Swiss German (
Standard German: , gsw, Schwiizerdütsch, Schwyzerdütsch, Schwiizertüütsch, Schwizertitsch Mundart,
[Because of the many different dialects, and because there is no defined orthography for any of them, many different spellings can be found.] and others) is any of the
Alemannic Alemannic (''Alamannic'') or Alamanni may refer to:
* Alemannic German, a dialect family in the Upper German branch of the German languages and its speakers
* Alemanni, a confederation of Suebian Germanic tribes in the Roman period
* Alamanni (surna ...
dialects spoken in the
German-speaking part of
Switzerland and in some
Alpine
Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to:
Places Europe
* Alps, a European mountain range
** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range
Australia
* Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village
* Alpine National Pa ...
communities in
Northern Italy bordering Switzerland. Occasionally, the Alemannic dialects spoken in other countries are grouped together with Swiss German as well, especially the dialects of
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarch ...
and Austrian
Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg ( , ; gsw, label= Vorarlbergisch, Vorarlbearg, , or ) is the westernmost state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is the state with the ...
, which are closely associated to Switzerland's.
Linguistically, Alemannic is divided into
Low,
High and
Highest Alemannic, varieties all of which are spoken both inside and outside Switzerland. The only exception within German-speaking Switzerland is the municipality of
Samnaun
Samnaun ( rm, Samignun) is a high Alpine village and a valley at the eastern end of Switzerland and a municipality in the Engiadina Bassa/Val Müstair Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.
History
The valley was first used as a seasonal m ...
, where a
Bavarian dialect is spoken. The reason Swiss German dialects constitute a special group is their almost unrestricted use as a spoken language in practically all situations of daily life, whereas the use of the Alemannic dialects in other countries is restricted or even endangered.
The dialects of Swiss German must not be confused with
Swiss Standard German, the variety of
Standard German used in Switzerland. Swiss Standard German is fully understandable to all Standard German speakers, while many people in Germany – especially in the north – do not understand Swiss Germans. An interview with a Swiss German speaker shown on German national television therefore requires subtitles, much as an interview in
Scots would on US television.
Although Swiss German is the native language in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, Swiss school students additionally learn Swiss Standard German at school from age six. They are thus capable of understanding, writing and speaking Standard German, with varying abilities mainly based on the level of education.
Use
Unlike most regional languages in modern Europe, Swiss German is the spoken everyday language for the majority of all social levels in industrial cities, as well as in the countryside. Using the dialect conveys neither social nor educational inferiority and is done with pride.
In 2014, about 87% of the people living in the German-speaking portion of Switzerland were using a dialect in their everyday lives.
Variation and distribution
Swiss German is a regional or political
umbrella term
In linguistics, semantics, general semantics, and ontologies, hyponymy () is a semantic relation between a hyponym denoting a subtype and a hypernym or hyperonym (sometimes called umbrella term or blanket term) denoting a supertype. In other wor ...
, not a linguistic unity. For all Swiss-German dialects, there are idioms spoken outside Switzerland that are more closely related to them than to some other Swiss-German dialects. The main linguistic divisions within Swiss German are those of
Low,
High and
Highest Alemannic, and mutual intelligibility across those groups is almost fully seamless, despite some differences in vocabulary. Low Alemannic is only spoken in the northernmost parts of Switzerland, in
Basel
, french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese
, neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...
and around
Lake Constance. High Alemannic is spoken in most of the
Swiss Plateau
The Swiss Plateau or Central Plateau (german: Schweizer Mittelland; french: plateau suisse; it, altopiano svizzero) is one of the three major landscapes in Switzerland, lying between the Jura Mountains and the Swiss Alps. It covers about 30% of ...
, and is divided in an eastern and a western group. Highest Alemannic is spoken in the
Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...
.
![Swiss languages 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Swiss_languages_1.png)
*Low Alemannic:
**
Basel German Basel German or Baseldytsch (Standard German: ''Baseldeutsch'') is the dialect of the city of Basel, Switzerland.
The dialect of Basel forms a Low Alemannic linguistic exclave in the High Alemannic region.
Phonetics and phonology Consonants ...
in
Basel-Stadt (BS), closely related to
Alsatian
*
High Alemannic
High Alemannic is a dialect of Alemannic German spoken in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg and in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
Language area
The High Alemannic dialects are spoken in Liechtenstein and in most of German-speaking S ...
:
**Western:
***
Bernese German
Bernese German (Standard German: ''Berndeutsch'', gsw, Bärndütsch) is the dialect of High Alemannic German spoken in the Swiss plateau (Mittelland) part of the canton of Bern and in some neighbouring regions. A form of Bernese German is spoke ...
, in the
Swiss Plateau
The Swiss Plateau or Central Plateau (german: Schweizer Mittelland; french: plateau suisse; it, altopiano svizzero) is one of the three major landscapes in Switzerland, lying between the Jura Mountains and the Swiss Alps. It covers about 30% of ...
parts of
Bern (BE)
***Dialects of
Basel-Landschaft
Basel-Landschaft or Basel-Country informally known as Baselland or Baselbiet (; german: Kanton Basel-Landschaft ; rm, Chantun Basilea-Champagna; french: Canton de Bâle-Campagne; it, Canton Basilea Campagna), is one of the 26 cantons forming ...
(BL)
***Dialects of
Solothurn
Solothurn ( , ; french: Soleure ; it, Soletta ; rm, ) is a town, a municipality, and the capital of the canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. It is located in the north-west of Switzerland on the banks of the Aare and on the foot of the Weissens ...
(SO)
***Dialects of the western part of
Aargau (AG)
**In a middle position between eastern and western:
***Dialects in the eastern part of
Aargau (AG)
***Dialects of
Lucerne (LU)
***Dialects of
Zug
, neighboring_municipalities = Cham, Baar, Walchwil, Steinhausen, Unterägeri
, twintowns = Fürstenfeld (Austria), Kalesija (Bosnia-Herzegowina)
Zug (Standard German: , Alemannic German: ; french: Zoug it, Zugo r ...
