If two of the same vowel occur simultaneously, the result is a longer and more drawn out sound. If two vowels are right next to each other, they will be treated as if they were individual and distinct sounds, with emphasis placed on the first one. As such, the word kalt (cold) becomes chalt, and the word koch (cook) becomes choch.Īnother characteristic of Swiss-German is that it doesn’t have diphthongs (double vowel sounds). One particularly characteristic example is the “ch” sound, which is pronounced in a markedly more guttural way in Swiss German, and tends to be used where a "k" sound would be produced in Standard German. The main difference between Swiss and Standard German is pronunciation. Typically, Swiss students learn Swiss Standard German while in school. Swiss Standard German is a written language, used in official documents and by German-speaking Swiss authors, and is almost identical to written Standard German. Switzerland also has Swiss Standard German-referred to as High German or Hochdeutsch by the Swiss-which is a variant of Standard German. Furthermore, these dialects can also vary from district to district, such that someone on one side of a major city might not understand someone from another. Dialects of DialectsĮach canton has its own distinct dialect, as we mentioned above, and some are so distinct that people from Germany can not understand them. The differences are significant enough that people from Germany need subtitles to understand Swiss German television. Swiss German is distinguished from Standard German by what are referred to as Helvetisms: specific vocabulary, pronunciation, and syntax that are unique to Switzerland. This is because Swiss German is not a language, but rather a term used to collectively refer to the various languages spoken in German-speaking parts of Switzerland. Common vs OfficialĮven though Standard German is one of Switzerland’s four official languages, Swiss German itself can not be declared an official language. The distinction between a language and dialect is relatively tenebrous, so just for fun, here are nine ways that Swiss and Standard German differ. For this reason, Standard German ( Schriftdeutsch) is used as a common tongue in formal settings and official documents. These dialects are collectively referred to as Swiss German ( Schweizerdeutsch), and they vary so significantly that a person from Zürich might not understand a person from Bern. Switzerland is peppered with multiple flavors of German: Each canton (essentially a "region") of the country has its own dialect and unique manner of speaking.
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