Every Amish person speaks three languages fluently. Without language schools, tutors, or Duolingo.
Pennsylvania Dutch
Home language. A 17th-century German dialect with English borrowings. 'Kannst du mir helpe?' Children speak it from birth. Among themselves, Amish speak only this. Almost no written form — oral language.
High German (Hochdeutsch)
Church language. Luther's Bible. Hymns from Ausbund (oldest Protestant hymnal, 1564). Sermons. Prayers. Children learn in school — to read, write, understand. Don't speak fluently — it's liturgical.
English
World language. For business, shopping, communicating with 'English' people (all non-Amish). Taught in school from grade 1. Speak with accent (German). Write correctly. Read English newspapers and books.
Fact
Pennsylvania Dutch is one of the few German dialects that's GROWING (thanks to Amish birth rate). All other German dialects are dying. By 2050, Pennsylvania Dutch may become the largest living German dialect in the world.