(ZG)
***
Zürich German
Zürich German (German: ''Zürichdeutsch'', natively ''Züritüütsch'' ) is the High Alemannic dialect spoken in the Canton of Zürich, Switzerland.
Its area covers most of the canton, with the exception of the parts north of the Thur and th ...
, in
Zürich
, neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon
, twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco
Zürich ...
(ZH)
**Eastern:
***Dialects of
St. Gallen
, neighboring_municipalities = Eggersriet, Gaiserwald, Gossau, Herisau (AR), Mörschwil, Speicher (AR), Stein (AR), Teufen (AR), Untereggen, Wittenbach
, twintowns = Liberec (Czech Republic)
, website = ...
(SG)
***Dialects of
Appenzell (AR & AI)
***Dialects of
Thurgau
Thurgau (; french: Thurgovie; it, Turgovia), anglicized as Thurgovia, more formally the Canton of Thurgau, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of five districts and its capital is Frauenfeld.
Thurgau is par ...
(TG)
***Dialects of
Schaffhausen
Schaffhausen (; gsw, Schafuuse; french: Schaffhouse; it, Sciaffusa; rm, Schaffusa; en, Shaffhouse) is a town with historic roots, a municipality in northern Switzerland, and the capital of the canton of the same name; it has an estimate ...
(SH)
***Dialects in parts of
Graubünden (GR)
*Highest Alemannic:
**Dialects in parts of
Canton of Fribourg (FR)
**Dialects of the
Bernese Oberland
The Bernese Oberland ( en, Bernese Highlands, german: Berner Oberland; gsw, Bärner Oberland; french: Oberland bernois), the highest and southernmost part of the canton of Bern, is one of the canton's five administrative regions (in which context ...
(BE)
**Dialects of
Unterwalden
Unterwalden, translated from the Latin ''inter silvas''(''between the forests''), is the old name of a forest-canton of the Old Swiss Confederacy in central Switzerland, south of Lake Lucerne, consisting of two valleys or '' Talschaften'', no ...
(OW & NW) and
Uri Uri may refer to:
Places
* Canton of Uri, a canton in Switzerland
* Úri, a village and commune in Hungary
* Uri, Iran, a village in East Azerbaijan Province
* Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, a town in India
* Uri (island), an island off Malakula Islan ...
(UR)
**Dialects of
Schwyz
The town of Schwyz (; french: Schwytz; it, Svitto) is the capital of the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland.
The Federal Charter of 1291 or ''Bundesbrief'', the charter that eventually led to the foundation of Switzerland, can be seen at the ' ...
(SZ)
**Dialects of
Glarus
, neighboring_municipalities= Glarus Nord, Glarus Süd, Muotathal (SZ), Innerthal (SZ)
, twintowns= Wiesbaden-Biebrich (Germany)
}
Glarus (; gsw, Glaris; french: Glaris; it, Glarona; rm, Glaruna) is the capital of the canton of Glarus ...
(GL)
**
Walliser German
Walser German (german: Walserdeutsch) and Walliser German (, locally ) are a group of Highest Alemannic dialects spoken in parts of Switzerland (Valais, Ticino, Grisons), Italy (Piedmont, Aosta Valley), Liechtenstein (Triesenberg, Planken), and ...
in parts of the
Valais
Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the 26 cantons forming the S ...
(VS)
**
Walser German
Walser German (german: Walserdeutsch) and Walliser German (, locally ) are a group of Highest Alemannic dialects spoken in parts of Switzerland (Valais, Ticino, Grisons), Italy (Piedmont, Aosta Valley), Liechtenstein (Triesenberg, Planken), and ...
: due to the medieval migration of the
Walser
The Walser people are the speakers of the Walser German dialects, a variety of Highest Alemannic.
They inhabit the region of the Alps of Switzerland and Liechtenstein, as well as the fringes of Italy and Austria.
The Walser people are named a ...
, Highest Alemannic spread to pockets of what are now parts of northern Italy (Piedmont), the north-west of
Ticino
Ticino (), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino,, informally ''Canton Ticino'' ; lmo, Canton Tesin ; german: Kanton Tessin ; french: Canton du Tessin ; rm, Chantun dal Tessin . ...
(TI), parts of
Graubünden (GR),
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarch ...
and
Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg ( , ; gsw, label= Vorarlbergisch, Vorarlbearg, , or ) is the westernmost state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is the state with the ...
.
One can separate each dialect into numerous local subdialects, sometimes down to a resolution of individual villages. Speaking the dialect is an important part of regional,
cantonal
The 26 cantons of Switzerland (german: Kanton; french: canton ; it, cantone; Sursilvan and Surmiran: ; Vallader and Puter: ; Sutsilvan: ; Rumantsch Grischun: ) are the member states of the Swiss Confederation. The nucleus of the Swiss Con ...
and national identities. In the more urban areas of the
Swiss plateau
The Swiss Plateau or Central Plateau (german: Schweizer Mittelland; french: plateau suisse; it, altopiano svizzero) is one of the three major landscapes in Switzerland, lying between the Jura Mountains and the Swiss Alps. It covers about 30% of ...
, regional differences are fading due to increasing mobility and to a growing population of non-Alemannic background. Despite the varied dialects, the Swiss can still understand one another, but may particularly have trouble understanding
Walliser dialects.
History
Most Swiss German dialects, being ''High German'' dialects, have completed the
High German consonant shift (synonyms: Second Germanic consonant shift, High German sound shift), that is, they have not only changed ''t'' to or and ''p'' to or , but also ''k'' to or . There are, however, exceptions, namely the idioms of
Chur
, neighboring_municipalities= Arosa, Churwalden, Tschiertschen-Praden, Domat/Ems, Felsberg, Malix, Trimmis, Untervaz, Pfäfers
, twintowns = Bad Homburg (Germany), Cabourg (France), Mayrhofen (Austria), Mondorf-les-Bains (Luxe ...
and
Basel
, french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese
, neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...
. Basel German is a ''Low Alemannic'' dialect (mostly spoken in Germany near the Swiss border), and Chur German is basically ''High Alemannic'' without initial or .
