Swiss German

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Reading Lessons

Speakers of Swiss German . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Why Learn Swiss German? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Courtesies to Remember . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Beginning a Conversation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Getting Around Swiss German Towns . . . . . . . 12

Swiss German People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Extending a Personal Invitation . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Eating Out in Switzerland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Swiss Money, Numbers, and Dates . . . . . . . . . . 17

Visiting a Swiss Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Casual Conversation with Swiss Germans . . . . 19

Reference Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Although Switzerland is only about half the sizeof Maine, it is a very diverse country. The Swissfederation is composed of 23 “cantons” (states)which function with a large degree of politicalautonomy. Each canton, for instance, has the rightto determine which is to be the official languagewithin its boundaries: German, French, or Italian.The majority of the population, about 65%, speaksGerman. It is spoken in 11 out of 23 cantons. Theso-called “German speaking cantons” are the cantons of Aargau, Appenzell, Basel, Berne,Lucerne, St. Gallen, Schwyz, Thurgau, Unter-walden, Uri, and Zurich.

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Swiss GermanSpeakers of Swiss German

French is the language of 18% of the population,while 10% speak Italian (figures established by theUnion Bank of Switzerland, 1997). About 1%,mainly in the Engadin, speak Rhaeto-Romanic(Romansch), the fourth national, but not official,language.

Speakers of Swiss German (continued)

Swiss German

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. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . .

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German

French

Italian

Romansh

Switzerland: language areas

The first language of all German-speaking Swissis not the standard German that is the official language of Germany. It is rather one of the manySwiss German dialects, generally referred to collectively as Swiss German, Schwyzerdütsch.Swiss German is a spoken language only, inheritedfrom Alemannic ancestors more than a thousandyears ago. Characteristic of all spoken languages, itpreserves a strong feeling of group identity for eachindividual, township, and valley. Unlike dialects insome other countries, Swiss German is not limitedto a particular social class, but constitutes the spoken language of people in all walks of life.Lawyers consult in Swiss German, professors use itin discussions with their students, families

converse in it, and many television and radio stations broadcast in Swiss German. Each German-speaking canton of Switzerland has its own distinctpattern of speech; between cities and rural areas,and even between one mountain valley and another,people will proudly use their own traditional variety.

The Swiss German language has no writing system. In spite of an attempt in recent years to produce a written Swiss German, so far all writtenmaterials such as newspapers, books, plays, letters,

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Swiss German


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and announcements are written in standard German,appropriately also called Schriftdeutsch—“German for Writing”—which is also the officiallanguage of Germany and Austria. For manyGerman-speaking Swiss, standard German is virtually a foreign language which they learn atschool. When the Swiss Germans use it in speech,it tends to sound rather stiff and stilted. The spokenSwiss German language differs significantly fromstandard German in grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation.


Swiss German

In one sense, English could be called the linguafranca in Switzerland, but most publications, forms, warning signs, etc. are printed in the threeofficial languages and seldom in English. Englishisn’t taught as a mandatory subject in Swiss schoolsand therefore isn’t as widely spoken as in manynorthern European countries. However, sinceEnglish is such an important business and commercial language, many people do speakEnglish, and you will find that almost all SwissGermans will eagerly practice their English withyou. You may now ask yourself, “So why am Ilearning Swiss German?” Well, learning SwissGerman will help you feel at home in your Swisssurroundings. Although there are substantial differ-ences between the Swiss German dialects, thephrases you will learn through this program willallow you to begin to understand the Swiss Germans and to be understood by them. They willallow you to feel included in the daily activities ofSwiss life. It is a magic moment when you switchfrom the role of an observer to that of a participantinsider, whether you are there on business or forleisure. As you develop relationships with SwissGerman colleagues, neighbors, and friends, as people recognize you and make small talk with youin English, you will invariably feel the desire to

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Swiss German

Why Learn Swiss German?

reply with a few cordial words spoken in SwissGerman. As you travel through small towns andmore remote parts of the country where youencounter fewer English speakers, you might needto ask for directions or order a meal in SwissGerman. On other occasions, you might wish toextend a special invitation or reply to your Swisshosts with a few words in Swiss German. Yourinterest in Swiss German culture and your willingness to speak the language will win you therespect and trust of the Swiss German people. Ifyou plan to settle for a period of time in a German-speaking area of Switzerland, you will find thatSwiss German opens doors, both in business andsocially.

