Most foreigners are happy to master enough German to be able to get along in German-speaking parts of Switzerland. But one British student insists to really feel at home you need to learn Swiss German – but foreigners needs help.
Though Luke Stalley, a Brit who is pursuing a doctorate at the University of Zurich, gets by in standard German, he said people like him need learning materials to be able to speak and understand Swiss-German.
“We want to be able to chat” with the local population in their own language, he pointed out in an interview with SRF public broadcaster.
But there are no books or other teaching tools for Schwyzerdütch.
“Everyone understands my standard German,” he said. “The problem is, I don’t understand their Swiss German.”
Therefore, “we need learning materials for a general form of Swiss German.”
After all, “How close can you get to someone when conversing in a language that does not feel natural to them?”
He has a valid point.
As The Local previously reported, “Swiss-Germans do understand German – after all, it is the official language of instruction in their schools and the official language of the government as well – but, as one social media user pointed out, speaking it “feels unnatural to a lot of Swiss people and can be exhausting.”
READ MORE: Why speaking standard German could be a problem in Switzerland
In fact, when asked to speak in standard German, many Swiss switch to English instead.That has been Stalley’s experience as well.
Many local friends prefer speaking English rather than standard German with him. He believes many are self-conscious about it—”they don’t like speaking standard German.” Some friends have even told him quite openly: “I’d rather speak English, then.”
The bottom line – and Stalley’s biggest problem is this: “Everyone understands my standard German. The problem is that I don’t understand their Swiss-German.”
That is a problem, because there are few – if any – textbooks in Swiss-German, as it is a spoken, rather than a written, language.
However, there is some help in that area.
For instance, according to language teacher Aurélia Marin, the best way to learn Schwiizertüütsch is to practice it often, in as many ways as possible.
“For people wanting to learn Swiss-German, going to [local social events] is helpful because native speakers are there who are willing to help you learn. You can find tandem partners and it’s a fun and pressure-free way of conversing, and asking for help with grammar or pronunciation.”
Also, some Migros schools in your area could be offering Swiss-German classes as well.
READ MORE: Tips for learning Swiss German from those who have