Examples:
The High German consonant shift happened between the 4th and 9th centuries south of the
Benrath line, separating ''High'' German from Low German, where ''high'' refers to the geographically higher regions of the German-speaking area of those days (combining
Upper German
Upper German (german: Oberdeutsch ) is a family of High German dialects spoken primarily in the southern German-speaking area ().
History
In the Old High German time, only Alemannic and Bairisch are grouped as Upper German. In the Middle High ...
and
Central German varieties - also referring to their geographical locations).
North of the
Benrath line up to the North Sea, this consonant shift did not happen.
The
Walser
The Walser people are the speakers of the Walser German dialects, a variety of Highest Alemannic.
They inhabit the region of the Alps of Switzerland and Liechtenstein, as well as the fringes of Italy and Austria.
The Walser people are named a ...
migration, which took place between the 12th and 13th centuries, spread upper Wallis varieties towards the east and south, into Grisons and even further to western Austria and northern Italy. Informally, a distinction is made between the German-speaking people living in the canton of Valais, the ''Walliser'', and the migrated ones, the ''
Walser
The Walser people are the speakers of the Walser German dialects, a variety of Highest Alemannic.
They inhabit the region of the Alps of Switzerland and Liechtenstein, as well as the fringes of Italy and Austria.
The Walser people are named a ...
s'' (to be found mainly in
Graubünden,
Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg ( , ; gsw, label= Vorarlbergisch, Vorarlbearg, , or ) is the westernmost state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is the state with the ...
in Western Austria,
Ticino
Ticino (), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino,, informally ''Canton Ticino'' ; lmo, Canton Tesin ; german: Kanton Tessin ; french: Canton du Tessin ; rm, Chantun dal Tessin . ...
in South Switzerland, south of the
Monte Rosa
:
, other_name = Monte Rosa massif
, translation = Mount Rose
, photo = Dufourspitze (Monte Rosa) and Monte Rosa Glacier as seen from Gornergrat, Wallis, Switzerland, 2012 August.jpg
, photo_caption = Central Mon ...
mountain chain in Italy (e.g. in
Issime
Issime ( Issime wae, Éischeme; german: Einsimmen; Valdôtain: (locally )Obsolete. Recent works in German indicate the official French name only - cfLiederbuch von Gressoney und Issime and Peter Zürrer, ''Sprachkontakt in Walser Dialekten: Gre ...
in the Aosta valley),
Tirol
Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...
in North Italy, and Allgäu in Bavaria).
Generally, the Walser communities were situated on higher alpine regions, so were able to stay independent of the reigning forces of those days, who did not or were not able to follow and monitor them all the time necessary at these hostile and hard to survive areas. So, the Walser were pioneers of the liberalization from
serfdom
Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which deve ...
and
feudalism
Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structur ...
. And, Walser villages are easily distinguishable from Grisonian ones, since Walser houses are made of wood instead of stone.
Phonology
Consonants
Like all other Southern German dialects, Swiss German dialects have no voiced
obstruents. However, they have an opposition of consonant pairs such as and or and . Traditionally, that distinction is said to be a distinction of
fortis and lenis, but it has been claimed to be a distinction of quantity.
Swiss German keeps the fortis–lenis opposition at the end of words. There can be minimal pairs such as 'straight' and '
arête
An arête ( ) is a narrow ridge of rock which separates two valleys. It is typically formed when two glaciers erode parallel U-shaped valleys. Arêtes can also form when two glacial cirques erode headwards towards one another, although frequ ...
' or ''bis'' 'be (
imp.)' and 'bite'. That distinguishes Swiss German and
Swiss Standard German from
German Standard German
German Standard German, Standard German of Germany, or High German of Germany is the variety of Standard German that is written and spoken in Germany. It is the variety of German most commonly taught to foreigners.
It is not uniform, which means ...
, which
neutralizes the fortis–lenis opposition at the ends of words. The phenomenon is usually called
final-obstruent devoicing
Final-obstruent devoicing or terminal devoicing is a systematic phonological process occurring in languages such as Catalan, German, Dutch, Breton, Russian, Polish, Lithuanian, Turkish, and Wolof. In such languages, voiced obstruents in ...
even though, in the case of German,
phonetic voice may not be involved.
Swiss German are not aspirated. Aspirated have (in most dialects) secondarily developed by combinations of prefixes with word-initial or by borrowings from other languages (mainly Standard German): 'keep' (standard German ); 'tea' (standard German ); 'salary' (standard German ). In the dialects of Basel and Chur, aspirated is also present in native words. All typically voiced consonant sounds are voiceless. Stop sounds being , and fricatives as .
Unlike Standard German, Swiss German does not have the allophone but is typically , with allophones . The typical Swiss
shibboleth
A shibboleth (; hbo, , šībbōleṯ) is any custom or tradition, usually a choice of phrasing or even a single word, that distinguishes one group of people from another. Shibboleths have been used throughout history in many societies as passwo ...
features this sound: ('kitchen cupboard'), pronounced .
Most Swiss German dialects have gone through the Alemannic ''n''-
apocope, which has led to the loss of final ''-n'' in words such as 'garden' (standard German ) or 'to make' (standard German ). In some Highest Alemannic dialects, the ''n''-apocope has also been effective in consonant clusters, for instance in 'horn' (High Alemannic ) or 'to think' (High Alemannic ). Only the Highest Alemannic dialects of the
Lötschental
The Lötschental is the largest valley on the northern side of the Rhône valley in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It lies in the Bernese Alps, with the Lonza running down the length of the valley from its source within the Langgletsche ...
and of the
Haslital
The Oberhasli is a historical '' Landvogtei'' or ''Talschaft'' in the Bernese Highlands, Switzerland, bordering on the cantons of Obwalden (OW), Nidwalden (NW), Uri (UR) and Wallis (VS).
From 1833 to 2009, Oberhasli was incorporated as the ...
have preserved the -''n''.
The
phoneme
In phonology and linguistics, a phoneme () is a unit of sound that can distinguish one word from another in a particular language.