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Swiss German

Why Learn Swiss German? (continued)

Remember that there is a humorous and endearing side to the mistakes a language learnermakes! When you learn to laugh with your Swisslisteners at your pitfalls, they might become thememories of a lifetime. But some essential courtesies are worth knowing about Swiss Germanlife.

Swiss Germans take formalities seriously and disregarding them easily results in feelings of personal insult. Here are five basic rules of conduct:

• Always shake hands when you greet or takeyour leave of people, even in short encounters, andeven if this means reaching out for a dozen handsacross the table. This includes children and peopleof all social classes.

• Greet men with “Herr” and women with“Frau” and with their last names unless you areexplicitly encouraged to use first names with closefriends. Use “Fröilein” only for girls in their lateteens, or for waitresses and hotel maids.

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Swiss German

Courtesies to Remember

• Knock before entering any room in a home oroffice and wait for the response to enter. Excuseyourself as you step through the doorway. Close thedoor behind you. Open doors mean carelessnessand disorder.

• Be on time for all social and business engage-ments! The Swiss Germans consider being late aninsult. Not only people, but all forms of trans-portation in Switzerland arrive and leave right ontime.

• If you are there on business, bring businesscards. Hand your card to the receptionist and to theperson you are meeting, even if you have arrangedthe appointment in advance. Have your profes-sional degree printed on the card, alongside yourname. If your company is long established, have the year of its founding printed on your card. TheSwiss respect formal education, diplomas, anddegrees; and they tend to value continuity andtradition over innovation and change.

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Swiss German

Courtesies to Remember (continued)

To start a conversation in English, we frequentlyuse the polite greeting, “How are you?” The Swissequivalent for “How are you?” is, however, not arhetorical, but a personal question. It should only be used to start conversations with people you know well. The answer is also personal—a statement about one’s actual well-being.

A general and popular conversation starter is totalk about the weather. Since it rains often and forseveral days at a time in northern Switzerland, itnever fails to elicit a response, even from the moststubborn stranger!

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Swiss German

Beginning a Conversation

The center of most towns is the train station andthe market place, and major roads and other publicmeans of transportation all lead to these two desti-nations. In small towns they are also the center ofpublic activity. Most towns have fruit, vegetable,and flower markets on various days of the week,and major cities have open markets on most days ofthe week. And a train station might be the onlyplace in town where you can buy English newspapers and a snack after hours.

The Swiss are justly proud of the fact that theyhave the densest public transportation network inthe world. It allows for easy distance traveling andlocal commuting; many season tickets and specialdiscount tickets are available. Although most people own cars, they are generally luxurious andare more frequently used for leisure transportationrather than for work. In fact, since distances aremuch smaller in Switzerland than in the UnitedStates, and people have become more aware of thenecessity for environmental protection in recentyears, many people even cycle to work.

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Swiss German

Getting Around Swiss German Towns

Swiss Germans are generally proud of their country’s internal social and political stability, itsneutrality, and its independence in relation to inter-national affairs. They are also proud that their country is one of the wealthiest countries in theworld, and they try hard to maintain its beauty. They appreciate if these achievements are noticedand mentioned by visitors, but they are reserved, tothe point of understatement, in their owncomments.

Similarly, Swiss Germans are meticulously cor-rect in their behavior toward each other, although the formalities are subtle and easily misunderstood by visitors. They present a composed posture toward other people, which iseasily misinterpreted as cold treatment of others.They value hard work, thrift, and punctuality andexpect a high degree of responsibility, especially inthe public domain. Cleanliness, neatness, order-liness, and a keen sense of privacy are seen asexpressions of good citizenship and personal character.

The frequent use of polite forms in Swiss Germangreetings and requests can be regarded as a softening effect in an otherwise stern social environment.

