Beyond Culture
So why would this ambitious German teacher see a need for Bible stories from Genesis to Acts in Hutterisch?

Linda says the books will play a part in helping to preserve Hutterisch. It will also be a great resource for parents with young children, as it has Bible stories in the only language young Hutterite children know.

Hutterite children starting school are monolingual speakers of their mother tongue, explains Linda. "For the most part, the children cannot carry on an English or German conversation; just Hutterisch."

Not surprisingly, it has been mothers and preschool teachers who have warmed up to the Bible stories first. They are excited to have a Bible-based book to read to kids in Hutterisch.

"It's the language you converse in on a daily basis," adds Linda. "It's the language that you understand the best."

Linda was able to start with translation of the stories done several years ago by Hutterites in South Dakota but never printed. But she had to edit and rework them substantially. With input from other Hutterites, and translation and spelling checking from Wycliffe's Dick Mueller, Linda grappled with such challenges as language differences from colony to colony and spelling issues that are still open for debate.

Fun and Fascinating

"It's been fun, and very, very fascinating to have such a close look at our language with a linguist (Dick Mueller). I've learned a lot about Hutterisch and how an oral language is put into print form."

For now, Linda is hoping that Hutterites who may not appreciate the importance of the Hutterisch Bible stories and preserving their language will eventually do so.

"I think it will come," she says. "They will realize this is our language and that it's worth preserving. And how better to start than with Bible stories? We can have German, and we can have English, but ours is a valid language too."