For example, in most dialects of English, with the notable exception of the West Midlands and the north-wes ...
is pronounced as an
alveolar trill
The voiced alveolar trill is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents dental, alveolar, and postalveolar trills is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is ...
in many dialects, but some dialects, especially in the Northeast or in the
Basel
, french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese
, neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...
region, have a
uvular trill
The voiced uvular trill is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , a small capital letter ''R''. This consonant is one of several collectively ...
, and other allophones resulting in fricatives and an approximant as [] like in many German varieties of Germany.
In Bernese German, an [] can be pronounced as a []. It may also be pronounced this way when occurring towards the end of a syllable.
A labiodental approximant is used in Bernese German, as the sound is present in Standard German. In Walser German, it is realized as a
labiodental fricative
A labial fricative is a fricative consonant, whose articulation involves the lips. Several kinds can be distinguished based on whether the articulation involves only the lips or either the teeth or the tongue:
*Bilabial fricatives (articulated wi ...
[].
Vowels
![Zürich German monophthongs chart](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Z%C3%BCrich_German_monophthongs_chart.svg)
Most Swiss German dialects have rounded front vowels, unlike other High German dialects. Only in Low Alemannic dialects of northwestern Switzerland (mainly Basel) and in Walliser dialects have rounded front vowels been unrounded. In Basel, rounding is being reintroduced because of the influence of other Swiss German dialects.
Like
Bavarian dialects, Swiss German dialects have preserved the opening
diphthongs
A diphthong ( ; , ), also known as a gliding vowel, is a combination of two adjacent vowel sounds within the same syllable. Technically, a diphthong is a vowel with two different targets: that is, the tongue (and/or other parts of the speech ...
of
Middle High German
Middle High German (MHG; german: Mittelhochdeutsch (Mhd.)) is the term for the form of German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High German and into Early New High German. Hig ...
: : in 'lovely' (standard German but pronounced ); 'hat' (standard German ); 'cool' (Standard German ). Some diphthongs have become unrounded in several dialects. In the Zürich dialect, short pronunciations of // are realized as []. Sounds like the monophthong can frequently become unrounded to among many speakers of the Zürich dialect. Vowels such as a centralized [] and an open-mid [] only occur in the Bernese dialect.
Like in
Low German, most Swiss German dialects have preserved the old West-Germanic monophthongs : 'arrow' (Standard German ); 'belly' (Standard German ); 'pillar' (Standard German ). A few Alpine dialects show diphthongization, like in Standard German, especially some dialects of Unterwalden and Schanfigg (Graubünden) and the dialect of Issime (Piedmont).
Some Western Swiss German dialects like Bernese German have preserved the old diphthongs , but the other dialects have like Standard German or .
Zürich German
Zürich German (German: ''Zürichdeutsch'', natively ''Züritüütsch'' ) is the High Alemannic dialect spoken in the Canton of Zürich, Switzerland.
Its area covers most of the canton, with the exception of the parts north of the Thur and th ...
, and some other dialects distinguish primary diphthongs from secondary ones that arose in
hiatus
Hiatus may refer to:
*Hiatus (anatomy), a natural fissure in a structure
* Hiatus (stratigraphy), a discontinuity in the age of strata in stratigraphy
*''Hiatus'', a genus of picture-winged flies with sole member species '' Hiatus fulvipes''
* Gl ...
: Zürich German from Middle High German versus Zürich German from Middle High German ; Zürich German 'leg, woman' from Middle High German '','' versus Zürich German 'free, building' from Middle High German '','' .
Suprasegmentals
In many Swiss German dialects,
consonant length
In phonetics and phonology, gemination (), or consonant lengthening (from Latin 'doubling', itself from '' gemini'' 'twins'), is an articulation of a consonant for a longer period of time than that of a singleton consonant. It is distinct from ...
and
vowel length
In linguistics, vowel length is the perceived length of a vowel sound: the corresponding physical measurement is duration. In some languages vowel length is an important phonemic factor, meaning vowel length can change the meaning of the word, ...
are independent from each other, unlike other modern Germanic languages. Here are examples from Bernese German:
Lexical stress is more often on the first syllable than in Standard German, even in French loans like or 'thanks' (despite stress falling on the final syllable
in French). However, there are many different stress patterns, even within dialects. Bernese German has many words that are stressed on the first syllable: 'casino' while Standard German has . However, no Swiss German dialect is as consistent as
Icelandic in that respect.
Grammar
The grammar of Swiss dialects has some specialties compared to Standard German:
*There is no
preterite indicative
A realis mood ( abbreviated ) is a grammatical mood which is used principally to indicate that something is a statement of fact; in other words, to express what the speaker considers to be a known state of affairs, as in declarative sentences. Mos ...
(yet there is a
preterite subjunctive).
*The
preterite is replaced by perfect constructs (this also happens in spoken Standard German, particularly in Southern Germany and Austria).
*It is still possible to form
pluperfect
The pluperfect (shortening of plusquamperfect), usually called past perfect in English, is a type of verb form, generally treated as a grammatical tense in certain languages, relating to an action that occurred prior to an aforementioned time i ...
phrases, by applying the perfect construct twice to the same sentence.
*There is no
genitive case, though certain dialects have preserved a
possessive genitive (for instance in rural
Bernese German
Bernese German (Standard German: ''Berndeutsch'', gsw, Bärndütsch) is the dialect of High Alemannic German spoken in the Swiss plateau (Mittelland) part of the canton of Bern and in some neighbouring regions. A form of Bernese German is spoke ...
). The
genitive case is replaced by two constructions: The first of these is often acceptable in Standard German as well: possession + Prp. (Std. German ) + possessor: vs. Standard German ('a book of a professor'), vs. Standard German ('the professor's book'). The second is still frowned on where it appears in Standard German (from dialects and spoken language): dative of the possessor + the possessive pronoun referring to the possessor + possession: ('the professor his book').
[Andreas Lötscher: Schweizerdeutsch – Geschichte, Dialekte, Gebrauch. Huber, Frauenfeld/Stuttgart 1983 ]
*The order within verb groups may vary, e.g. vs. Standard German 'when you have come/came'. In fact, dependencies can be arbitrarily
cross-serial, making Swiss German one of the few known non-
context-free natural languages.