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Swiss German

Swiss German People

The Swiss generally are geared to long-term planning and solutions. Whatever they build, it’smeant to last a long time, if possible forever. It istherefore not astonishing that they are generallysomewhat reluctant to make friends with foreignersand even other Swiss, but once they get to knowyou, they may turn out to be your life-long friends.If you would like to get to know a Swiss person better, it’s a good idea to ask that person to go out toa restaurant, cafe, or bar with you. Since manySwiss Germans have their day more or less completely planned out, set up the appointment well in advance.

When you move into a new house in Switzerland,don’t be surprised if you aren’t welcomed by yourneighbors. They are not unfriendly, but respect your privacy. It’s up to you to introduce yourself and to invite them over for coffee, and don’t be surprised if their visit is short. Except for occasional invitations between relatives and veryclose friends, many Swiss Germans prefer to go outtogether rather than being invited to someone’shouse.

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Swiss German

Extending a Personal Invitation

In Switzerland it’s customary to use greetingswhen entering and leaving a restaurant (as well assmall shops). Contrary to American custom, thereare no hosts or hostesses in Swiss restaurants to seatyou. Ordinarily you look for a free table yourself.In restaurants of the higher price range, however, awaiter or waitress will approach you and suggest atable or lead you to the table that has been reservedfor you. Don’t be surprised if someone asks for permission to sit at your table when there is a shortage of free tables. By saying “bitte” you allow him / her to share your table. Don’t panic,diners don’t usually strike up conversations, unlessyou want to practice your Swiss German!

The custom of automatically serving ice water isnot known in Switzerland, and people normallydon’t drink coffee with their warm meals, but after-wards. All Swiss restaurants are obliged by law todisplay their menu and prices outside. Most offer aTagesmenü at lunch time, usually from noon to2:00 PM. Dinner is usually served from 7:00 to 9:30PM. Cafés don’t sell alcohol. Bills include a servicecharge of 15%, so the price you see on the menu isthe price you have to pay. Although tipping hasofficially been abolished, people generally doreward good service. Most people round the bill off

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Swiss German

Eating Out in Switzerland

to the nearest Swiss franc or more. Large tips, however, are regarded as ostentatious (except by therecipient, of course). Usually the tip is given directly to the waiter or waitress when paying andnot left on the table.

The Röschti is a delicious Swiss potato dish thatalso serves to define the whole German-speakingarea of Switzerland, especially as distinguishedfrom the French-speaking area. These two regionsare separated by the so-called “Röschti Trench.”

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Swiss German

Eating Out in Switzerland (continued)

Swiss banks and financial institutions are worldrenowned for their efficiency and range of services,and Zurich is one of the world’s major financial centers. The Swiss unit of currency is the Swissfranc, which is one of the most stable currencies inthe world. Usually the Swiss do not pay bills withchecks or credit cards, and they use cash more oftenthan in the U.S. (approximately 95% of all retailpurchases are paid for with real money). Most largeSwiss businesses, however, do accept major inter-national credit cards, although they don’t alwaysadvertise the fact.

Numbers in the thousands are marked off by aspace or a period rather than a comma. Thus, onethousand is written as 1.000 or 1 000. In contrast,the decimal point is written as a comma. You would read: Fr. 10,50 and say: zä Franke fufzig.The monetary unit after the decimal mark is calledRappe in Swiss German. The Swiss franc is divided into 100 Rappe. So the price Fr. -,50 wouldbe fufzig Rappe.

Dates, too, are written differently: first the day,then the month, and finally the year, with periodsand no commas. For example, 30.12.1995 isDecember 30, 1995.

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Swiss German

Swiss Money, Numbers, and Dates

Visisting a Swiss HomeMany Swiss German people live in a rather

narrow and close network of social relationships.Home life is both a shelter from the stress of the outside world and an expression of one’s own standing. Since privacy is very important to theSwiss, it is a gesture of friendship to be invited to aprivate Swiss home. You may expect that your visithas been carefully prepared. Because everythingmust be spotless and in perfect order when the Swissentertain a stranger, they generally don’t like it ifsomeone drops in on them. They value punctuality,so don’t arrive too late (and don’t overstay your welcome—the Swiss are early for work!).

If you are invited for dinner or coffee, it is customary to bring a small bouquet, a box of choco-lates, or a bottle of wine. If you bring flowers, thereshould be an odd number and you should unwrapthem before presenting them to your hostess.Remember also that red roses signify romantic loveand chrysanthemums are for cemeteries!

