Plain Answers About the Amish Life (9 page)

How about fabrics? Do they have to be natural, such as cotton or wool?

Not usually. Most districts allow the use of modern synthetic fabrics as long as they aren't “fancy” (for example, no velvet, silk, or satin) and are in the permitted range of colors.

Do the Amish dress differently for church?

Women's clothing is generally the same every day of the week. The men dress differently on Sundays, with black wool or felt hats along with black dress shoes, black suits, and white shirts. Suits include broadfall pants with suspenders, vests fastened with hooks and eyes, and coats, which may or may not have buttons or lapels, depending on district rules.

What are the rules about men's hairstyles and facial hair?

Hair is worn blunt cut in a uniform style, usually no longer than collar length.

Men shave their faces until they marry, at which point they stop shaving their beard, though they continue to shave their mustaches. In general, beards are not to be trimmed or neatened.

Why can they have beards but not mustaches?

Like buttons and lapels, mustaches are avoided because they are associated with the military.

Do they have rules about women's hairstyles?

Yes. In deference to 1 Corinthians 11:2-16, Amish women never cut their hair but instead allow it to grow. They consider a woman's hair to be her glory, which she shares only with her husband in private. Otherwise, Amish women part their hair in the middle, pull it tightly back, and fasten it into a bun or braid. Prayer coverings are worn over the hair. In general, the less conservative a district, the smaller the female's head covering.

What does a typical Amish woman's outfit consist of?

Women sport calf- to ankle-length full-skirted dresses. Over these go aprons and capes, usually black. Capes are made from a wide piece of fabric that is crossed in the front and comes to a point in the back. Straight pins are usually used in lieu of buttons to fasten the cape at the waist in front and back.

Women wear prayer coverings (also called
kapps
) on their heads. Depending on district and marital status, these coverings may be white or black. They often cover the ears at least partially and have strings that may or may not be tied, also depending on district rules. In winter, a warmer bonnet of an approved design may be worn over the prayer cap.

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N
T
HEIR
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WN
W
ORDS
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My big brother is getting married in a few weeks, and I'm waiting to see how fast his beard grows in. I think it'll happen right quick, not like my sister's husband. He's been married almost a year, and his is still just a scruffy little thing!

Why do they wear prayer coverings?

Prayer coverings are worn in deference to a number of biblical passages; for example, 1 Corinthians 11:5, which says a woman “who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head.” Amish women wear their
kapps
from morning to night, both in and out of the home.

What's the difference between a
kapp
and a bonnet?

Bonnets are sometimes added in certain situations, both for warmth and protection from the elements and also as a public symbol of modesty and submission. Bonnets are worn in addition to
kapps
, not instead of them.

Where do the Amish get their clothes?

Amish women sew most of the clothes for their family, though some stores do sell ready-made clothing. As girls grow up, they are taught to sew, and by their teenage years they may be skilled enough to help outfit the entire family.

Are there rules about underclothes? Do they make their own?

Most Amish wear plain-looking store-bought undergarments, though there are some conservative districts where underwear is handmade and bras are not allowed.

Can Amish women wear makeup? How about jewelry?

No. Neither makeup nor jewelry is worn, not even wedding rings.

What do Amish children wear?

Girls usually wear solid-color jumpers in approved colors, topped by loose, pinafore-style white or black aprons.

For school, play, or chores, boys wear broadfall pants with suspenders and shirts in approved colors along with banded straw hats. For church, they wear black suits similar in style to those worn by the adults, along with black felt hats.

Baby boys are generally clothed in dresses until they are potty trained.

What do the Amish use for diapers?

Many Amish women sew their own cloth diapers, though disposables may be used as well, especially when away from the home.

Where do they keep their clothes?

When not being worn, men's felt hats are often kept in hat presses. In many Amish homes, clothing is stored on pegs along the wall.

This illustration shows the clothes and hats in the boys' room of an Amish home. The dress hanging second from the left is for the male toddler of the room, who will wear dresses until he is potty trained, at which point he will graduate to the pants-and-shirt attire of his older brothers.

