Swiss German (Schwyzerdütsch)

Swiss German is spoken by about 4.5 million people mainly in Switzerland, and also in Piedmont and Aosta Valley in northern Italy, and in Liechtenstein and in the Vorarlberg region of Austria. Swiss German belongs to the Alemannic subgroup of West Germanic languages.

Swiss German is used in speech in most formal and informal contexts in German-speaking parts of Switzerland. There is significant regional variation, and Swiss German differs markedly from varieties of German spoken in Germany and Austria. The main written language used in German-speaking parts of Switzerland is Standard German (Hochdeutsch) or Deutsche Schriftsprache (written German), but Swiss German is used to some extent in novels, newspapers, personal letters and diaries.

Swiss German pronunciation

Notes

e = [ə] only in unstressed syllables.
uu = [ʉː] in Basel and in Markgräflerland dialects.
y = [y/ʏ] in Greek loanwords.
ph = [pʰ], th = [tʰ], gh = [kʰ] in borrowings from Standard German. [kʰ] is present in Basel and Chur dialects in native words.
l = [w] in Bern dialects as syllable coda.
ll = [wː] in Bern dialect.

Details of Swiss German pronunciation provided by Michael Peter Füstumum

Sample text in Swiss German (Lucerne dialect)

Alli Mönshe send frey ond geboore met gliicher Wörd ond gliiche Rächt. Si send xägnet met Vernonft ond Gwösse ond sölled enand e brüederlechem Gäisht begägne.

Hear a recording of this text by Euki Ziehbrunner

Sample text in Swiss German (another version in the Lucerne dialect)

Ali Mönsche send frey ond gebore met de glicher Wörde ond de gliche Rächt. Si send xsägnet met Vernonft ond Gwösse ond söllid enand met eme brüederleche Gäischt begägne.

Translation

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

Sample videos in Swiss German

Information about Swiss German | Phrases | Numbers | Tower of Babel | Books about Swiss German on: Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk [affilate links]

Links

Information about Swiss German
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_German
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schweizerdeutsch
http://www.nthuleen.com/papers/130paper2.html
http://www.dialekt.ch
http://www.nthuleen.com/papers/130paper2.html
https://swiss-german.com/

Schweizerische Idiotikon - Schweizerdeutsches Wörterbuch
http://www.idiotikon.ch

Das Chochichästli-Orakel
http://dialects.from.ch

One Poem in 29 Swiss dialects (and English)
http://www.forums9.ch/sprachen/Rosetta.htm

Phrases in Swiss German
http://www.eldrid.ch/swgerman.htm
http://wikitravel.org/en/Swiss-German_phrasebook
http://www.todaytourism.com/travel-guides/Basics-in-Swiss-German-phrasebook.html

Learn Swiss German Online / Schweizerdeutsch lernen online

Germanic languages

Afrikaans, Alsatian, Bavarian, Cimbrian, Danish, Dutch, Elfdalian, English, Faroese, Flemish, Frisian (East), Frisian (North), Frisian (Saterland), Frisian (West), German, Gothic, Gottscheerish, Gronings, Hunsrik, Icelandic, Limburgish, Low German, Luxembourgish, Mòcheno, Norn, Norwegian, Old English, Old Norse, Pennsylvania German, Ripuarian, Scots, Shetland(ic), Stellingwarfs, Swabian, Swedish, Swiss German, Transylvanian Saxon, Värmlandic, Wymysorys, Yiddish, Yola, Zeelandic

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page last modified: 23.04.21

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