At a small party everybody will greet all acquain-tances with a handshake, beginning with the hostessand the host. Children also shake hands and aregreeted with sali, hoi, or tschau. If you don’t knowanyone, wait until the host / hostess introduces you.

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Swiss German

The Swiss Germans are generally rather uncom-municative and tend to meet everything foreign with a certain reserve. They rarely start a conver-sation with people they don’t know. In business,expect them to come right to the point, without anysmall talk. At dinner parties, when you haveexhausted the topic of the weather, you may wish togo on to the following: participatory or spectatorsports such as skiing, hiking, sailing, soccer, tennis,or bicycle racing; what you like about Switzerland;and your travels in general. You should realize thatthe Swiss (in spite of or because of their neutrality?)are generally well informed about world politicsand love to discuss it. Remember also that theSwiss are passionate in their opinions about military service. Discussing it could lead to a majorargument.

If you would like to get more tips about how tointegrate into Swiss German life, you can partic-ipate in orientations for newcomers, run by theAmerican Woman’s Clubs. These clubs are locatedin Basel, Berne, and Zurich. Their orientation courses are open to both men and women.

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Swiss German

Casual Conversation with Swiss Germans

Baedekers AA Switzerland, Baedeckers.

Baur, Arthur, Schwyzertütsch, Gemsberg Verlag, 1969.

Brown, Karen, Swiss Countrv Inns & Itineraries.

Culturegram Switzerland, Brigham Young University, David M. Kennedy Center for lnternational Studies, 280 HRCb, Provo, Utah 84602.

Dicks, Dianne (ed.), Ticking Along Too. Stories About Switzerland, Bergli Books. Ltd., 1990

Dominice, Pierre, Matthias Finger, Adult Education inSwitzerland, Pro Helvetica, 1990

Frei, Daniel, Swiss Foreign Policy, Pro Helvetica, 1983.

Hampshire, David, Living and Working in Switzerland. A Survival Handbook, Biddies Ltd., 1991

Hoffmann, Paul, Switzerland, Zurich. Basel and Geneva, Henry Holt & Co., N.Y., 1994

Information Sheets on Switzerland, Pro Helvetica, Hirschengraben 22, CH8024 Zurich, Switzerland (yearly updates).

Kummerli & Frey, Switzerland: People, State, Economy, Culture, 1989

Lieberman, Maria and Philip, Walking Switzerland: The Swiss Way, The Mountaineers, 1987

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Swiss GermanReference Bibliography

Levy, René, The Social Structure of Switzerland, Outline of a Society, Pro Helvetica, 1991.

Michelin Green Guide to Switzerland, Michelin.

Mikes, George, Switzerland for Beginners, Andre Deutsch,1975.

Müller, Martin and Lukas Wertenschlag, Los Emol,Langenscheidt, 1985.

Passages, A Swiss Cultural Magazine, Pro Helvetica.

Popular Customs and Festivals in Switzerland, Swiss National Tourist Office.

Sigg, Oswald, Switzerland’s Political Institutions, Pro Helvetica, 1983.

Switzerland, Blue Guide, W. and W. Norton, N.Y., 1992

Switzerland & Liechtenstein, Frommer’s Travel Guide, Prentice Hall Travel, 1994.

Vuilleumier, Immigrants and Refugees in Switzerland, Pro Helvetica, 1987.

Wenger, Berhard, The Four Literatures of Switzerland, Pro Helvetica, 1985.

Swiss German

Reference Bibliography (continued)

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SWISS GERMAN

VOICES

English-Speaking Instructor . . . . . . . . Jordan WeinsteinFemale Swiss German Speaker . . . . . . Ursula R. GodwinMale Swiss German Speaker . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark Graf

COURSE WRITERS

Lieselotte Anderson, M.A., M. Ed.♦

Elisabeth Heinrich

EDITOR

Beverly D. Heinle

Cover image ©PhotoDisc, Inc.All rights reserved

© and ‰ Recorded Program 1995, 1999by Simon & Schuster Audio, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

© Reading Booklet 1995, 1999by Simon & Schuster Audio, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

All rights reserved.

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