Haha, so true! I'm Swiss and it really is a fact that we don't like to speak "High German" as we call it, even though we're fluent. I guess it's because it's not our native language and we think that the Germans look down on us (we're inferior to them)... And bc we're really proud of our Swiss dialect. And i think people rather speak English than German with a foreigner, haha...
I think it might not be the German looking down on the Swiss, after all the Swiss are richer, but rather the Germans just can't understand Swiss German?
Just switch the flags and the last panel and this describes perfectly the situation for me, a Cypriot Greek speaker when he has to speak in Standard Greek.
Is it that bad? What would a Seiss feel when speaking to a non-native German speaker? Would English still be preferrable, assuming the non-native German speaker can speaker both?
Well, we (Swiss German speaking People) can speak German fluently but we just don't like to speak it. I think a lot of us would actually prefer to speak English... it's just that we know that we have a strong Accent when we speak German and the Germans (not all of them obivously) make fun of us ("it sounds cute") because of that. I think it would depend on how good their English and your German is. Swiss German speaking peope usually try to make as easy as possible for the other Person. So if they are quite good at English and notice that you're struggling with speaking German, they would probably just Switch to English...
You do know why High German is called High German, right? It's because the consonant shift which led to the origins of the language took place in the high areas of the German-speaking lands (i.e. the mountains): Bavaria, Switzerland... Tell that to a German, and they'll be looking at you as if you'd just killed a puppy in front of their eyes ;)
Consonant shift? You mean vowel shift. Yes Malachi, that is the way most Germans think of the term too. But Rogier is right in making the historical connection. What linguists call Hochdeutsch is a very large dialect group. The subcategories are Oberdeutsch, Mitteldeutsch and Fränkisch. What's-commonly-meant-by-Hochdeutsch seems to have most to do with the more northern represantatives of it, such as ostfränkisch (what non-linguists call fränkisch) or Luther's Thuringian. The German of the North of the South, rather mittelgebirgig than alpine. I understand that predominance of Hochdeutsch started with Mittelhochdeutsch, a mutated Swabian that spread as a supraregional artists language with the Minnesänger's poetry. Swabian is a breed of Oberdeutsch, so maybe you could say, with time the epicentre of standard German moved farther away from the alps. When that thuringian cleric locked himself up in a castle to do some translating that may have had some influence.
That's remember me the about the Portuguese-Br vs Portuguese-Pt question. Did you know that averange Brazilians just don't undestand what Portuguese people say? To a Portuguese movie be showed here it must be subbed ou dubbled X'D
I stydied PT-Pt for a few months, enough to say I'm fluent in it :D
Haha, so true! I'm Swiss and it really is a fact that we don't like to speak "High German" as we call it, even though we're fluent. I guess it's because it's not our native language and we think that the Germans look down on us (we're inferior to them)... And bc we're really proud of our Swiss dialect. And i think people rather speak English than German with a foreigner, haha...
ReplyDeleteIt got to the point where I couldn't even get the Swiss to speak German with me at all. I'd speak to them in German and they'd speak to me in English!
DeleteI guess that works...!
I think it might not be the German looking down on the Swiss, after all the Swiss are richer, but rather the Germans just can't understand Swiss German?
DeleteNot only with foreigners... Also with your non-swiss german compatriots. ;)
DeleteJust switch the flags and the last panel and this describes perfectly the situation for me, a Cypriot Greek speaker when he has to speak in Standard Greek.
ReplyDelete[img]http://www.picresize.com/images/rsz_afnibn3.png[/img]
DeleteClick to make full sized
Could you please upload it again? It can't be seen nor opened in a new tab :\
DeleteWhoops, sorry. Here you go.
Delete[img]http://mmrempen.com/MISC/26_cyprus_sm.png[/img]
Click here to make full sized.
Thank you, I will keep it to show it to some friends :)
DeleteAs a greek that speaks to cypriots, I can agree this is very true
DeleteIs it that bad? What would a Seiss feel when speaking to a non-native German speaker? Would English still be preferrable, assuming the non-native German speaker can speaker both?
ReplyDeleteWell, we (Swiss German speaking People) can speak German fluently but we just don't like to speak it. I think a lot of us would actually prefer to speak English... it's just that we know that we have a strong Accent when we speak German and the Germans (not all of them obivously) make fun of us ("it sounds cute") because of that. I think it would depend on how good their English and your German is. Swiss German speaking peope usually try to make as easy as possible for the other Person. So if they are quite good at English and notice that you're struggling with speaking German, they would probably just Switch to English...
DeleteSwiss people sound cute in English too, we just talk about it behind your backs whereas the Germans may be more... direct.
DeleteCannot stop giggling at last panel. Hehehehehe.
ReplyDeleteYou do know why High German is called High German, right? It's because the consonant shift which led to the origins of the language took place in the high areas of the German-speaking lands (i.e. the mountains): Bavaria, Switzerland... Tell that to a German, and they'll be looking at you as if you'd just killed a puppy in front of their eyes ;)
ReplyDeleteI did not know that. Interesting! I thought it was just a way of saying "general" German, as sort of the umbrella above the various dialects.
DeleteConsonant shift? You mean vowel shift.
DeleteYes Malachi, that is the way most Germans think of the term too. But Rogier is right in making the historical connection. What linguists call Hochdeutsch is a very large dialect group. The subcategories are Oberdeutsch, Mitteldeutsch and Fränkisch. What's-commonly-meant-by-Hochdeutsch seems to have most to do with the more northern represantatives of it, such as ostfränkisch (what non-linguists call fränkisch) or Luther's Thuringian. The German of the North of the South, rather mittelgebirgig than alpine.
I understand that predominance of Hochdeutsch started with Mittelhochdeutsch, a mutated Swabian that spread as a supraregional artists language with the Minnesänger's poetry. Swabian is a breed of Oberdeutsch, so maybe you could say, with time the epicentre of standard German moved farther away from the alps. When that thuringian cleric locked himself up in a castle to do some translating that may have had some influence.
That's remember me the about the Portuguese-Br vs Portuguese-Pt question.
ReplyDeleteDid you know that averange Brazilians just don't undestand what Portuguese people say? To a Portuguese movie be showed here it must be subbed ou dubbled X'D
I stydied PT-Pt for a few months, enough to say I'm fluent in it :D
I did not know that - I knew they were very different, but I didn't know they were mutually unintelligible. Amazing!
Delete