[.]
*All
relative clause
A relative clause is a clause that modifies a noun or noun phraseRodney D. Huddleston, Geoffrey K. Pullum, ''A Student's Introduction to English Grammar'', CUP 2005, p. 183ff. and uses some grammatical device to indicate that one of the argument ...
s are introduced by the
relative particle ('where'), never by the
relative pronoun
A relative pronoun is a pronoun that marks a relative clause. It serves the purpose of conjoining modifying information about an antecedent referent.
An example is the word ''which'' in the sentence "This is the house which Jack built." Here the r ...
s as in Standard German, e.g. vs. Standard German ('the example that she writes'); vs. Standard German ('the example that she thinks of'). Whereas the relative particle replaces the Standard German relative pronouns in the Nom. (subject) and Acc. (direct object) without further complications, in phrases where plays the role of an indirect object, a prepositional object, a possessor or an adverbial adjunct it has to be taken up later in the relative clause by reference of (prp. +) the
personal pronoun
Personal pronouns are pronouns that are associated primarily with a particular grammatical person – first person (as ''I''), second person (as ''you''), or third person (as ''he'', ''she'', ''it'', ''they''). Personal pronouns may also take dif ...
(if ' refers to a person) or the
pronominal adverb
A pronominal adverb is a type of adverb occurring in a number of Germanic languages, formed in replacement of a preposition and a pronoun by turning the former into a prepositional adverb and the latter into a locative adverb, and finally joini ...
(if ' refers to a thing). E.g. ('the professor whose book I showed you'), ('the mountain that we were upon').
[
]
Reduplication verbs
Overview
In Swiss German, a small number of verbs reduplicate in a reduced infinitival form, i.e. unstressed shorter form, when used in their finite form governing the infinitive
Infinitive (abbreviated ) is a linguistics term for certain verb forms existing in many languages, most often used as non-finite verbs. As with many linguistic concepts, there is not a single definition applicable to all languages. The word is deri ...
of another verb. The reduced and reduplicated part of the verb in question is normally put in front of the infinitive of the second verb. This is the case for the motion verbs 'to go' and 'to come' when used in the meaning of 'go (to) do something', 'come (to) do something', as well as the verbs 'to let' and in certain dialects 'to start, to begin' when used in the meaning of 'let do something', or 'start doing something'. Most affected by this phenomenon is the verb , followed by '. Both ' and ' are less affected and only when used in present tense
The present tense (abbreviated or ) is a grammatical tense whose principal function is to locate a situation or event in the present time. The present tense is used for actions which are happening now. In order to explain and understand present ...
declarative main clauses.
Declarative sentence examples:
As the examples show, all verbs are reduplicated with a reduced infinitival form when used in a declarative main clause. This is especially interesting as it stands in contrast to the standard variety of German and other varieties of the same, where such doubling effects are not found as outlined in the examples.
: weakest doubling effects
Reduplication effects are weaker in the verbs 'to let' and 'to start, to begin' than they are in 'to go' and 'to come'. This means that ' is most likely to be used without its reduplicated and reduced form while retaining grammaticality, whereas utterances with ''goo'' are least likely to remain grammatical without the reduplicated part.
Between ' and ', these effects are weakest in '. This means that while reduplication is mandatory for ' in declarative main clauses almost everywhere in the country, this is the case for fewer varieties of Swiss German with '. The reason for this is unknown, but it has been hypothesized that the fact that ''afaa'' has a separable prefix (''a''-) might weaken its doubling capacity. The presence of this separable prefix also makes the boundaries between the reduced infinitival reduplication form and the prefix hard if not impossible to determine. Thus, in the example above for ', an argument could be made that the prefix a- is left off, while the full reduplicated form is used:
In this case, the prefix would be omitted, which is normally not permissible for separable prefixes, and in its place, the reduplication form is used.
Meanwhile, ' is not reduplicated when used in a subordinate clause or in the past tense. In such instances, doubling would result in ungrammaticality:
Past tense example with :
The same is true for subordinate clauses and the verb ':
Subordinate clause examples with :
In order to achieve grammaticality in both instances, the reduced doubling part would have to be taken out.
and optionality of reduplication
While ' 'to start, to begin' is quite restricted when it comes to reduplication effects, the phenomenon is more permissive, but not mandatory in the verb 'to let'. While present tense declarative sentences are generally ungrammatical when ' remains unduplicated, this is not true for past tense
The past tense is a grammatical tense whose function is to place an action or situation in the past. Examples of verbs in the past tense include the English verbs ''sang'', ''went'' and ''washed''. Most languages have a past tense, with some ha ...
and subordinate clauses, where doubling effects are optional at best:
Past tense example with ':
Subordinate clause example with ':
In the use of this form, there are both geographical and age differences. Reduplication is found more often in the western part of Switzerland than in the eastern part, while younger generations are much more inclined to leave out reduplication, which means that the phenomenon is more widespread in older generations.
and : stronger reduplication
Ungrammaticality in reduplication of 'to start, to begin' in the past tense and in subordinate clauses as well as the somewhat more lenient use of reduplication with ' 'to let' stand in contrast to doubling effects of the motion verbs ' 'to go' and 'to come'. When the latter two verbs are used in other utterances other than a declarative main clause, where the finite verb traditionally is in second position, their use might not be mandatory; however, it is correct and grammatical to double them both in the past tense and in subordinate clauses:
Past tense example with and :
As outlined in both examples, the reduplicated form of both and can but does not have to be used in order for the past tense sentences to be grammatical. Notably, it is the reduced form of both verbs that is necessary, not the full participle form.
Subordinate clause examples for and :
In subordinate clauses, the reduplicated part is needed as the sentence would otherwise be ungrammatical in both ' and '.
The same is true for the past tense. Since there is only one past tense in Swiss German and since this is formed using an auxiliary verb – 'to be' or 'to have', depending on the main verb – reduplication seems to be affected and therefore, less strictly enforced for ' and ', while it is completely ungrammatical for and optional for respectively.
