Keeping the Pennsylvania Dutch language alive - and thriving
November 22, 2017
On any Amish homestead, after labor’s last push and a check for 10 fingers and 10 toes, family members have heard one of two things for centuries.
“Sis en Bu” or “Sis en Maedel.”
“It’s a boy” or “It’s a girl.”
That language is Pennsylvania Dutch, and the gender announcement isn’t some old-fashioned tradition the Amish use only during childbirth. They “talk Dutch” about horse manure and carrots, about the weather, and whether a buggy’s wheel needs mending before a trip to the market.
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