Pimsleur Swiss German

The Swiss German Language - A Dialect

Swiss German (Schweizerdeutsch, Schwyzerdütsch, Schwiizertüütsch, Schwizertitsch) is any of the Alemannic dialects spoken in Switzerland and in some Alpine communities in Northern Italy. Occasionally, the Alemannic dialects spoken in other countries are called Swiss German as well, especially the dialects of Liechtenstein and Austrian Vorarlberg which are closely associated to Switzerland's.

Linguistically, Swiss German forms no unity. The linguistic division of Alemannic is rather into Low, High and Highest Alemannic, varieties of all of which are spoken both inside and outside of Switzerland. The reason "Swiss German" dialects constitute a special group is their almost unrestricted use as a spoken language in practically all situations of daily life, whereas the use of the Alemannic dialects in the other countries is restricted or even endangered.

The dialects of Swiss German must not be confused with Swiss Standard German, the variety of standard German used in Switzerland. Even though Swiss Standard German is influenced by the Swiss German dialects to a certain degree, it is a variety of the High German standard language and very distinct from Swiss German proper. Any native speaker will immediately note the difference.

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What customers say about the Pimsleur Swiss German audios:

My wife is Swiss-German, and I've learned plenty of Swiss-German words over the years. While I appreciated the effort, learning how to order two beers over several lessons didn't quite work for me. Since there are so few Swiss-German language resources available, this CD series is better than nothing, but I would have like to have learned more than saying I am from America and would like to order "gschnätzlets mit rösti" and a beer. -- Mike Yorkey, Encinitas, California, USA

Every chapter is around 30 min. when i learnt 5 lessons, i tried to speak to my Swiss friend. He thought my Swiss German was taught by a Swiss!!

Yes, some of the sentences is pretty FORMAL. But my Swiss friend is already impressed.

It is better to know basic German before you learn, as the program doesn't include any book for you to read. And they won't tell you the reason why you speak this way this time; and that way that time. -- Y. Calvin, China

I have studied about ten different language programs and this one is by the far the best one I've ever used! I learned more in a fast amount of time and retained more then anything else. I would recommend this product not only to travelers but also homeschoolers as an excellent learning tool in any language! -- Z. Xavier, Atlanta, Indiana, USA