Pennsylvania Dutch

[Wilmer Rivers]

Dwight Decker writes:
> For what it's worth, "Dutch"
> was then loosely applied to Germans as well (thus Pennsylvania Dutch).

That's because the members of the Amish sect who migrated to Pennsyl-
vania retain strong linguistic and cultural ties to their German
background, and thus are properly known as the "Pennsylvania Deutsch".
I suspect the corruption of "Deutsch" to "Dutch" accounts for The Lost
Dutchman mine, as well.  In the case of the Pennsylvania Dutch, there
is a further complication, in that the Amish are often confused with
the Mennonites, a sect which was founded in Friesland.  The Amish are
noted for their devotion to a simple, rural life, and they are recog-
nized by their "old-fashioned" clothing and furniture and by their
refusal to drive modern, flashy cars or farm vehicles, using instead
horses and buggies or very old, basic black automobiles.  Does this
sound like one of Donald's relatives whom we all know?  Specifically,
is Grandma a member of the Pennsylvania Ducks?

Wilmer Rivers