Pennsylvania Dutch Proverbs
Learning proverbs is often a good way to gain insight into a particular culture and this remains true for Pennsylvania Dutch proverbs. Proverbs can show you what a culture values and what its sense of humor is like. Here are a few Pennsylvania Dutch proverbs to help you navigate Lancaster County.
Pennsylvania Dutch on Family and Cooking
Family and food are important to every culture. Here’s the Pennsylvania Dutch take on these important topics:
- Kissin’ wears out, cooking don’t
- No woman can be happy with less than seven to cook for
- A plump wife and a big barn never did any man harm
- An industrious wife is the best savings account
- Children and fools tell the truth
Pennsylvania Dutch Proverbs in German
The Pennsylvania Dutch are descendants of German speaking immigrants and many continue to speak German based dialects today. Some of these proverbs should be familiar to mainstream Americans, while others are unique to the Pennsylvania Dutch:
- Er is en Schpaa vum alde Glotz = He is a splinter off the old block.
- Der Appel fallt net weit vum Schtamm. = The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
- Mer kann en gaul net saufe mache. = You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.
- Er bekimmert sich mehner um die Woll as wie um die Schof. = He cares more about the wool than he does about the sheep.
- Es kummt net uff die Grees aa, schunscht kennt en Kuh en Haas fange. = It’s not about size, otherwise a cow could catch a rabbit.
- Besser der Maage verreisse as Ess-sach weck gschmisse. = Better to “bust” one’s stomach than to throw food away.
Amish Proverbs
Not all Pennsylvania Dutch are Amish, but the Amish are perhaps the most distinctive of the Pennsylvania Dutch. Here are a few Amish proverbs that illustrate their culture:
- You can preach a better sermon with your life than with your lip.
- Children need models more than they need critics
- It is better to suffer wrong than to do it. And happier to be sometimes cheated than to never trust
- No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it for someone else
- One lie brings the next one with it
- The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor the man perfected without trials.
For more Amish and Pennsylvania Dutch Proverbs, you can visit these sites:
The Pennsylvania Dutch Language: An Interesting and Different English
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