SWISS DIALECTS
One of the most frequently asked question when someone learns that you are Swiss is “What language do you speak in Switzerland”. It truly is a simple question, but the answer isn’t. Switzerland has four official national languages -German, French, Italian & Romansh. What is fascinating however is that two of the “official” languages are reluctantly spoken in everyday life. Swiss-Germans will speak their local dialects commonly called “Schwiitzerdütsch” and in the Grisons, while Grishun is the official language, the average person probably will speak Swiss-German and one of the five local dialects. By the way, Swiss-German is the most spoken language in Switzerland, followed by French, then Italian in 3rd, and a small percentage of people who speak Romansh. The next questions which automatically follow are “Is Swiss-German like German?” and “What’s a dialect?”. The answer to the first question is simple, “Yes & No”. Depending on the Swiss dialect spoken, some Germans can understand it quite well others won’t understand a word. The second question needs some clarification.
According to some linguists, to be called a language a dialect must have both spoken and written aspects. Using this criterion, Bärndütsch spoken in Bern, would qualify. Click here for a look at an excerpt taken from one of Rudolf von Tavel’s novels. Other linguists point out that since most of the world’s languages don’t have written forms, it’s a moot argument. One thing Swiss agree on is that there is an invisible “Rösti” ditch separating the Swiss-German & the French-speaking parts of Switzerland. It’s a linguistic as well as a cultural border which is reflected in regional humor. Swiss like to poke good natured fun at each other be it cultural differences or linguistic ones. Bernese are often the targets of the friendly banter, especially their dialect. Here’s a take on “Bärndütsch” as viewed by French speakers.
Minority languages & dialects are dying throughout the world. Switzerland has kept many of its dialects, nevertheless some are disappearing. The patois (dialect) spoken in Geneva, for example, is at risk as pointed out in an article which appeared in the Tribune de Genève a few years ago. On the positive side, in the Valais a small village is doing all it can to keep its language alive. Take a look.
In closing we need to stress that “Schwiitzerdütsch” is a generic term encompassing many dialects. To listen to the differences and test your knowledge, click on the additional links shown below.
Bärndütsch Baseldütsch Romansh Ticinese
Checkout the videos & web sites by clicking on the various highlighted links above
One of the most frequently asked question when someone learns that you are Swiss is “What language do you speak in Switzerland”. It truly is a simple question, but the answer isn’t. Switzerland has four official national languages -German, French, Italian & Romansh. What is fascinating however is that two of the “official” languages are reluctantly spoken in everyday life. Swiss-Germans will speak their local dialects commonly called “Schwiitzerdütsch” and in the Grisons, while Grishun is the official language, the average person probably will speak Swiss-German and one of the five local dialects. By the way, Swiss-German is the most spoken language in Switzerland, followed by French, then Italian in 3rd, and a small percentage of people who speak Romansh. The next questions which automatically follow are “Is Swiss-German like German?” and “What’s a dialect?”. The answer to the first question is simple, “Yes & No”. Depending on the Swiss dialect spoken, some Germans can understand it quite well others won’t understand a word. The second question needs some clarification.
According to some linguists, to be called a language a dialect must have both spoken and written aspects. Using this criterion, Bärndütsch spoken in Bern, would qualify. Click here for a look at an excerpt taken from one of Rudolf von Tavel’s novels. Other linguists point out that since most of the world’s languages don’t have written forms, it’s a moot argument. One thing Swiss agree on is that there is an invisible “Rösti” ditch separating the Swiss-German & the French-speaking parts of Switzerland. It’s a linguistic as well as a cultural border which is reflected in regional humor. Swiss like to poke good natured fun at each other be it cultural differences or linguistic ones. Bernese are often the targets of the friendly banter, especially their dialect. Here’s a take on “Bärndütsch” as viewed by French speakers.
Minority languages & dialects are dying throughout the world. Switzerland has kept many of its dialects, nevertheless some are disappearing. The patois (dialect) spoken in Geneva, for example, is at risk as pointed out in an article which appeared in the Tribune de Genève a few years ago. On the positive side, in the Valais a small village is doing all it can to keep its language alive. Take a look.
In closing we need to stress that “Schwiitzerdütsch” is a generic term encompassing many dialects. To listen to the differences and test your knowledge, click on the additional links shown below.
Bärndütsch Baseldütsch Romansh Ticinese
Checkout the videos & web sites by clicking on the various highlighted links above