Questions
Questions behave a lot like their declarative counterparts, and reduplication is therefore mandatory for both motion verbs ' 'to go' and ' 'to come', while ' 'to let' and ' 'to start, to begin' show weaker doubling effects and more optionality. Furthermore, this is the case for both open and close (yes/no) questions. Consider the following examples:
in open and close questions:
Just like in declarative forms, could be reduced to ''a-'' and thus be considered the detachable prefix. In this case, ' would no longer be a reduplicated verb, and that is where the language development seems to move towards.
in open and close questions:
and especially , however, do not allow for their reduced doubling part to be left out in questions, irrespective of the fact whether they are open or close:
in open and close questions:
in open and close questions:
Imperative mood
In the imperative mood
The imperative mood is a grammatical mood that forms a command or request.
The imperative mood is used to demand or require that an action be performed. It is usually found only in the present tense, second person. To form the imperative mood, ...
, just like in questions, 'to go' and 'come' are very strict in their demand for doubling. The same is true for 'to let'; it is ungrammatical to use it in imperative mood undoubled. On the other hand, leaves a lot more room for the speaker to play with. Speakers accept both sentences with only the detachable prefix and no doubling, and sentences with the full doubled form.
Imperative mood:
Imperative mood:
Imperative mood:
Imperative mood:
Cross-doubling with and
In the case of the verb 'to come', there are situations when instead of it being reduplicated with its reduced form , the doubled short form of 'to go', , is used instead. This is possible in almost all instances of ', regardless of mood or tense. The examples below outline ' reduplicated with both its reduced form ' and the reduced form of ', ', in different sentence forms.
Declarative main clause, present tense
Declarative main clause past tense
Subordinate clause
Imperative mood
Multiple reduplication with and
With the motion verbs 'to go' and 'to come', where reduplication effects are strongest, there is some variation regarding their reduplicated or reduced forms. Thus, in some Swiss German dialects, ' will be doubled as , while will be doubled as . In some analyses, this is described as a multiple reduplication phenomenon in that the reduced infinitives or part is repeated as , providing the forms ' and '. However, these forms are used less frequently than their shorter counterparts and seem to be concentrated into a small geographic area of Switzerland.
Vocabulary
The vocabulary is varied, especially in rural areas: many specialized terms have been retained, e.g., regarding cattle or weather. In the cities, much of the rural vocabulary has been lost. A Swiss German greeting is , from (Standard German ' ), loosely meaning 'God bless you'.
Most word adoptions come from Standard German. Many of these are now so common that they have totally replaced the original Swiss German words, e.g. the words 'hill' (instead of '','' ), 'lip' (instead of ). Others have replaced the original words only in parts of Switzerland, e.g., 'butter' (originally called in most of Switzerland). Virtually any Swiss Standard German word can be borrowed into Swiss German, always adapted to Swiss German phonology. However, certain Standard German words are never used in Swiss German, for instance 'breakfast', 'cute' or 'at home'; instead, the native words , and are used.
Swiss dialects have quite a few words from French and Italian, which are perfectly assimilated. (ice cream) for example is pronounced in French but or in many Swiss German dialects. The French word for 'thank you', , is also used as in (, cf. Standard German's and ). Possibly, these words are not direct adoptions from French but survivors of the once more numerous French loanwords in Standard German
This is a list of German words and expressions of French origin. Some of them were borrowed in medieval times, some were introduced by Huguenot immigrants in the 17th and 18th centuries and others have been borrowed in the 19th and 20th centuries. ...
, many of which have fallen out of use in Germany.
In recent years, Swiss dialects have also taken some English words which already sound very Swiss, e.g., ('to eat', from 'food'), ('to play computer games', from ''game'') or or – ('to snowboard', from ''snowboard''). These words are probably not direct loanwords from English but have been adopted through standard German intermediation. While most of those loanwords are of recent origin, some have been in use for decades, e.g. ('to play football', from ''shoot'').
There are also a few English words which are modern adoptions from Swiss German. The dishes ''müesli
Muesli ( ) is a cold breakfast dish, the primary ingredient of which is rolled oats, which is set to soak overnight and eaten the next morning. Most often, additional ingredients such as grains, nuts, seeds, and fresh or dried fruits, are added ...
'', and ''rösti
Rösti or rööschti () is a Swiss dish consisting mainly of potatoes, sautéed or shallow-fried in a pan. It was originally a breakfast dish, commonly eaten by farmers in the canton of Bern, but is now eaten all over Switzerland and around th ...
'' have become English words, as did '' loess'' (fine grain), ''flysch
Flysch () is a sequence of sedimentary rock layers that progress from deep-water and turbidity flow deposits to shallow-water shales and sandstones. It is deposited when a deep basin forms rapidly on the continental side of a mountain building epi ...
'' (sandstone formation), ''kepi
The kepi ( ) is a cap with a flat circular top and a peak, or visor. In English, the term is a loanword of french: képi, itself a re-spelled version of the gsw, Käppi, a diminutive form of , meaning "cap". In Europe, this headgear is most ...
'', ''landammann
''Landammann'' (plural ''Landammänner''), is the German title used by the chief magistrate in certain Cantons of Switzerland and at times featured in the Head of state's style at the confederal level.
Old Swiss Confederacy
''Landammann'' or ''A ...
'', '' kilch'', ', and '' putsch'' in a political sense. The term ' is sometimes explained as originating from Swiss German, while printed etymological dictionaries (e.g. the German ''Kluge
Kluge (, ) is a German-derived surname. In German, capitalizing, and adding a final to, the adjective (meaning "clever"), creates a noun meaning "clever one". Although the adjective is a feminine form, the noun can be feminine, neuter or masc ...
'' or '' Knaurs Etymological Dictionary'') derive it from Low German instead.
Orthography
History
Written forms that were mostly based on the local Alemannic varieties, thus similar to Middle High German
Middle High German (MHG; german: Mittelhochdeutsch (Mhd.)) is the term for the form of German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High German and into Early New High German. Hig ...
, were only gradually replaced by the forms of New High German
New High German (NHG; german: Neuhochdeutsch (Nhd.)) is the term used for the most recent period in the history of the German language, starting in the 17th century. It is a loan translation of the German (). The most important characteristic o ...
