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