Spoken in: USA (Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana), Canada (Ontario)
Number of Speakers: Approximately 400,000 people
Language Family: Indo-European, Germanic, West Germanic, High German, Central German, Rhine Franconian, Palatine German
Cultural Wisdom
Pennsylvania German is the cherished language of the Amish, Mennonite, and other Plain communities who have preserved their ancestral tongue for over three centuries in North America. This West Germanic dialect, rooted in the Palatinate region of Germany, carries the profound spiritual wisdom of communities that have chosen simplicity, mutual aid, and deep connection to the land as their way of life. In Pennsylvania German culture, the concept of Gelassenheit (yielding to God's will) teaches that true nourishment comes not from worldly abundance but from spiritual surrender, community fellowship, and living in harmony with divine purpose. The language embodies their understanding that feeding the body and soul requires rejecting the excesses of modern life in favor of plain living, hard work, and unwavering faith in God's provision.
Message
Wann du dei Leeb net fedderscht, verweakts un schteerbt am End. Dei Seele un dei Geist sin genau so — gibs aa inre Fedderschung.
If you don't feed your body, it weakens and eventually dies. The soul and Spirit alike. Feed them too.