Fred Jaggi – Hasli German

When Fred Jaggi says “es giferli” or “e finketen,” two distinctive features of his Hasli German dialect, which he values so highly, become immediately apparent. First, his dialect is very nuanced. “We don't just say ‘it's snowing’ or ‘it has snowed,’” explains the 87-year-old from Gadmer. " Old expressions in particular allow you to describe things much more precisely.“ For example, ‘feiserlen’ means light snowfall. This brings us to the second advantage: his dialect has terms that require several words to describe in standard German. Fred Jaggi succinctly says ”etlimmen,“ which means something like ”the sun is warming the snow a little."

He accepts misunderstandings

Many of his terms are no longer used in Meiringen, and “Brienz is a different world.” Fred Jaggi has gotten used to the fact that people often don't understand him outside of Innertkirchen. “No problem, I'll switch to standard German.” Mixing his dialect with other Swiss dialects is out of the question for him. He accepts misunderstandings as part of the deal. “Gids allpot eis,” he says with a laugh. But he also receives a lot of positive feedback on his dialect. He thinks it's a ‘shame’ that it is becoming increasingly “flattened,” as he puts it. Only the older generation still speaks Hasli-Dytsch, which, due to the old mule tracks over the Brünig and Grimsel passes, has similarities with the dialects of the “Ländle” (Obwalden and Nidwalden) and “Wallser-Dytsch.” For several years now, Fred Jaggi has been writing down terms from his distinctive dialect so that they are not forgotten. His list contains over 500 terms, around 100 of which are already extinct.

Dialect means home

Hasli-Dytsch means home to Fred Jaggi. He grew up in Gadmen and lived there for 84 years. One month after completing his training at the mountain farming school, he had a serious accident. As a result, he learned the carpentry trade, which he has practiced with great passion throughout his life and still does today. Consistency also characterizes his life in other ways. He kept bees for 50 years and appeared in the film “More than honey.” He has been married to his wife Margrit for 52 years. “She comes from Thurgau. When we first met, she only understood half of what I said,” recalls Fred Jaggi. She never tried to learn Hasli-Dytsch, which both of them think is the right decision. “You can hear where you come from.” And what is the difference between “es giferli” and “e finketen”? Quite a big one, as a glance at his list shows: “Es giferli” is very little fresh snow, “e finketen” is knee-deep snow.

Haslital expressions

• ambätz = disgusting
• goolen = playing with kittens
• stich chidig = dark night
• gläffi = a simple-minded person
• sönggen = to take it slow
• groigi = flu
• tschäägli = foot

Audio sample

Can you understand everything when Fred Jaggi talks in his Hasli German dialect about the hard life of a mountain farmer's boy? Listen carefully.

Note:

Werner Matter – Engelberg dialect

The number 3 is pronounced “drui” in the Engelberg dialect. So does that mean 33 becomes ‘druädruisg’? Werner Matter corrects us: “No, it's druiädreisg, because druiädruisg sounds silly.” The number 9 sounds fine, so you say “nuin” and “nuinänuinzg” for 99. That's how it is – and it continues: “Luit” are people, ‘nuis’ is news. Or when he looks after his grandchildren on Fridays, it's called “hiätä.” Werner Matter was born and raised in Engelberg, works for the mountain railways in winter and on his daughter's farm in summer. The 62-year-old feels first and foremost like a native of Engelberg and only then like a native of Obwalden. His dialect has audible similarities with Hasli-Dytsch. “That doesn't surprise me,” he says, looking at Fred Jaggi's list. Werner (people in the village are on first-name terms) also says “tschäggli” or ‘goolä’ for foot, for example, or when playing with young cats. “Our dialect was able to develop in isolation for a long time, but it was also influenced by trade,” explains Werner. “The trade route to Italy ran via the Joch Pass and the Hasli Valley.”

Language changes

Werner Matter estimates that a maximum of 20 percent of the village still speaks the Engelberg dialect. And only a fraction of them would still be fluent in the melodious Engelberg dialect, which goes “uifä ond apä,” a lovely sing-song in which ä, o, and ui constantly alternate. “People who use this traditional dialect with its long drawn-out sounds are more likely to be found in retirement homes,” says Werner Matter. It is often said that this melodious dialect is the real Engelberg dialect. “What does ‘authentic’ even mean? Language is always changing,” Werner Matter is convinced. He experiences this in his own family. His Engelberg wife, who grew up in Lucerne, influenced her children's dialect as much as his Engelberg dialect did. The grandchildren speak differently again, despite having a lot of Engelberg blood.

