The Amish community maintains a unique linguistic landscape, reflecting their historical separation and commitment to specific cultural practices. This complexity results in functional trilingualism, where distinct languages or dialects are reserved for different spheres of life, such as the home, the church, and external commerce. This segmentation reinforces group identity while allowing for practical engagement with modern society.
The Primary Spoken Dialect
The language used for daily conversation within the home, among family, and throughout the community is Pennsylvania German, often colloquially referred to as Pennsylvania Dutch. This dialect is the first language an Amish child learns and serves as a powerful and enduring marker of their cultural separation and identity. Its origins trace back to the 18th-century influx of German-speaking immigrants, primarily from the Palatinate region of southwestern Germany, who settled in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania German is an independently evolved West Central German dialect, not a derivative of modern Standard German. While it has existed alongside English for centuries, its core grammatical structures remain rooted in its Palatine heritage. Linguistic analysis indicates that only about 10 to 20 percent of the vocabulary is derived from English, mainly incorporating terms for modern innovations or concepts. This spoken language is passed down orally through generations, and although written forms exist, it is rarely used for literacy within the community. The notable exception to this primary language is a small minority of Swiss Amish, predominantly found in Indiana, who speak a form of Bernese Swiss German instead of Pennsylvania German.
Language Used in Worship
A different language is employed for the formal and solemn context of religious worship: Standard German, also known as High German or Hochdeitsch. This language is reserved almost exclusively for liturgical purposes, including reading scripture, singing hymns, and delivering sermons during church services. The use of High German connects the community to its historical religious texts, such as the Martin Luther German Bible, reinforcing the continuity of their faith tradition.
High German is generally not spoken conversationally by the Amish, creating a functional diglossia where one language is used for daily life and another for formal religious observance. The community’s exposure to High German is primarily receptive, meaning they are trained to understand it when it is read or sung during worship. This linguistic separation highlights the reverence given to their sacred texts and the formality of their religious practices.
English and the Outside World
English is the third language in the Amish linguistic repertoire, serving as the necessary tool for navigating the external, non-Amish world. It is the language of commerce, utilized for business transactions, ordering supplies, and engaging with non-Amish individuals, whom the community often refers to as “the English.” This necessity ensures that most Amish individuals are functionally bilingual or trilingual.
Formal education for Amish children occurs in community-operated schools and is conducted primarily in English, typically concluding after the eighth grade. This early exposure ensures proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking English for external communication. The ability to switch between the intimate dialect of the home and the public language of business allows the Amish to maintain cultural boundaries while participating in the broader economy.