. This replacement took from the 15th to 18th centuries to complete. In the 16th century, the Alemannic forms of writing were considered the original, truly Swiss forms, whereas the New High German forms were perceived as foreign innovations. The innovations were brought about by the printing press
A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in which the ...
and were also associated with Lutheranism
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...
. An example of the language shift is the Froschauer Bible
Christoph Froschauer (ca. 1490 – 1 April 1564) was the first printer in Zurich, notably for printing the Froschauer Bible, the Zwinglian Bible translation. His workshop is the nucleus of the Orell Füssli publishing house.
Froschauer was b ...
: Its first impressions after 1524 were largely written in an Alemannic language, but since 1527, the New High German forms were gradually adopted. The Alemannic forms were longest preserved in the chancelleries, with the chancellery of Bern being the last to adopt New High German in the second half of the 18th century.
Today all formal writing, newspapers, books and much informal writing is done in Swiss Standard German, which is usually called (written German). Certain dialectal words are accepted regionalisms in Swiss Standard German and are also sanctioned by the Duden
The Duden () is a dictionary of the Standard High German language, first published by Konrad Duden in 1880, and later by Bibliographisches Institut GmbH. The Duden is updated regularly with new editions appearing every four or five years. , ...
, e.g., (afternoon snack). Swiss Standard German is virtually identical to Standard German as used in Germany, with most differences in pronunciation, vocabulary, and orthography. For example, Swiss Standard German always uses a double s (''ss'') instead of the eszett (''ß'').
There are no official rules of Swiss German orthography. The orthographies used in the Swiss-German literature can be roughly divided into two systems: Those that try to stay as close to standard German spelling as possible and those that try to represent the sounds as well as possible. The so-called was developed by Eugen Dieth
Eugen Dieth (18 November 1893, in Neukirch an der Thur – 24 May 1956, in Zollikon) was a Swiss linguist, phonetician and dialectologist. He is well known for his work in English and German phonetics, and for co-initiating the Survey of English D ...
, but knowledge of these guidelines is limited mostly to language experts. Furthermore, the spellings originally proposed by Dieth included some special signs not found on a normal keyboard
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Musi ...
, such as instead of for or instead of for . In 1986, a revised version of the ''Dieth-Schreibung'' was published, designed to be typed with a regular typewriter.
Conventions
A few letters are used differently from the Standard German rules:
* (and ) are used for the affricate .
* is used for the unaspirated
In linguistics, a tenuis consonant ( or ) is an obstruent that is voiceless, unaspirated and unglottalized.
In other words, it has the "plain" phonation of with a voice onset time close to zero (a zero-VOT consonant), as Spanish ''p, t, ...
fortis .
* (and sometimes ) traditionally stands for the (in many dialects shortened to , but still with closed quality) that corresponds to Standard German , e.g. in 'rice' (standard German ) vs. 'giant' (standard German ). This usage goes back to an old ij-ligature. Many writers, however, do not use , but /, especially in the dialects that have lost distinction between these sounds, compare Zürich German
Zürich German (German: ''Zürichdeutsch'', natively ''Züritüütsch'' ) is the High Alemannic dialect spoken in the Canton of Zürich, Switzerland.
Its area covers most of the canton, with the exception of the parts north of the Thur and th ...
'rice' or 'giant' to Bernese German
Bernese German (Standard German: ''Berndeutsch'', gsw, Bärndütsch) is the dialect of High Alemannic German spoken in the Swiss plateau (Mittelland) part of the canton of Bern and in some neighbouring regions. A form of Bernese German is spoke ...
'rice' vs. ('giant'). Some use even , influenced by Standard German spelling, which leads to confusion with for .
* represents , slightly different from Standard German as .
* usually represents , and can also represent or .
* represents , represents , and represents .
*Since is written as , is written as , though in eastern Switzerland is often used for both of these phonemes.
Literature
Since the 19th century, a considerable body of Swiss German literature has accumulated. The earliest works were in Lucerne German (Jost Bernhard Häfliger, Josef Felix Ineichen), in Bernese German
Bernese German (Standard German: ''Berndeutsch'', gsw, Bärndütsch) is the dialect of High Alemannic German spoken in the Swiss plateau (Mittelland) part of the canton of Bern and in some neighbouring regions. A form of Bernese German is spoke ...
(Gottlieb Jakob Kuhn), in Glarus German (Cosimus Freuler) and in Zürich German
Zürich German (German: ''Zürichdeutsch'', natively ''Züritüütsch'' ) is the High Alemannic dialect spoken in the Canton of Zürich, Switzerland.
Its area covers most of the canton, with the exception of the parts north of the Thur and th ...
(Johann Martin Usteri, Jakob Stutz); the works of Jeremias Gotthelf
Albert Bitzius (4 October 179722 October 1854) was a Swiss novelist; best known by his pen name of Jeremias Gotthelf.
Biography
Bitzius was born at Murten, where his father was pastor. The Bitzius family had once belonged to the Bernese patrici ...
which were published at the same time are in Swiss Standard German, but use many expressions of Bernese German. Some of the more important dialect writing authors and their works are:
*Anna Maria Bacher (born 1947), (South Walser German of Formazza/Pomatt)
* Albert Bächtold (1891–1981), (Schaffhausen dialect of Klettgau)
*Ernst Burren (born 1944), (Solothurn dialect)
* August Corrodi (1826–1885), (Zurich dialect)
*Barbara Egli (1918–2005), (Zurich Oberland dialect)
*Fritz Enderlin (1883–1971), '','' translated from C. F. Ramuz's French poem "" (Upper Thurgovian dialect)
*Martin Frank (born 1950), (Bernese dialect with Zurich interferences)
*Simon Gfeller
Simon may refer to:
People
* Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon
* Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon
* Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genu ...
