Did you know that there are numerous regional dialects in Germany that, if spoken in their true original form, are virtually unintelligible to non-native speakers of that dialect?
It wasn’t until Martin Luther, the theologian who in the mid-16th century translated the bible from Latin to German that standard German became relevant. And although the great equalizer, radio and TV, have done away with many dialects in their pure form, to this day accents and dialects are alive and well in some regions of Germany.
I grew up near Stuttgart, Germany, a child of a Schwabe (Swabian) as the locals are called, and a Reing’schmeckter (newcomer), someone not from the Schwabenland. Considering that my father didn’t speak any Schwäbisch, our family language was standard German, and so I grew up not really learning any dialect at all.
So, when my mom would chat with her sister, they might as well have spoken a foreign language, because I really couldn’t understand a word. Just a few examples: blärre is Swabian for weinen (to cry); a Dergel is ein kleines Kind (a small child); hano stands for he standard German nun gut (well); a Krette is ein Korb (basket); a Moggele is eine Kuh (cow); and süffle is trinken (to drink).
But even though I had no clue what they were talking about, I remember that it was always a Saugaude (viel Spaß or lots of fun) to listen to the two of them talk. There are quite a few dictionaries that translate dialect words into standard German. And if you’re interested in more Swabian words, check out this fun Swabian language site.