Pennsylvania German
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| United States, especially Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia; Canada, especially Ontario (Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Markham, Stouffville and Pickering) | |
| Languages | |
| English, Pennsylvania German | |
| Religion | |
| Lutheran, Reformed, Evangelical, Catholic, Moravian, Church of the Brethren, Mennonite, Amish, Schwenkfelder, River Brethren, Yorker Brethren | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| German American, Swiss American, French American, Dutch American |
The Pennsylvania Dutch (Pennsilfaanisch Deitsch, 
listen ) are a cultural group formed by early German-speaking immigrants to Pennsylvania and their descendants. This early wave of settlers, which would eventually coalesce to form the Pennsylvania Dutch, began in the late 17th century and concluded in the late 18th century. The majority of these immigrants originated in what is today southwestern Germany, i.e., Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg; other prominent groups were Alsatians, Dutch, French Huguenots (French Protestants), Moravians from Bohemia and Moravia, and Swiss.
Historically they have spoken the dialect of German known as Pennsylvania German or Pennsylvania Dutch. In this context, the word "Dutch" does not refer to the Dutch people (Nederlanders) or their descendants, but to Deitsch or Deutsch (German).
The first major emigration of Germans to America resulted in the founding of the Borough of Germantown, in northwest Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, on October 6, 1683. Mass emigration of Palatines began out of Germany in the early 18th century from areas along the Rhine River.
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