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43-542: Zurich German was traditionally divided into six sub-dialects, now increasingly homogenised owing to larger commuting distances : Akin to all Swiss German dialects, it is essentially a spoken language , whereas the written language is standard German . Likewise, there is no official orthography of the Zurich dialect. When it is written, it rarely follows the guidelines published by Eugen Dieth in his book Schwyzertütschi Dialäktschrift . Furthermore, Dieth's spelling uses

86-407: A dialect continuum and are clearly dialects. Some linguists and organisations that differentiate between languages and dialects primarily on the grounds of mutual intelligibility , such as SIL International and UNESCO , describe Alemannic as one of several independent languages. While ISO 639-2 does not distinguish between dialects, ISO 639-3 distinguishes four of them: Standard German

129-476: A dialect continuum from the Highest Alemannic spoken in the mountainous south to Swabian in the relatively flat north and more of the characteristics of Standard German the farther north one goes. In Germany and other European countries, the abstand and ausbau language framework is used to decide what is a language and what is a dialect. According to this framework, Alemannic varieties of German form

172-582: 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 afaa , an argument could be made that the prefix a- is left off, while the full reduplicated form is used: Mier We fanged start- 1PL jetzt now afa start ässe eat- INF Mier fanged jetzt afa ässe We start-1PL now start eat-INF We're starting to eat now. / We start eating now. In this case,

215-524: A Swiss German speaker, when shown on television in Germany, will require subtitles. Although Swiss German is the native language in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, Swiss school students are taught Swiss Standard German from the age of six. They are thus capable of understanding, writing and speaking Standard German, with varying abilities. Unlike most regional languages in modern Europe, Swiss German

258-1139: A distinction is made between the German-speaking people living in Valais, the Walliser , and those who have migrated, the Walsers . The latter can mainly be found in Grisons and Ticino in Switzerland, Vorarlberg in Austria, south of the Monte Rosa mountain chain in Italy (e.g. in Issime in Valle d'Aosta ), South Tyrol in northern Italy, and the Allgäu in Bavaria). Generally, the Walser communities were situated on higher alpine regions, so were able to stay independent of

301-431: A distinction of quantity. Aspirated [pʰ, tʰ, kʰ] have secondarily developed by combinations of prefixes with word-initial /h/ or by borrowings from other languages (mainly Standard German): /ˈphaltə/ 'keep' (standard German behalten [bəˈhaltn̩] ); /ˈtheː/ 'tea' (standard German Tee [ˈtʰeː] ); /ˈkhalt/ 'salary' (standard German Gehalt [ɡəˈhalt] ). In the dialects of Basel and Chur, aspirated /kʰ/

344-502: A few cantonal and municipal ones), in the main news broadcast or in the presence of non- Alemannic speakers. This situation has been called a "medial diglossia ", since the spoken language is mainly Swiss German, whereas the written language is mainly (the Swiss variety of) Standard German . In 2014, about 87% of the people living in the German-speaking portion of Switzerland were using Swiss German in their everyday lives. Swiss German

387-421: A lot of diacritical marks not found on a normal keyboard . Young people often use Swiss German for personal messages, such as when texting with their mobile phones . As they do not have a standard way of writing they tend to blend Standard German spelling with Swiss German phrasing. The Zurich dialect is generally perceived as fast spoken and less melodic than, for example, Bernese German . Characteristic of

430-611: A precise phonological notation, and proximity to the familiar Standard German orthography (in particular for loanwords). Johann Peter Hebel published his Allemannische Gedichte in 1803. Swiss authors often consciously employ Helvetisms within Standard German, notably Jeremias Gotthelf in his novels set in the Emmental , Friedrich Glauser in his crime stories , and more recently Tim Krohn in his Quatemberkinder . The poet Ida Ospelt-Amann wrote and published exclusively in

473-524: A resolution of individual villages. Speaking the dialect is an important part of regional, cantonal and national identities. In the more urban areas of the Swiss plateau , 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. Most Swiss German dialects have completed

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516-701: Is a music genre using the language; many Swiss rock bands, however, sing in English instead. The Swiss Amish of Adams County, Indiana , and their daughter settlements also use a form of Swiss German. Swiss German is a regional or political umbrella term , 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

