PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH OR 'DEITSCH' VERSES PENNSYLVANIA GERMAN

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Around these parts, we like to refer to ourselves as the Pennsylvania Dutch.  Although a misnomer, there’s no turning back.  Lore says the English misheard the term ‘Pennsifaanisch Deitsch’ (translates to ‘Pennsylvania German’) to be ‘Pennsylvania Dutch’.  Our ancestors emigrated from German-speaking areas of Europe, not the Netherlands.  In fact, our regional dialect (also known as Pennsilfaanisch Deitsch) is very similar to those of the Palatinate region of the Rhineland area in Germany.  In short, Pennsylvania Dutch and Pennsylvania German are two phrases that are used interchangeably to describe the same heritage