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

[Dennis R. Preston]

Is German a language (or just a collection of a bunch of High and Low
German dialects)? When dialects/languages are related, isn't this always a
sociopolitical question (with "right" answers depending on who you're
talking to)? Notice how quickly Serbo-Croatian became Serbian and Croatian
(without a blink at linguistic facts).

dInIs





>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

Dennis R. Preston
Professor of Linguistics
Department of Linguistics and Languages
Michigan State University
East Lansing MI 48824-1027 USA
preston at pilot.msu.edu
Office: (517)353-0740
Fax: (517)432-2736