559-559: Is almost fully seamless, despite some differences in vocabulary. Low Alemannic is only spoken in the northernmost parts of Switzerland, in Basel and around Lake Constance . High Alemannic is spoken in most of the Swiss Plateau , and is divided into an eastern and a western group. Highest Alemannic is spoken in the Alps . One can separate each dialect into numerous local subdialects, sometimes down to

602-529: Is also present in native words, corresponding to the affricate /kx/ of the other dialects, which does not occur in Basel or Chur. Swiss German keeps the fortis–lenis opposition at the end of words. There can be minimal pairs such as graad [ɡ̊raːd̥] 'straight' and Graat [ɡ̊raːt] ' arête ' or bis [b̥ɪz̥] 'be ( imp. )' and Biss [b̥ɪs] 'bite'. That distinguishes Swiss German and Swiss Standard German from German Standard German , which neutralizes

645-639: Is any of the Alemannic dialects spoken in the German-speaking part of Switzerland , and in some Alpine 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 and Austrian Vorarlberg , which are closely associated to Switzerland's. Linguistically, Alemannic

688-425: Is as consistent as Icelandic in that respect. The grammar of Swiss dialects has some idiosyncratic features in comparison to Standard German: 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 of another verb. The reduced and reduplicated part of the verb in question is normally put in front of

731-458: Is being reintroduced because of the influence of other Swiss German dialects. Like Bavarian dialects, Swiss German dialects have preserved the opening diphthongs of Middle High German : /iə̯, uə̯, yə̯/ : in /liə̯b̥/ 'lovely' (standard German lieb but pronounced /liːp/ ); /huə̯t/ 'hat' (standard German Hut /huːt/ ); /xyə̯l/ 'cool' (Standard German kühl /kyːl/ ). Some diphthongs have become unrounded in several dialects. In

774-488: 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 , 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

817-474: Is intelligible to speakers of other Alemannic dialects, but largely unintelligible to speakers of Standard German who lack adequate prior exposure. This is also a challenge for French- or Italian-speaking Swiss who learn Standard German at school. In the rare cases that Swiss German is heard on TV in Germany and Austria, the speaker is most likely to be dubbed or subtitled. More commonly, a Swiss speaker will speak Standard German on non-Swiss media. "Dialect rock"

860-520: Is less prominent, in spite of the Codex Manesse compiled by Johannes Hadlaub of Zürich . The rise of the Old Swiss Confederacy from the fourteenth century led to the creation of Alemannic Swiss chronicles . Huldrych Zwingli 's Bible translation of the 1520s (the 1531 Froschauer Bible ) was in an Alemannic variant of Early Modern High German . From the seventeenth century, written Alemannic

903-471: Is more often on the first syllable than in Standard German, even in French loans like [ˈmɛrsːi] or [ˈmersːi] '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: [ˈkaz̥inɔ] 'casino' while Standard German has [kʰaˈziːno] . However, no Swiss German dialect

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946-538: Is the everyday spoken language for the majority of the population, in all social strata, from urban centers to the countryside. Using Swiss German conveys neither social nor educational inferiority and is done with pride. There are a few settings where speaking Standard German is demanded or polite, e.g., in education (but not during breaks in school lessons, where the teachers will speak with students in Swiss German), in multilingual parliaments (the federal parliaments and

989-563: Is used in writing and in Germany orally in formal contexts throughout the Alemannic-speaking regions (with the exception of Alsace , where French or the Alsatian dialect of Alemannic is used instead). Alemannic in the broad sense comprises the following variants: The Alemannic dialects of Switzerland are often called Swiss German or Schwiizerdütsch . The oldest known texts in Alemannic are brief Elder Futhark inscriptions dating to

1032-531: The High German consonant shift . Unlike Standard German , which has only shifted t to [t͡s] or [s] and p to [p͡f] or [f] , they have also shifted k to [k͡x] or [x] . The dialects of Chur and Basel are exceptions to this. Basel German is a Low Alemannic dialect (mostly spoken in Germany near the Swiss border), and Chur German is basically High Alemannic without initial [x] or [k͡x] . Examples: The High German consonant shift occurred between

