Do you know six countries have German as their official language. One such place is Switzerland. However, an interesting fact about the German in this nation is that it differs a lot from the standard German. Hence, in this blog, explore the Swiss German vs German to know which one you should opt for.
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The upper German or Alemannic dialects that are spoken in Switzerland and some of the communities bordering Italy are collectively known as Swiss German. Moreover, there are three different kinds of levels including, low, high, and highest Alemannic. Swiss German is used in everyday life and is fully understood by standard German speakers.
The German language, which is standardized and is used more in formal context is what is called the standard or high German. It is also popularly known as Hochdeutsch. This formal language is used for communication between areas that have different dialects. In addition to that, standard German is also taught in schools and universities along with media coverage, literature, and administration.
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If you are also wondering is Swiss German different from German, then the next segment will offer all the answers to you. The two languages might seem related, but there are still some factors that place them apart from each other. Let’s take a look at some of these elements in detail that will satisfy your curiosity on Swiss German vs German language.
The German is a standard language which is used for official work as well. But, if you compare the two, you will realize that Swiss German comprises many different types of local languages. These do not follow any standard or proper writing regulations. The Swiss differ in their Helvetisms, i.e., pronunciation, syntax, and vocabulary.
While discussing the differences between Swiss German vs German, the dialects play an important role. Germans have different variations of the standard language. However, the Swiss dialects are far more in number as compared with its counterpart German. Each region or canton has a different form of the Swiss. Moreover, the small towns within the canton also have their own dialect. For instance, Basel German, Bernese, Walliser, Zürich German, and others. Both share the same Germanic roots and a rich linguistic heritage even though there exist the Swiss German vs standard German differences.
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If you wish to explore the differences between the Swiss vs German language, then first you need to understand how they are used. German is an official language in Austria as well as Switzerland. It is used in formal contexts along with education, media, and other government functions. The regional German dialects are also similar to the standard form.
Meanwhile, the Swiss German is a collection of dialects that are neither standardized nor written. It is often used in day-to-day conversations and by the local TV and radio programs in different regions of Switzerland. However, for further official work, the people switch to Swiss standard German.
The Swiss German and Standard German pronunciations differ from each other. The Swiss are known to add extra vowel and consonant sounds to their words. So, in the case of German, the diphthongs (double vowel sounds) are simply single blended sounds like ie, ue, äi, üe, and ou. Meanwhile, in Swiss, they sound like eu (ä + u) and öi (between o + i and ö + i).
| English Meaning | Standard German Word | Swiss German Version |
|---|---|---|
| party | Fest | Fäscht |
| buds | Knospen | Chnoschpe |
Also, most of the Swiss speakers are known to pronounce a rolled r, rather than a throatier one, as compared to the standard form. While speaking, the Swiss-German also tend to drop their consonant sounds. For example, in the following sentences, the ‘n’ at the end is dropped.
German: ich brauche essen (I need to eat)
Swiss German: i brauche esse
As compared to the vocabulary the Swiss German words are adopted from different languages such as French and Italian. In addition, the Swiss words are shorter and with less number of syllables. The following are some common words from both these languages:
| English | German | Swiss German |
|---|---|---|
| thank you | danke | merci (from French) |
| train ticket | Fahrakarte | Billett (from French) |
| Hello. | Hallo. | Grüezi. |
| Goodbye. | Auf Wiedersehen. | Uf Widerluege |
| How are you? | Wie geht’s? | Wie goht’s?/Wie gaats dir? |
| Pleased to meet you. | Freut mich. | Fröit mi. |
Another difference between German and Swiss German is that of the spellings. Instead of using diphthongs (double vowels), the Swiss-German tend to use a shorter version
| Standard German | Swiss German | English |
|---|---|---|
| laut | lut | loud |
| Schweiz | Schwiz | Switzerland |
| heute | hüt | today |
In addition to the vowels, the consonants are also changed in the case of Swiss German. For instance, the k in German becomes ch in Swiss as given below:
| Standard German | English | Swiss German |
|---|---|---|
| Koch | cook | Choch |
| kommen | to come | cho |
| Kind | kid | chind |
| kaufen | to buy | chaufe |
When exploring the differences between Swiss German vs German, you will find the Genitive case missing from the Swiss German Language. Therefore, to show relation instead of the guy’s jacket (Die Jacke des Mannes) they prefer to say the jacket of the guy (Die Jacke von Mann). In addition, the heavier word wo is replaced by the term von. Some prepositions also make use of the dative case in place of the genitive case.
When you compare the tenses in German to those in Swiss, you will know that there are fewer tenses in Swiss. Hence, in this, you only need to work with two tenses, which are the present and the past perfect. Therefore, instead of the past tense, Ich ging nach Hause. (I went home.) the past perfect tense is used, Ich bi nach hausei gange (I have gone home.).
| Tense | Standard German | English | Swiss German |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present Simple | Ich bin | I am | Ich bi |
| Present Perfect | Ich bin gewesen | I have been | Ich bi gsi |
The German letter eszett (ß) denotes a sharp s sound. It is usually used after long vowels or double vowels. However, if you compare Swiss German Vs German, you will see that, in the Swiss the eszett is replaced by ss.
For example,
German: street – Straße
Swiss German: street – Strasse
Another fascinating aspect of the comparison of Swiss German vs standard German is diminutives. These are terms that are used to denote affection or smallness.
In the case of German diminutives are created by an addition of –chen or –lein to the nouns. For example,
Hund (dog) + chen = Hündchen (puppy or small dog)
Magd (maiden) + chen = Mädchen (little girl)
Meanwhile, when it comes to Swiss German vs German, the diminutives are words that end in –li, which is a soft phonetic.
For instance,
Buch (book) + li = Büchli (small book)
Mus (mouse) + li = Müsli (little mouse)
If you compare the Swiss language vs German, you will discover a wide range of slang words and idioms in Swiss German. A few of the examples of such words include the following:
These are a few factors that distinguish the Swiss German vs German language.
If you look at the history of Germany, you will realize that before unification each part of the country had its own form of German language. Up to the 20th century, regions like Bavaria and Tyrol were using a dialect which was very similar to the Swiss German.
After the starting of unification in 1871, the government began a Swiss German vs German campaign to establish standard high German in the Swiss regions. However, they only adopted the language for official purposes and in the field of education. Thus, there is still a difference between German and Swiss German in Switzerland.
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To sum up, this blog clearly answers the question of why is swiss German different from German, by differentiating them based on their vocabulary, phonology, etc. However, if you are new to the language and wish to learn it, then you should start with the standard form. It will make it easy for you to learn the German dialect. Moreover, for guidance on the various levels of the language (A1 to C2), you can get in touch with experts at Gradding.com. Here, you can enjoy benefits such as a free demo class, German online coaching, and others.
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Most speakers of German find it hard to fathom Swiss German as it constitutes different pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. In addition, since Swiss German is not a single language, it becomes hard for a German speaker to know what is being said.
In Swiss German, the term that is used to greet others is Grüezi [ˈɡryətsɪ] which translates to hello. If you are addressing a group of people, then you can modify this greeting to hello everybody by saying grüezi mitenand.
High German which is also called standard German is not used by all Swiss speakers. Though this language is their official language, the Swiss prefer to use the Alemannic form in their day-to-day life.
The 80/20 rule or Pareto principle is a common technique to learn the German language. According to this principle, if you pay attention to the grammar structure and the frequently used words (20%), it can enhance your practical skills (80%) for the language.
If you are already familiar with the basics of the language, then choose Swiss German. However, for beginners, it is better to standard German over Swiss German as it forms the basis for the latter.
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