Pennsylvania Dutch

The Pennsylvania Dutch, also called Pennsylvania Germans or Pennsylvania Deutsch, are a group of people and their descendants who immigrated to Pennsylvania from German-speaking areas—such as Rhineland, Switzerland, and Tyrol—during the seventeenth century. This group—which consisted of Lutherans, Reformed, Amish, Mennonites, and more—sought religious freedom in America. The Pennsylvania Dutch should not be confused with the German American immigrants of the nineteenth century. While the group encompasses the Amish and Mennonites, Pennsylvania Dutch does not refer only to these groups. The term Pennsylvania Dutch is also used to describe a dialect of the German language, which was created by combining the original languages of the Pennsylvania Dutch people with English.

History

A group of German-speaking immigrants first settled in Pennsylvania around 1683. They came to America to escape religious persecution in Europe and settled in Pennsylvania because Quaker founder William Penn promised religious freedom in the colony.

A man named Francis Daniel Pastorius made a deal with Penn for a piece of land near Philadelphia. Thirteen families sailed to America and settled what eventually became known as Germantown. These settlers were mostly Quakers and Mennonites from the Rhineland area of what later became Germany. They quickly adjusted to the New World, as it was not unlike the home they had left. It was filled with green hills, lush forests, and fertile plains. These settlers sent accounts of Germantown back to their homeland, which prompted others to immigrate to the new settlement.

Other religious groups soon heard of the growing settlement and made their way to America. These included several Amish, Protestant, Lutheran, and Reformed groups. Germantown incorporated in 1689. The Germantown settlers were hardworking and quickly made the area a top agricultural region in southeastern Pennsylvania. As Pennsylvania grew, these groups moved to other areas, such as Berks and Lehigh Counties, during the eighteenth century. As the years passed, more people from German-speaking areas immigrated to America, often favoring Pennsylvania over other colonies.

However, the Pennsylvania Dutch began to lose some of their heritage over time, as some people left to settle in other parts of the country. After England passed a law that forced immigrants to pledge allegiance to the British Crown in 1727, many Pennsylvania Dutch people began to assimilate into American society. Still, a few groups kept to themselves and did not fully integrate. These groups included the Amish and the Mennonites, who separated themselves from mainstream society—a practice many sects continue into the twenty-first century. While some communities in these groups have adopted modern technology and accepted conventional norms, the Old Order sects of Amish and Mennonites remain restrictive, though there are slight differences between these communities too. Notably, while many Amish typically do not use vehicles, electricity, or telephones, Mennonites typically live a more open lifestyle that integrates modern technology and conveniences. While both groups provide education for their students, many Amish communities end formal education around eighth grade, while many Mennonite communities continue education much longer. Some communities even have their own colleges, and some send their children to local public schools.

Overview

Pennsylvania Dutch people are not of Dutch origin. The group originally came from areas of Europe that used a dialect of German called Deutsch. Some people believe that English-speaking Pennsylvanians confused the word Deutsch for Dutch, leading to the group being called Pennsylvania Dutch.

The group is not technically German either, because Germany did not formally exist prior to the seventeenth century. It officially became a nation-state in 1871. The area from which they came was made up a collection of principalities, cities, protectorates, and confederations—areas that later became part of Poland, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Russia, France, Germany, and other countries.

Even more confusing is that the term Pennsylvania Dutch is also the name of the language spoken by these people. This language was developed from several dialects spoken by the different people that made up the Pennsylvania Dutch. Although this language is derived from German, it is nothing like the modern language.

The Pennsylvania Dutch people originally spoke High German, and they learned English by living in America. They eventually merged the two languages to form what became the Pennsylvania Dutch language.

Many of these immigrants did not have words for objects and concepts they encountered in the New World, so they invented new words. For example, the Pennsylvania Dutch word for television is gookbox, which comes from the German word gucken and the English word box to mean "look box." While English helped to develop Pennsylvania Dutch, the language also influenced the English spoken in the areas where Pennsylvania Dutch people first settled. An example is the phrase, outten the light, which is used by people in Berks and Lehigh Counties to mean "turn the light off."

When laws were passed that required children to attend state schools, Pennsylvania Dutch people were forced to further assimilate, and the language began to decline. Those who spoke Pennsylvania Dutch did not teach it to their children, and the language continued to deteriorate. Anti-German sentiment after World War I and World War II further contributed to the language's decay. During this time, many Pennsylvania Dutch people even tried to conceal their accents to avoid conflict. The wars also led many people to leave the areas where they grew up to attend college and look for work. Fewer people learned Pennsylvania Dutch and spoke it as the twentieth century went on.

As of the twenty-first century, the use of the language had declined dramatically in most areas of Pennsylvania, except within the Amish and Mennonite communities. These groups continue to speak Pennsylvania Dutch at home, at church, and in the community. However, they typically speak English outside of their neighborhoods.

Tourism is an important industry for the Pennsylvania Dutch, particularly in the counties Lancaster, Lebanon, York, Dauphin, Cumberland, and Berks, which contain the majority of Pennsylvania Dutch people. Each year, these counties see millions of visitors to the farms, restaurants, museums, and shops of the Pennsylvania Dutch communities. Many communities also offer tours, homestays, and interactive experiences for visitors as a way of better understanding and experiencing how the Old Order lived.

Bibliography

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