase alcoholic beverages. Drinking, especially byyoung people, is an issue that Amish churchessometimes have to deal with. Teenagers raised in Amishfamilies are not yet church members, so adults have to reactcarefully to avoid alienating the next generation.

Rosmari Boyero

Professional

What Bible do the Amish use?

Most Old Order Amish people speak PennsylvaniaGerman in the home, with the exception of several areas in theMidwest, where a variety of Swiss German may be used.

Wahiba Witthoft

Explainer

Is it pronounced Amish or Amish?

Both spellings are correct. My Pennsylvania Dutch wordexpert and my Old Order Amish friends have said theAmish almost always say the word with a y sound atthe beginning. But some use a j sound, as in the word jelly. Sothis word is usually pronounced “yah” butsometimes “jah.”

Justino Kontgen

Explainer

What do Amish call their grandparents?

Amish Grandparents—Never Alone
(Dawdy is “grandpa” in Pennsylvania Dutch,and Haus is “house.”)

Magdalene Trillas

Explainer

Can you become Amish?

While it's unusual for those not raised in anAmish community to become Amish, there are no rulesthat prohibit newcomers. To become Amish, start by visitinga few communities to decide which one you would like to joinand contact the leading bishop to gauge if you would bewelcome.

Armand Horteloo

Pundit

What is the difference between Amish and Mennonite?

1.Amish is a subgroup of Mennonitesfollowing Jakob Amman. Mennonites follow the teachings ofpeaceful Anabaptists popularized by Frisian Menno Simons.2.Amish are very resistant to technology whereasMennonites are moderate in this regard.

Jhenifer Schaerffer

Pundit

Why do the Amish not use electricity?

Because electricity comes from the grid, manyAmish make their own electricity (generators, solar,wind, etc.) to supply power only for such things regarded asessential. Similarly, Amish don't buy insurance,don't contribute to social security, and don't acceptsocial security benefits.

Cristie Schnoeckel

Pundit

Are the Amish rich?

The Amish, particularly those of LancasterCounty, are often perceived to be wealthy. If thisperception is true, it is not because of income, for income in hardcash is low. Most of a family's net worth is in real estate, and alot of that wealth has been created by rising real estatevalues.

Liqun Bustinduy

Pundit

Is it illegal to take a picture of an Amish person?

You are free to take photos of anyone. Butgenerally it is polite to have permission, and can be illegal totake photos that you use without someone's consent.However, the Amish beliefs systems, while they also believephotos to be a graven image, they also do not believe inresisting “evil people”.

Heide Sagües

Pundit

Can Dutch understand German?

Dutch is as effective at encrypting communicationfrom German speakers as French is. Dutch peoplemostly understand Germans - although without practice theydon´t speak German. Germans on the other handneed practice to even understand Dutch, since it involvesmany different ways of pronouncing similar words.

Adeline Kamara

Teacher

What languages did Jesus speak?

It is generally agreed by historians that Jesusand his disciples primarily spoke Aramaic (JewishPalestinian Aramaic), the common language of Judea in thefirst century AD, most likely a Galilean dialect distinguishablefrom that of Jerusalem.

Zoi Blankenheim

Teacher

Why is it called Pennsylvania Dutch?

The term is more properly "Pennsylvania German"because the so-called Pennsylvania Dutch have nothing to dowith Holland, the Netherlands, or the Dutch language. Thesesettlers originally came from German-speaking areas of Europe andspoke a dialect of German they refer to as "Deitsch"(Deutsch).

Enola Alagarda

Teacher

Do Amish people pay taxes?

The Amish do not pay Social Security orMedicare taxes but they do pay income and othertaxes. Even if an individual is exempt from incometaxes for whatever reason, most will still pay someform of tax. You have to pay sales tax onitems you buy and property tax if you own ahome.

Heloise Garcia Escudero

Teacher

What are Mennonites known for?

Mennonite. Mennonite, member of aProtestant church that arose out of the Anabaptists, a radicalreform movement of the 16th-century Reformation. It was named forMenno Simons, a Dutch priest who consolidated and institutionalizedthe work initiated by moderate Anabaptist leaders.

Tamari Idiarte

Reviewer

Are Amish Dutch or German?

info); usually called Pennsylvania Dutch) is avariety of West Central German spoken by the Amish,Old Order Mennonites, and other descendants of Germanimmigrants in the United States and Canada, closely related to thePalatine dialects.

Tomislav Ramospe

Reviewer

Do the Amish use electricity?

Hence, the Amish do not fully accept the modernconveniences that their non-Amish neighbors take forgranted. It is acceptable within Amish communities touse some limited forms of electricity (such asbattery power for the lights on their buggies), and some machinery(such as tractors without rubber tires).

Delcy Maure

Reviewer

Can the Amish have guns?

“A lot of the Amish hunt and they usuallyuse squirrel or rabbit rifles to bring some food backhome,” Douglas County Sheriff Charlie McGrew said after achange in Illinois state law required Amish to havephoto ID to buy guns in 2011. “Their big concern isthis means they won't be able to purchase guns orammo.”

Bjoern Karima

Reviewer

Where do most Amish live?

Pennsylvania

Co-Authored By:

EveryThingWhat Staff Editor

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2nd June, 2020

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