Anonymous #1 12w

They said this word and everyone in PA said oh you mean Dutch

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Anonymous #2 12w

Historically, German was spoken by communities throughout Pennsylvania. The German speakers were separated into the Fancy Dutch (Lutherans etc) and the Plain Dutch (the old order Amish and Mennonites). The Fancy Dutch assimilated and adopted English, leaving only the religiously conservative Plain Dutch speaking German today

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Anonymous #1 12w

Went up to random ass Amish lady and started speaking in Dutch, super embarrassing 🙈

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Anonymous #2 12w

Very interesting!!!

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Anonymous #3 12w

A number of German Jews also moved into these communities. The oldest Ashkenazi Synagogue in the country was founded in Easton, Pennsylvania in 1761. The next was founded in Philadelphia in 1795. There’s a synagogue in Honesdale built in 1856. The synagogues in Charlottesville Virginia (1882) and Cumberland Maryland (1865) were built as German Jews moved into these communities Shenandoah valley along with Pennsylvania German Protestants.

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Anonymous OP 12w

Fun fact Dutch was actually once commonly spoken in New York and New Jersey. President Martin Van Buren’s first language was Dutch, as was abolitionist activist and former slave Soujourner Truth.

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Anonymous #3 12w

Her famous “ain’t I a woman” speech was significantly modified by a white abolitionist to sound southern. In reality, she spoke with a strong Dutch accent.

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Anonymous #3 12w

But as more people moved into New York the Dutch community assimilated and Dutch culture largely disappeared. For modern Dutch-American culture (though probably not too much language) you’d want to go to Pella Iowa or Holland Michigan. The Dutch speakers in Iowa were negatively impacted by a World War One-era state ban on all non-English languages.

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Anonymous #3 12w

All the Germans are why there’s so many pretzels from PA

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