This made me laugh. I think about all of the complaints about people coming here and not learning English. Having been raised in SE PA in communities where many if not most of the people used PA German as their first language I always smile at the ethnocentric blathering about English. When I went to first grade Id guess that half or more of the children did not speak English at home. Some spoke no English. We were actually beat for speaking PA German in school. Now it is being taught as part of a cultural revival. Amish language sparks policy shift for grants 10/28/2014 12:00:00 AM By JIM RUNKLE jrunkle@lockhaven LOCK HAVEN - A significant segment of the Clinton County population has problem understanding English, and this requires the Clinton County Commissioners to prepare for the future when it comes to the Community Development Block Grant program. According to the American Community Survey, Greene Township, with a total population of 1,629, has 10.4 percent of its population speaking English less than very well. Lamar Township has 6.3 percent of its population having trouble with English, and Logan Township has 11.5 percent. In all three of those cases, the residents are speakers of Low German, representing membership in the Amish community. Any percent of the population in any municipality with higher than 5 percent of its residents indicating trouble with English requires the county to take an additional step in terms of the CDBG program. According to Grants Coordinator Katie DeSilva, 2015 will arrive with the new mandate through the Department of Community and Economic Development via the federal Department of Urban Development, local officials were required to determine if there were any residents with a lack of proficiency in understanding English. While 98 percent of all Clinton County residents are considered proficient in English, the presence of a significant minority means the county will be posting placards in the municipal building of those three townships, in German, informing residents that if they are interested in the CDBG effort and want more information, they are to contact DeSilva at the county planning office. Should it be required or needed for any public meetings in connection with the program, DeSilva said, the county has made arrangements with a professor of German at Bloomsburg University to offer translation services. DeSilva said modern German is taught in all the Amish schools, so with some difficulty, a fluent speaker of modern German can translate for a speaker of Low German. The written German word apparently is not a major problem. DeSilva said English presents a problem for about 404 members of the local community, according to the survey. The board is expected to review, approve and sign the new policy at the commissioners meeting Thursday. Amish language sparks policy shift for grants The Express 28 Oct 2014: A5
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 18:08:42 +0000
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