Chilling out is “Nuiduitsch”

One characteristic feature of contemporary language is the use of English expressions. Relaxing is now referred to as “chilling out” in modern German. Werner says he encounters this “nuiduitsch” everywhere in the village. The many newcomers to Engelberg, as well as visitors, are influencing the dialect. He also experiences this as president of the Engelberg theater group. On stage, an “absolute mishmash of dialects” is spoken, but that's not a bad thing. And yet, it's important to him to preserve his dialect and thus his identity. So he sticks with “drui” and ‘druiädreisg’ and continues to call a rather steep piece of land “Plänggi.” He can't help himself. How wonderful.

Engelberg expressions

• Hesch nais nuis? = Do you know anything new?
• drui, fuif, nuin = three, five, nine
• Chatzeböckel = hangover
• Gläff = crude expression for mouth
• ä Gnieti = a difficult person
• unerchant = unheard of
• Skalazne = breakfast

Audio sample

What does the Engelberg dialect sound like? Listen to Werner Matter explain the special name for a “Plänggi” (a piece of land).

Brigitt Flüeler – Stansere

And then came Marco Odermatt, the best skier in the world. Wherever he gives interviews, his distinctive Buochser dialect is unmistakable. “It's great that he stands there so confidently and speaks Buochser. That makes him a great ambassador for the Nidwalden dialects,” says Brigitt Flüeler from Stans. She wants to encourage everyone to speak as they please. “That way, we can preserve Switzerland's linguistic diversity.” She has often observed that people from Nidwalden adapt their dialect because they don't want to stand out. And as soon as you're back home, “dued me nidwaldnere” (you speak Nidwalden dialect). Language and dialect have been part of Brigitt Flüeler's life for as long as she can remember. She trained as a teacher, studied history, and worked for 27 years at Radio DRS1 and Radio SRF1 in various roles, including as editor-in-chief. “My dialect was an advantage because radio has a duty to reflect the diversity of dialects in Switzerland.” She often received compliments for her melodious dialect – “stansere teent de scheen” – but it was a double-edged sword: “When you say something, you want to convey meaning, not just the melody of words and sentences.”

Language needs a counterpart

The Nidwalden dialect is characterized by subtle differences in stress, lengthening, and pronunciation within a very small area. When it snows, people in Stans say “schniie,” while those in Buochs say “schneye,” even though they are only five kilometers apart. As everywhere else, dialects are changing in Nidwalden. They are increasingly losing their rough edges, and traditional language is being lost. When Brigitt Flüeler says “es Ghirsch” for a mess or ‘Ruibili’ for curls, not everyone understands what she means anymore. “I don't use these old terms consciously, they just come up in conversation. Sometimes I'm surprised myself that I still know and use a word.” This shows that language needs a counterpart. And language is shaped by its counterpart. This is confirmed by Fabio Odermatt's high school thesis. He researched and documented the use of the Nidwalden dialect at the St. Fidelis College in Stans. The result: only 14 percent of all Swiss German-speaking students always use the Nidwalden dialect, while another 24 percent use it at least some of the time. Those who speak the dialect partially use it especially with conversation partners who use the same dialect. However, when their conversation partners speak a different dialect, many of those surveyed suppress their Nidwalden dialect. Marco Odermatt could change this. He should encourage people to speak their own dialect. Always and everywhere.

Stanser expressions

• eppis hed Mang = something has flavor
• drii, fiif, niin = three, five, nine (Stans); drey, feyf, neyn (Buochs)
• ä Gischpel = someone who moves quickly
• umenand sturne = not moving or thinking purposefully
• Maigelwätter = sleepy weather
• eischiir = stubborn
• Tutsch = pacifier

Audio sample

What does Brigitt Flüeler sound like when she speaks Stanser? Listen to a short holiday experience in which the name Marco Odermatt was the key.

Paper edition of the magazine “hin und weg” – also available as a subscription.

This is an article from the magazine “hin und weg”. You can find the printed version at the train stations in Engelberg, Sarnen, Stans and Meiringen, in all Travel Centres, as well as on trains. We will also be happy to send the magazine to your home address. Send an e-mail to hello@zentralbahn.ch with the subject “Subscribe to hin und weg magazine” and include your postal address in the body text of the message.