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In addition to English, most Amish speak a distinctive High Grman dialect often called Pennsylvania German or Pennsylvania Dutch, which the Amish themselves call Deitsch (German). The commonly-used term "Pennsylvania Dutch" comes from the original use of the word Deutsch, which referred to all people who spoke one of the many German dialects and has nothing to do with people from the Netherlands. The so-called Swiss Amish speak an Alemannic German dialect that they call "Swiss". Finally, more progressive Beachy Amish, especially those who were born roughly after 1960, tend to speak predominantly in English at home. |