17

LANGUAGE

What languages do the Amish speak?

Amish life involves three different languages: Pennsylvania Dutch, English, and High German.

What is Pennsylvania Dutch?

A common misconception about Pennsylvania Dutch is that it is a variant of the Dutch language. This isn't true. The German word for “German” is
Deutsch
, which sounds a lot like “Dutch,” and the theory holds that over the years, the term for Pennsylvania German, or Pennsylvania
Deutsch
, began to be pronounced Pennsylvania Dutch.

The language is based on a Palatine dialect that was brought to America from Germany in the 1700s, primarily by a mass influx of Lutherans and German Reformed Church members searching for religious freedom. Once here, their dialect began to mix with other dialects and with the English of the colonists, evolving into what eventually became known as Pennsylvania Dutch. Today, though the language's grammatical structures are still based on Palatine German, about 5 to 10 percent of the vocabulary comes from the English language.

Where is Pennsylvania Dutch spoken?

Pennsylvania Dutch is the primary language of the Amish, spoken at home, in sermons at church, and among other Amish. Though other religious groups also spoke this German-derived American language in the past, the Amish and the Old Order Mennonites maintain it to the present day. (An exception to this is in Indiana, where a few
Amish communities use a Swiss dialect for their primary language rather than Pennsylvania Dutch.)

What does it sound like?

To hear live recordings of Pennsylvania Dutch being spoken, visit
www.amishfaqs.com/helpful.php
and click on the link near the bottom of the page.

Where do they speak English?

For the Amish, English is the language of commerce, literacy, and the outside world. Teens and adults are fluent in English and use the language when speaking with non-Amish friends, conducting business outside of the community, and functioning in other non-Amish settings.

Most children grow up knowing only Pennsylvania Dutch but are then taught to speak, read, and write English in school.

Why aren't small children taught to speak English from the very beginning?

Limiting their knowledge to Pennsylvania Dutch helps insulate and protect young ones from outside influences for the first five to seven years of their lives.

Where is High German spoken? 

High German is the language of respect for God and heritage and is used in Amish worship services and spiritual texts. Most Amish become familiar with the language not through formal instruction but rather from years of exposure during Sunday worship and when reading the classics of the Amish faith that are in High German. These include:

•
The
Ausbund
, or Amish hymnal, which was first published in 1564. Many of its songs were written by martyrs of the faith in the sixteenth century. It is the oldest Christian songbook in continuous use.

•
Die Ernsthafte Christenpflicht,
a prayer book used in many Amish households.

•
The Luther Bible.

Do the Amish speak English with an accent?

Some do, some don't. But even for those Amish who speak English without any telltale accent, there are some giveaways when they talk, particularly among those who do not converse often with outsiders. Certain words and terms receive unusual pronunciations and uniquely Amish phraseology.

Is their sentence construction old-fashioned and formal?

No. Contrary to how the Amish are often portrayed in the media, they do not use archaic terms such as “thee” and “thou” when speaking English.

18

TECHNOLOGY

Do the Amish reject technology?

No. But they are selective about which technological devices and innovations they consider to be acceptable. Because of this, some types of technology are permitted, and some are not. For example, an Amish district might allow generator-powered sewing machines but forbid generator-powered clothes dryers.

Do they own cars?

No.

Do they consider technology to be evil or wrong?

No, but they do believe that if left unchecked, certain technologies can destroy the Amish way of life by undermining its traditions, bringing inappropriate value systems into homes, and ultimately breaking communities and families apart. This is why they are so selective about which devices and innovations they will and will not use.

Their rules seem so arbitrary—contradictory, even. For example, why do the Amish not own or drive cars, yet they will ride in vehicles driven by others? Why do they not use electricity, yet they will use other forms of power, such as propane and gasoline? Why won't they have a phone in the house but put one in the barn?

To make sense of these questions, it's important to consider the Amish value system and how it applies to technology, as shown:

•
Humility
: A lack of fancy electronic devices provides less opportunity for pride.