1075-712: The syllable coda and intervocalic /lː/ are pronounced as a [w] or [wː] respectively. A labiodental approximant [ʋ] is used instead of the Northern Standard German fricative [v] as the reflex of Middle High German /w/ . In Walser German, the fricative is used instead. 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

1118-514: The 4th and 9th centuries south of the Benrath line , separating High German from Low German (where high refers to areas of greater altitude). It combines Upper German and Central German varieties - also referring to their geographical locations. The Walser migration, which took place in the 12th and 13th centuries, spread varieties from upper Valais to the east and south, into Grisons and to modern western Austria and northern Italy. Informally,

1161-453: The Alemannic n - apocope , which has led to the loss of final -n in words such as Garte 'garden' (standard German Garten ) or mache 'to make' (standard German machen ). In some Highest Alemannic dialects, the n -apocope has also been effective in consonant clusters, for instance in Hore 'horn' (High Alemannic Horn ) or däiche 'to think' (High Alemannic dänke ). Only

1204-692: The Highest Alemannic dialects of the Lötschental and of the Haslital have preserved the - n . The phoneme /r/ is pronounced as an alveolar trill [r] in many dialects, but some dialects, especially in the Northeast or in the Basel region, have a uvular trill [ʀ] , and other allophones resulting in fricatives and an approximant as [ ʁ ʁ̥ ʁ̞ ] like in many German varieties of Germany. In many varieties of Bernese German and adjacent dialects, an /l/ at

1247-459: The IPA diacritic for voicelessness as /b̥ d̥ ɡ̊ v̥ z̥ ɣ̊ ʒ̊/ . Swiss German /p, t, k/ are not aspirated. Nonetheless, there is an opposition of consonant pairs such as [t] and [d] or [p] and [b] . Traditionally, it has been described as a distinction of fortis and lenis in the original sense, that is, distinguished by articulatory strength or tenseness . Alternatively, it has been claimed to be

1290-675: The Sun . It is a recording of a 67-year old male from the town of Meilen , about 15 kilometers from the city of Zurich. /əˈmɒːl hænd̥ d̥ə ˈb̥iːz̥ˌʋind̥ und̥ d̥ ˈz̥unə ˈkʃtritə | ʋɛːr v̥o ˈb̥æid̥nə d̥ɒz̥ æxt d̥ə ˈʃtɛrɣ̊ər z̥eiɡ̊/ [əˈmɒːl hæn‿tə ˈb̥iːz̥ˌʋind̥ un‿ˈtsunə ˈkʃtritə | ʋɛːr v̥o ˈb̥æiʔnə d̥ɒz̥ æx‿tə ˈʃtɛrɣ̊ər z̥eiɡ̊] Emaal händ de Biiswind und d Sune gschtritte, wèèr vo bäidne das ächt de schtèrcher seig. Swiss German Swiss German ( Standard German : Schweizerdeutsch , Alemannic German : Schwiizerdütsch, Schwyzerdütsch, Schwiizertüütsch, Schwizertitsch Mundart , and others)

1333-878: The Zürich dialect, short pronunciations of / i y u / are realized as [ ɪ ʏ ʊ ]. Sounds like the monophthong [ɒ] can frequently become unrounded to [ɑ] among many speakers of the Zürich dialect. Vowels such as a centralized [ a ] and an open-mid [ ɔ ] only occur in the Bernese dialect. Like in Low German , most Swiss German dialects have preserved the old West-Germanic monophthongs /iː, uː, yː/ : /pfiːl/ 'arrow' (Standard German Pfeil /pfaɪ̯l/ ); /b̥uːx/ 'belly' (Standard German Bauch /baʊ̯x/ ); /z̥yːlə/ 'pillar' (Standard German Säule /zɔʏ̯lə/ ). A few Alpine dialects show diphthongization, like in Standard German, especially some dialects of Unterwalden and Schanfigg (Graubünden) and

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1376-450: The city dialect is that it most easily adopts external influences. The second-generation Italian immigrants ( secondi ) have had a crucial influence, as has the English language through the media. The wave of Turkish and ex-Yugoslavian immigration of the 1990s is also leaving its imprint on the dialect of the city. The sample text is a reading of the first sentence of The North Wind and

