Wallisertiitsch
Walliser German
Indo-European (Germanic → West → Upper German → Alemannic → Höchstalemannisch)
Walliser German (Wallisertiitsch) is the most conservative Alemannic dialect, spoken in the upper Valais. It retains Old High German features lost elsewhere — the /nk/ cluster (Hung "dog" vs Standard Hund), unrounded high vowels, and the OHG diphthongs ei/ou — and shifts /k/ systematically to [x]. Mutually unintelligible with Zürich Swiss German.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Walliser German
Water
Wasser
/ʋasːər/
Fire
Fyyr
/fyːr/
Sun
Sunna
/ˈsʊnːa/
Moon
Mánu
/ˈmaːnʊ/
Mother
Mu̜eter
/ˈmuə̯tər/
Father
Vattär
/ˈfatːær/
Eat
ässu
/ˈæsːʊ/
Drink
trichu
/ˈtrɪxʊ/
Love
Liebi
/ˈliə̯bi/
Heart
Härz
/hærts/
Tree
Boum
/bɔʊ̯m/
House
Hus
/huːs/
Dog
Hung
/hʊŋk/
Cat
Chatza
/ˈxatsa/
Hand
Hand
/hand/
Eye
Oig
/ɔɪ̯ɡ/
Hello
Tagwol
/ˈtaɡʋol/
Thank you
Vergälts Gott
/ferˈɡæltsɡot/
One
eis
/æɪ̯s/
Good
güet
/ɡyə̯t/
Sources
- Bohnenberger, Karl (1913) Die Mundart der deutschen Walliser im Heimattal und in den Aussenorten. Frauenfeld: Huber.
- Henzen, Walter (1932) Der Genitiv im heutigen Wallis. PBB 56.
- Christen, Helen et al. (2010) Kleiner Sprachatlas der deutschen Schweiz. Frauenfeld: Huber.
- Glottolog: Highest Alemannic
Words compared
Compared with related Indo-European (Germanic → West → Upper German → Alemannic → Höchstalemannisch) languages
| Meaning | Walliser German | Swiss German | Walser | Early New High German (Luther-era) | Old High German | Old Saxon | Middle High German |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | Wasser /ʋasːər/ | Wasser /vasːər/ | Wasser /vasːər/ | Wasser /ˈvasːər/ | wazzar /ˈwatsar/ | watar /ˈwatar/ | wazzer /ˈwatser/ |
| Fire | Fyyr /fyːr/ | Füür /fyːr/ | Für /fyːr/ | Fewr /foɪ̯r/ | fiur /fiur/ | fiur /fiur/ | viur /viur/ |
| Sun | Sunna /ˈsʊnːa/ | Sunne /sʊnə/ | Sunna /sʊnːa/ | Sonne /ˈzɔnə/ | sunna /ˈsunna/ | sunna /ˈsunːa/ | sunne /ˈzunːə/ |
| Moon | Mánu /ˈmaːnʊ/ | Mond /moːnd/ | Maa /maː/ | Mond /moːnt/ | māno /ˈmaːno/ | māno /ˈmaːno/ | mâne /ˈmaːnə/ |
| Mother | Mu̜eter /ˈmuə̯tər/ | Mueter /muə̯tər/ | Müeter /myə̯tər/ | Mutter /ˈmʊtər/ | muoter /ˈmuotɛr/ | muoder /ˈmuodər/ | muoter /ˈmuoːtər/ |
| Father | Vattär /ˈfatːær/ | Vatter /fatər/ | Atti /atːi/ | Vater /ˈfaːtər/ | fater /ˈfatɛr/ | fader /ˈfadər/ | vater /ˈfatər/ |
| Eat | ässu /ˈæsːʊ/ | ässe /æsə/ | ässe /æsə/ | essen /ˈɛsːən/ | ezzan /ˈetsan/ | etan /ˈetan/ | ezzen /ˈetsən/ |
| Drink | trichu /ˈtrɪxʊ/ | trinke /trɪŋkə/ | trinke /trɪŋkə/ | trincken /ˈtrɪŋkən/ | trinkan /ˈtrinkan/ | drinkan /ˈdrinkan/ | trinken /ˈtrinkən/ |
| Love | Liebi /ˈliə̯bi/ | Liebi /liə̯bi/ | Liebi /liə̯bi/ | Liebe /ˈliːbə/ | minna /ˈminna/ | minnea /ˈminːea/ | minne /ˈminːə/ |
| Heart | Härz /hærts/ | Härz /hærts/ | Hërz /hɛrts/ | Hertz /hɛrt͡s/ | herza /ˈhertsa/ | herta /ˈherta/ | herze /ˈhertsə/ |
| Tree | Boum /bɔʊ̯m/ | Baum /baʊ̯m/ | Boum /boʊm/ | Bawm /baʊm/ | boum /boum/ | bōm /boːm/ | boum /boum/ |
| House | Hus /huːs/ | Huus /huːs/ | Hus /huːs/ | Hauß /haʊs/ | hūs /huːs/ | hūs /huːs/ | hûs /huːs/ |
| Dog | Hung /hʊŋk/ | Hund /hʊnd/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | hunt /hunt/ | hund /hund/ | hunt /hunt/ |
| Cat | Chatza /ˈxatsa/ | Chatz /xats/ | Chatz /xats/ | Katze /ˈkat͡sə/ | kazza /ˈkatsa/ | katta /ˈkatːa/ | katze /ˈkatsə/ |
| Hand | Hand /hand/ | Hand /hand/ | Hand /hant/ | Handt /hant/ | hant /hant/ | hand /hand/ | hant /hant/ |
| Eye | Oig /ɔɪ̯ɡ/ | Aug /aʊ̯ɡ/ | Oug /oʊɡ/ | Aug /aʊk/ | ouga /ˈouɡa/ | ōga /ˈoːɡa/ | ouge /ˈouɡə/ |
| Hello | Tagwol /ˈtaɡʋol/ | Grüezi /ɡryə̯tsi/ | Grüössi /ɡryə̯sːi/ | Gott zum Gruß /ɡɔt t͡sʊm ɡruːs/ | heil /heil/ | heil /heil/ | gegrüezet /ɡəˈɡryːətsət/ |
| Thank you | Vergälts Gott /ferˈɡæltsɡot/ | Merci /mɛrsi/ | Vergelts Gott /fɛrɡɛlts ɡɔt/ | Danck /daŋk/ | danc /daŋk/ | thank /θaŋk/ | danc /daŋk/ |
| One | eis /æɪ̯s/ | eis /æɪ̯s/ | eins /æɪ̯ns/ | eyn /aɪ̯n/ | ein /ein/ | ēn /eːn/ | ein /ein/ |
| Good | güet /ɡyə̯t/ | guet /ɡuə̯t/ | guet /ɡuə̯t/ | gut /ɡuːt/ | guot /ɡuot/ | gōd /ɡoːd/ | guot /ɡuoːt/ |
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