'Schwyzertueuetsch' (was Re: Folk etymology) (Was Re: Swiss enchiladas)

[Beverly Flanigan]

I've only seen it spelled Romansch, though I don't know if that's official.

At 09:38 AM 10/31/99 -0600, you wrote:
>A possibly more definitive solution as to whether Schwyzertueuetsch is a
>language or just the overall title for a group of very high German dialects
>might be to ascertain what the four official languages are of the Swiss
>Confederation: French, Italian, Roumasch (in its various spellings (which
>one is official?), and ?  Scott Catledge
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Beverly Flanigan <flanigan at OAK.CATS.OHIOU.EDU>
>To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Sent: Saturday, October 30, 1999 2:02 PM
>Subject: Re: Folk etymology (Was Re: Swiss enchiladas)
>
>
>I don't know who "they" are, but a former student of mine from die Schweiz
>told me the term 'Schwyzertueuetsch' is commonly used (and note his
>spelling, with 'y' and a doubled umlauted vowel, presumably to signal
>lengthening ['ue'  substitutes for my lack of the umlaut diacritic--how do
>you get that, Greg?]).  Trudgill, in his _Sociolinguistics_ (1995 ed., p.
>101) uses this spelling also, but he does note that his example is "based
>on Zurich speech."  My student taperecorded T's example for me, with
>wonderful intonation and very prominent vowel lengthening; I play it every
>year for my Sociolx class.
>
> >Actually, to be more accurate, since you seem to be interested, they tell
>me
> >there is not even such a thing as Schwizertütsch. There are only local
> >dialects each of which is a bit different, e.g., Züritütsch (Zürich
> >Deutsch). So they say....
> >
> >Greg Downing/NYU, at greg.downing at nyu.edu or gd2 at is2.nyu.edu