1419-860: The dialect of Issime (Piedmont). Some Western Swiss German dialects like Bernese German have preserved the old diphthongs /ei̯, ou̯/ , but the other dialects have /ai̯, au̯/ like Standard German or /æi̯, æu̯/ . Zürich German , and some other dialects distinguish primary diphthongs from secondary ones that arose in hiatus : Zürich German /ai̯, au̯/ from Middle High German /ei̯, ou̯/ versus Zürich German /ei̯, ou̯/ from Middle High German /iː, uː/ ; Zürich German /bai̯, frau̯/ 'leg, woman' from Middle High German bein , vrouwe versus Zürich German /frei̯, bou̯/ 'free, building' from Middle High German frī , būw . In many Swiss German dialects, consonant length and vowel length are independent from each other, unlike other modern Germanic languages. Here are examples from Bernese German: Lexical stress

1462-487: The fortis–lenis opposition at the ends of words. The phenomenon is usually called final-obstruent devoicing even though, in the case of German, phonetic voice may not be involved. Unlike Standard German, Swiss German /x/ does not have the allophone [ç] but is typically [x] , with allophones [ʁ̥ – χ] . The typical Swiss shibboleth features this sound: Chuchichäschtli ('kitchen cupboard'), pronounced [ˈχuχːiˌχæʃtli] . Most Swiss German dialects have gone through

1505-399: The infinitive of the second verb. This is the case for the motion verbs gaa 'to go' and choo 'to come' when used in the meaning of 'go (to) do something', 'come (to) do something', as well as the verbs laa 'to let' and in certain dialects afaa 'to start, to begin' when used in the meaning of 'let do something', or 'start doing something'. Most affected by this phenomenon is

1548-557: The prefix would be omitted, which is normally not permissible for separable prefixes, and in its place, the reduplication form is used. Alemannic German Alemannic , or rarely Alemannish ( Alemannisch , [alɛˈman(ː)ɪʃ] ), is a group of High German dialects . The name derives from the ancient Germanic tribal confederation known as the Alemanni ("all men"). Alemannic dialects are spoken by approximately ten million people in several countries: Alemannic comprises

1591-414: The reduplicated part. Between laa and afaa , these effects are weakest in afaa . This means that while reduplication is mandatory for laa in declarative main clauses almost everywhere in the country, this is the case for fewer varieties of Swiss German with afaa . The reason for this is unknown, but it has been hypothesized that the fact that afaa has a separable prefix (

1634-532: The ruling forces of those days, who did not or were not able to oversee them all the time in these hostile environments. Hence the Walsers were pioneers of the liberation from serfdom and feudalism . In addition, Walser villages are easily distinguishable from Grisonian ones, as Walser houses are made of wood rather than stone. Like most other Southern German dialects, Swiss German dialects have no voiced obstruents . The voiceless lenis obstruents are often marked with

1677-448: The same, where such doubling effects are not found as outlined in the examples. Reduplication effects are weaker in the verbs laa 'to let' and afaa 'to start, to begin' than they are in gaa 'to go' and choo 'to come'. This means that afaa 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

1720-621: The sixth century ( Bülach fibula , Pforzen buckle , Nordendorf fibula ). In the Old High German period, the first coherent texts are recorded in the St. Gall Abbey , among them the eighth-century Paternoster : Due to the importance of the Carolingian abbeys of St. Gall and Reichenau Island , a considerable part of the Old High German corpus has Alemannic traits. Alemannic Middle High German

1763-423: The use of the Alemannic dialects in other countries is restricted or even endangered. The dialects that comprise 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 speakers of Standard German, while many people in Germany – especially in the north – do not understand Swiss German. An interview with

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1806-430: The verb gaa , followed by choo . Both laa and afaa are less affected and only when used in present tense 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

1849-542: Was displaced by Standard German , which emerged from sixteenth century Early Modern High German, in particular in the wake of Martin Luther 's Bible translation of the 1520s. The 1665 revision of the Froschauer Bible removed the Alemannic elements, approaching the language used by Luther. For this reason, no binding orthographical standard for writing modern Alemannic emerged, and orthographies in use usually compromise between

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