Accents in Germany
#1
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Accents in Germany
For a start, sorry if I have posted this on the wrong forum.There just wasn't a forum for Germany on this site.
What I would like to know is whether it is possible to get by in Germany with the "usual" knowledge of the German language. I'm particularly interested in Southern-Germany but I've heard their accent is quite impenetrable to even the native speakers.
What I would like to know is whether it is possible to get by in Germany with the "usual" knowledge of the German language. I'm particularly interested in Southern-Germany but I've heard their accent is quite impenetrable to even the native speakers.
#2
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Joined: Mar 2008
Location: Perth WA
Posts: 173
Re: Accents in Germany
Don't know when this was posted -
You don't need to be able to understand any local dialect to get by. People from northern Germany don't understand south German dialect either, and it's not common to speak dialect at work (unlike in Switzerland)
You don't need to be able to understand any local dialect to get by. People from northern Germany don't understand south German dialect either, and it's not common to speak dialect at work (unlike in Switzerland)
#3
Re: Accents in Germany
For a start, sorry if I have posted this on the wrong forum.There just wasn't a forum for Germany on this site.
What I would like to know is whether it is possible to get by in Germany with the "usual" knowledge of the German language. I'm particularly interested in Southern-Germany but I've heard their accent is quite impenetrable to even the native speakers.
What I would like to know is whether it is possible to get by in Germany with the "usual" knowledge of the German language. I'm particularly interested in Southern-Germany but I've heard their accent is quite impenetrable to even the native speakers.
#4
Re: Accents in Germany
Wow, amazing that people are thinking about whether they will be able to understand regional dialects. I've been here several years and, like so many people I know, just cannot get to grips with the language. Truly, I dream of the day when I have that to worry about...
#5
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Re: Accents in Germany
Obviously, there must be a lot of acfcents in Germany and not in Germany alone but in Switzerland and Austria too. Isn't it true that the Bavarians understand Austrians much better than their compatriots to the north?
#6
Re: Accents in Germany
Oh yes, there can be so many varieties of the German language. I have spent a lot of time in Austria (and will be moving there). My experience has shown me that educated people usually also speak standard German and pull themselves together when speaking about serious subjects or with expats.
The most problems arise in the daily dealing with people in retail or with authorities.
On the other hand: in the large cities you have so many people of different origins that you can get by with English (as long as you use standard English yourself!).
The most problems arise in the daily dealing with people in retail or with authorities.
On the other hand: in the large cities you have so many people of different origins that you can get by with English (as long as you use standard English yourself!).
#7
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Joined: Nov 2006
Location: Birmingham 26 years, Germany 20 years, in Toronto since 2015
Posts: 146
Re: Accents in Germany
No, no problem.
When I moved here 13 years ago, I moved to deepest Swabia, and the dialect was absolutely unlike anything I had ever heard, but I coped fine, although my German was only A-level standard. Same applied when I moved to Bavaria. It's amazing how quickly you get used to it, and even start using it yourself without even noticing.
When I moved here 13 years ago, I moved to deepest Swabia, and the dialect was absolutely unlike anything I had ever heard, but I coped fine, although my German was only A-level standard. Same applied when I moved to Bavaria. It's amazing how quickly you get used to it, and even start using it yourself without even noticing.
#8
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Re: Accents in Germany
No, no problem.
When I moved here 13 years ago, I moved to deepest Swabia, and the dialect was absolutely unlike anything I had ever heard, but I coped fine, although my German was only A-level standard. Same applied when I moved to Bavaria. It's amazing how quickly you get used to it, and even start using it yourself without even noticing.
When I moved here 13 years ago, I moved to deepest Swabia, and the dialect was absolutely unlike anything I had ever heard, but I coped fine, although my German was only A-level standard. Same applied when I moved to Bavaria. It's amazing how quickly you get used to it, and even start using it yourself without even noticing.
#9
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Location: Birmingham 26 years, Germany 20 years, in Toronto since 2015
Posts: 146
Re: Accents in Germany
When I was younger, I went to work in Zürich for six months, in all innocence, to improve my spoken German. In fact, I also learnt a new language, Züridüütsch. Luckily they all learn Hochdeutsch at school and we could communicate, but I had a lot of teasing when I first tried saying "Chuchichäschtli" and "Chäschuechli". Apparently, decades later, I still speak German with a singing Swiss accent.
#10
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Re: Accents in Germany
Oh my goodness, Chuchichäschtli was the restaurant tram, wasn't it? I used to spend most weekends with an ex-boyfriend in Zürich, and once utterly disgraced myself in the middle of a meal on it by having to stagger off it to be sick... Since then, I have refused to eat anywhere which doesn't stay put
#11
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Re: Accents in Germany
Sorry, but you've got the wrong word! The Chuchi- word means a small kitchen cabinet and the Chäs- word means a small cheese pastry, and my second most embarrassing moment was to ask for the former in a pastry shop! The worst was when I muddled up schwül and schwul when commenting on the sultry weather!
http://www.walaulta.ch/traffic/sonder/chuchi.htm
And I've done the schwül/schwul thing too, as well as muddling up Schnuppen and Schnupfen in a pharmacy (ever heard of a nose spray for dandruff???? )
#12
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Re: Accents in Germany
The Germans alone can not decide on the language. Whenever they plan some changes how some things are written they also have to consult the Swiss and the Austrians. Am I right in remembering that the Swiss have not accepted some changes so the literary form of the language is nowadays different in those countries? Something to do with the German double-s? Isn't so that if a word ends in a double-s it is written in Germany as ss when as the Swisds still use the old double-s?
#13
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Re: Accents in Germany
You're on the right lines, more or less: as far as I know, the Swiss never use or used the ß (scharfes S) (correct me if I'm wrong, somebody). Germany changed the rules to eliminate it as far as possible too, but it still has to be used in some cases, e.g. to distinguish Maß with a long a and Mass with a short one.
#14
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Re: Accents in Germany
No I haven't, look here for the Chuchichäschtli tram:
http://www.walaulta.ch/traffic/sonder/chuchi.htm
And I've done the schwül/schwul thing too, as well as muddling up Schnuppen and Schnupfen in a pharmacy (ever heard of a nose spray for dandruff???? )
http://www.walaulta.ch/traffic/sonder/chuchi.htm
And I've done the schwül/schwul thing too, as well as muddling up Schnuppen and Schnupfen in a pharmacy (ever heard of a nose spray for dandruff???? )
#15
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Posts: 168
Re: Accents in Germany
Bavarian is a quaint dialect/language. I learnt German down here so have to revert to formal German when I go north. For me the worst dialect is in the Black Forest area, Schwabian.