Schwyzertüütsch

LEFT: The Swiss flag, or "Faane" in Zürich dialect.

Q. What's the most popular language in Switzerland?
(Hint: It isn't German!)

You've taken a Community Ed course in German. You've listened endlessly to your Deutsch in 30 Minutes cassette and and memorized the "Useful Expressions" chapter in your Berlitz pocket phrasebook. You step off the plane in Zürich, line up at the immigration counter, and proudly recite "Guten Morgen" to the official behind the glass. He responds with a muttered "Grüezi" or "Guete Tag" as he hands back your passport.

Congratulations--you've survived your first encounter with the dialect known as Schwyzertüütsch, Schweizerdeutsch, or Züritüütsch and a host of other local names.

It's all in the throat.

If you've ever heard the word "chutzpah" pronounced correctly, you'll recognize the most characteristic sound of Swiss-German dialect. It's the "chhhhhh" or "kkkkkk" noise that baseball players make before they deposit tobacco juice on the infield grass.

Go ahead--try to pronounce the name of Zürich's delectable cheese pastry, Chäs-Chüechli, without losing your dignity. You'll understand why humorist George Mikes once said of Swiss-German dialect, "it is as though the Venus of Milo were to belch suddenly in public. One cannot imagine the Mona Lisa speaking Schwyzerdeutsch."

But is it German?

Yes and no--or, as a Swiss might say, "villicht." Schweizerdeutsch is a spoken language, not a formal written language, so there are great variations in spelling (and even the characters used) from region to region.

For that matter, the spoken words and expressions come in different regional flavors. "Good evening" is "Guten Abend" in standard German. In Zürich, the dialect equivalent is pronounced "Guten ah-big," in Basel "Guten oh-ba," in St. Gallen "Guten aw-bed." The language of Goethe becomes the lingo of Gerda the milkmaid, and that's Ã-OK with the fiercely independent Swiss.

Do you need to know it?

Definitely not--indeed, the Swiss would be amazed if you did. Still, you can amuse the locals and please yourself by learning a basic expressions:

NOTE: Standard German is used routinely in Swiss schools, government, and businesses. However, many Swiss would rather use English or French than standard German when speaking to tourists. And don't be surprised if a store clerk or waiter counts out your change in Schweizerdeutsch.

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