| There is a lot of talk about making English the official | | | | window?This whole Amish style of speaking made |
| language of the USA. That would stop the need to | | | | me think about the English language and some of the |
| spend so much money printing out things like drivers | | | | odd ways in which we describe things in different |
| license, tax, voter registration and other official forms | | | | parts of the USA. Like all Americans born here, I |
| in so many languages. If people come here, they will | | | | guess I have been short with those who come to |
| simply have to learn English. However, is it really that | | | | America from somewhere else and have trouble |
| simple? English is anything but a virgin language. It has | | | | learning our language. I mean, how many times should |
| roots in the tongues of many nations and one word | | | | I have to say 'BIG MAC' at McDonalds to actually get |
| can mean many things. If you travel around our great | | | | one? It's frustrating, but imagine how people who |
| nation, you will discover some extreme examples of | | | | come from other places feel when confronted with |
| that fact.Several years ago, I visited Pennsylvania | | | | English?After doing a little research I discovered |
| Dutch Country with my family. Most people have | | | | some reasons that the English language is confusing |
| read about the Amish people, but it's something you | | | | to those who speak other tongues. The main |
| have to see for yourself to believe. They first came | | | | problem seems to be that one word simply has too |
| to North America to escape religious and political | | | | many meanings. Let's take the word love for |
| persecution in Holland and the Netherlands. Most live in | | | | example. A child says, "I love you, Mommy," and |
| Pennsylvania, some in Ohio and Indiana and a few | | | | tends to mean I need you and miss the comforting |
| have established closed communities in Canada.The | | | | feeling I get when I don't see you. A baseball fan |
| religious life of the Amish tends to dominate all they | | | | says, "I love that team!" They mean that they are a |
| do. While they appreciate the freedom that America | | | | fan of that team. To go further, their commitment |
| offers them, they want none of what they consider | | | | to the team may vary. Do they attend every game? |
| our vices. Most of the traditional Amish people refuse | | | | Follow their team on the road? Have box seats? |
| the use of electricity and modern conveniences like | | | | How much do they really "love" that team?A man |
| telephones, cars and machine driven farm equipment. | | | | says to a woman, "I love you." Does he mean for |
| The majority are Farmers who use horse drawn | | | | now, for the moment, until someone he thinks is |
| carts for their transportation and horses for plowing, | | | | better comes along? The old Stephen Stills song, |
| pulling wagons and other heavy work.The most | | | | Love The One You're With illustrates one example of |
| amazing sight you can see in Pennsylvania Dutch | | | | what love can mean to a person. It seems that the |
| Country is an Amish barn raising. The entire | | | | meaning of the word love can be very different for |
| community gets together when someone needs a | | | | a man then it is for a woman.For men love often |
| new barn and builds the bulk of it in just one day! | | | | means sex. While a man might say "I love you" and |
| The men construct the barn while the women cook | | | | mean I like the way you look and want to have sex |
| and provide refreshment. I guess that when it comes | | | | with you, a women might say "I love you" and mean |
| to the Amish, it takes a village to raise a | | | | that she finds the man attractive in many ways and |
| barn!Because they consider waging war a sin, the | | | | sex is merely the ultimate expression of all else that |
| Amish are generally classified as Conscientious | | | | she feels. I believe that women, in contrast to men, |
| Objectors with Selective Service. They have their | | | | can have a greater depth to their feelings for |
| own schools and churches and teach that being | | | | another person. Is this because they tend to be |
| self-sufficient is vital. They do use banks, save a | | | | more emotional to begin with?I have noticed that |
| great deal of the money they earn from farming for | | | | women tend to have friendships and associations |
| the future, give ten percent of their worth to the | | | | that are deeper then those enjoyed by men. While |
| church and refuse to participate in the Social Security | | | | women will probably share their most intimate |
| program. The Bible says to make no image of any | | | | thoughts and feelings with a close friend or associate, |
| thing on the earth or in heaven. You will not see any | | | | men will not. They will generally talk about business, |
| religious statues in their churches. They do not use | | | | sex, politics or sports. No wonder people trying to |
| cameras of any type and the Amish dislike having | | | | learn English get confused. It seems that Americans |
| tourists take their picture.Sometimes it is hard for | | | | simply cannot say what they mean, mean what they |
| tourists to resist the temptation to photograph these | | | | say or even agree on what they mean!The Clinton |
| unusual people because they look so quaint. The | | | | scandals of the 1990s illustrated the problem with |
| Amish dress in what might be described as very plain | | | | English. When President Clinton spoke of sex, he |
| clothing. The men wear dark pants with suspenders, | | | | meant intercourse between two people. Others |
| light shirts, a wide brimmed hat and a dress coat for | | | | argue that intimate bodily contact of any kind is also |
| special affairs or cold weather. Most have beards and | | | | sex. Surveys at the time tended to show that most |
| stop shaving when they are engaged or marry. The | | | | men agreed with the President's definition, but didn't |
| women wear dresses, no pants, and most will never | | | | support him. Most women did not agree with the |
| cut or trim their hair. None of the Amish wears jeans, | | | | definition, but supported him! Others say that what |
| anything with a design on it or buttons. They use | | | | the president did with Monica Lewinsky was merely |
| hooks and eyes on their clothes because of a | | | | petting. Imagine a first day English student from a |
| tradition that says their persecutors in Holland wore | | | | foreign country listening to a man say, "I love my |
| large buttons on their coats as a sign of pride. Most | | | | dog, I pet her everyday." Later the same man says, |
| wear large dark colored shoes and none wear | | | | "I love my wife. I pet her every chance that I |
| sneakers or dressy footwear.The Amish speak their | | | | get!"As an experienced Speaker, I have had the |
| own language that has been described by | | | | opportunity to travel all over the USA and Canada. |
| dialectologists as an old form of Dutch mixed with | | | | Whenever possible, my wife and children joined me |
| German and some Old English. It is their attempt to | | | | during summer months. It was on these trips that we |
| speak modern English that really gets your attention! | | | | first realized how words that people use could mean |
| If I were outside our house and needed my wife to | | | | very different things depending on where you live in |
| give me a diaper for the baby I might say, "Honey, | | | | the United States. We all feel the call of nature, for |
| throw a diaper out the window. I need one for the | | | | example, but not all of us go to the same place. On |
| baby." However, the Amish would say, "Father, | | | | more then a few occasions, my wife and kids had to |
| please throw the baby out of the window a diaper." | | | | come and ask me where the facilities were and |
| Yikes! Maybe that's where Michael Jackson got the | | | | which door they should use.In much of the Northeast |
| idea of dangling his kid out of the window. I guess | | | | where I am originally from, we go to the Bathroom. |
| we're all lucky that's all he decided to dangle out the | | | | |