Rose Fisher holds a BA in Psychology and German from Millersville University. Currently, she is a dual-title Ph.D. candidate in German Linguistics and Language Science. A former member of the Amish community in Lancaster County, Rose is a native speaker of both Pennsylvania Dutch and English, an advanced speaker of German, and dabbles in additional languages.

As an enthusiast of all things German (history, culture, food, etc.) and languages more broadly, Rose loves to teach and speak German. Nonetheless, her research interests focus squarely on Pennsylvania Dutch, the language of her childhood and heritage. In the face of immense pressure to shift to English, Pennsylvania Dutch is an immigrant language that has been extraordinarily resilient. It has been in use for over 300 years and continues to thrive in the US to this day. The largest groups of modern-day speakers are separatist Amish and Mennonites whose unique cultural values pervade and shape the language. In her research, Rose’s aim is to investigate both the structural aspects of this living, evolving language, as well as how culture, religious beliefs, and language contact drive language evolution. She strives always to keep the speakers and their worldview and values at the heart of her investigations.

To learn more or to see/download her CV and publications, please visit this website: https://rosefisher.weebly.com/