(1868–1943), (Bernese dialect of Emmental)
*Georg Fient (1845–1915), (Graubünden Walser dialect of Prättigau)
*Paul Haller (1882–1920), (Western Aargau dialect)
*Frida Hilty-Gröbli (1893–1957), (St Gall dialect)
*Josef Hug (1903–1985), (Graubünden Rhine Valley dialect)
* Guy Krneta (born 1964), (collection of short stories), (prose), (Bernese dialect)
*Michael Kuoni (1838–1891), (Graubünden Walser dialect of Prättigau)
*Maria Lauber (1891–1973), (Bernese Oberland dialect)
*Pedro Lenz (born 1965), (Bernese Dialect)
*Meinrad Lienert (1865–1933), (Schwyz dialect of Einsiedeln)
*Carl Albert Loosli Carl may refer to:
*Carl, Georgia, city in USA
*Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
* Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name
*Carl², a TV series
* "Carl", an episode of te ...
(1877–1959), (Bernese dialect of Emmental)
* Kurt Marti (born 1921), (Bernese dialect)
*Werner Marti (1920–2013), (Bernese dialect)
*Mani Matter
Mani Matter (4 August 1936 in Herzogenbuchsee – 24 November 1972 in Kilchberg, Zurich, officially Hans-Peter Matter) was a popular Swiss singer-songwriter.
Biography
Mani Matter was born on 4 August 1936 in Herzogenbuchsee, Canton of Ber ...
(1936–1972), songwriter (Bernese dialect)
*Traugott Meyer (1895–1959), (Basel-Landschaft dialect)
*Gall Morel
Gall Morel, O.S.B., was a poet, scholar, aesthete, and educationist, born at St. Gallen, Switzerland, on 24 March 1803; died at the Abbey of Einsiedeln on 16 December 1872. His baptismal name was Benedict, but in the monastery he took the name of ...
(1803–1872), (Schwyz German of Iberg)
*Viktor Schobinger (born 1934), and a lot of other ''Züri Krimi'' (Zurich dialect)
*Caspar Streiff (1853–1917), (Glarus dialect)
*Jakob Stutz
Jakob Stutz (1801–1877) was a Swiss writer.
Selected works
* ''Gemälde aus dem Volksleben, nach der Natur aufgenommen und getreu dargestellt in gereimten Gesprächen Zürcherischer Mundart''. Sechs Bände. Schulthess, Zürich 1831–53
* '' ...
(1801–1877), (Zurich Oberland dialect)
*Rudolf von Tavel Rudolf von Tavel
Otto Friedrich Rudolf von Tavel (21 December 1866 – 18 October 1934 in Bern) was a Swiss journalist and writer. Many of his novels were written in Bernese rather than Standard German, and he is one of the best-known authors ...
(1866–1934), (Bernese dialect)
*Alfred Tobler (1845–1923), (Appenzell dialect)
* Johann Martin Usteri (1763–1827), (Zurich German)
*Hans Valär (1871–1947), (Graubünden Walser dialect of Davos)
*Bernhard Wyss (1833–1889), (Solothurn dialect)
Parts of the Bible were translated in different Swiss German dialects, e.g.:
* (Bernese New Testament, translated by Hans and Ruth Bietenhard, 1989)
* (parts of the Old Testament in Bernese dialect, translated by Hans and Ruth Bietenhard, 1990)
* (Psalms in Bernese dialect, translated by Hans, Ruth and Benedikt Bietenhard, 1994)
* (Zurich German New Testament, translated by Emil Weber, 1997)
* (Psalms in Zurich German, translated by Josua Boesch, 1990)
* (parts of the Old and the New Testament in Basel dialect, 1981)
* (Gospel of Mark in Lucerne dialect, translated by Walter Haas, 1988)
* (Gospel of Mark in the Obwalden dialect, translated by Karl Imfeld, 1979)
See also
* Argentinien-schwyzertütsch dialect
*Swiss French
Swiss French (french: français de Suisse or ') is the variety of French spoken in the French-speaking area of Switzerland known as Romandy. French is one of the four official languages of Switzerland, the others being German, Italian, and ...
*Swiss Italian
The Italian language in Switzerland or Swiss Italian ( it, italiano svizzero) is the variety of the Italian language taught in the Italian-speaking area of Switzerland. Italian is spoken natively by about 700,000 people in the canton of Ticino ...
* Swiss Standard German
*Linguistic geography of Switzerland
The four national languages of Switzerland are German, French, Italian, and Romansh. German, French, and Italian maintain equal status as official languages at the national level within the Federal Administration of the Swiss Confederation, ...
Notes
References
Bibliography
* Albert Bachmann (ed.), ''Beiträge zur schweizerdeutschen Grammatik'' (BSG), 20 vols., Frauenfeld: Huber, 1919–1941.
*
* Rudolf Hotzenköcherle (ed.), ''Beiträge zur schweizerdeutschen Mundartforschung'' (BSM), 24 vols., Frauenfeld: Huber, 1949–1982.
* Rudolf Hotzenköcherle, Robert Schläpfer, Rudolf Trüb (ed.), '' Sprachatlas der deutschen Schweiz.'' Bern/Tübingen: Francke, 1962–1997, vol. 1–8. – Helen Christen, Elvira Glaser, Matthias Friedli (ed.), ''Kleiner Sprachatlas der deutschen Schweiz.'' Frauenfeld: Huber, 2010 (and later editions),
* Verein für das Schweizerdeutsche Wörterbuch (ed.), ''Schweizerisches Idiotikon
''Schweizerisches Idiotikon'' ("the Swiss idioticon", also known as ''Wörterbuch der schweizerdeutschen Sprache'' "Dictionary of the Swiss German language") is an ongoing, major project of lexicography of the Swiss German dialects. Publication beg ...
: Wörterbuch der schweizerdeutschen Sprache''. Frauenfeld: Huber; Basel: Schwabe, 17 vols. (16 complete), 1881–,
External links
Chochichästli-Orakel
– choose the Swiss German words you would normally use and see how well this matches the dialect of your area.
Dialekt.ch
a site with sound samples from different dialects.
Schweizerisches Idiotikon
The homepage of the Swiss national dictionary.
{{Authority control
Swiss German language, *
Alemannic German language
Upper German languages
German dialects
Languages of Switzerland
Diglossia