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
31 core words in Walliser German
Water
Wasser
/ʋasːər/
Fire
Fyyr
/fyːr/
Sun
Sunna
/ˈsʊnːa/
Moon
Mánu
/ˈmaːnʊ/
Star
Stäru
/ˈʃtæru/
Mother
Mu̜eter
/ˈmuə̯tər/
Father
Vattär
/ˈfatːær/
I
ich
/ɪç/
You
du
/du/
Name
Namu
/ˈnamu/
Eye
Oig
/ɔɪ̯ɡ/
Hand
Hand
/hand/
Heart
Härz
/hærts/
Love
Liebi
/ˈliə̯bi/
Tree
Boum
/bɔʊ̯m/
House
Hus
/huːs/
Dog
Hung
/hʊŋk/
Cat
Chatza
/ˈxatsa/
Eat
ässu
/ˈæsːʊ/
Drink
trichu
/ˈtrɪxʊ/
One
eis
/æɪ̯s/
Two
zwei
/tsvɛi/
Hello
Tagwol
/ˈtaɡʋol/
Thank you
Vergälts Gott
/ferˈɡæltsɡot/
Good
güet
/ɡyə̯t/
Cuckoo
Gugger
/ˈɡʊɡər/
Computer
Computer
/komˈpjuːtər/
Sushi
Sushi
/ˈsuʃi/
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 | German (Swiss) | Early New High German (Luther-era) | East Franconian | Limburgish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | Wasser /ʋasːər/ | Wasser /vasːər/ | Wasser /vasːər/ | Wasser /ˈvasər/ | Wasser /ˈvasːər/ | Wasser /vasːə/ | water /vatər/ |
| Fire | Fyyr /fyːr/ | Füür /fyːr/ | Für /fyːr/ | Feuer /ˈfɔɪ̯ər/ | Fewr /foɪ̯r/ | Feier /faɪɐ/ | vuur /vyːr/ |
| Sun | Sunna /ˈsʊnːa/ | Sunne /sʊnə/ | Sunna /sʊnːa/ | Sonne /ˈsɔnə/ | Sonne /ˈzɔnə/ | Sunn /sʊn/ | zón /zɔn/ |
| Moon | Mánu /ˈmaːnʊ/ | Mond /moːnd/ | Maa /maː/ | Mond /moːnt/ | Mond /moːnt/ | Maa /maː/ | maon /maːʊn/ |
| Star | Stäru /ˈʃtæru/ | Stärn /ʃtærn/ | Stärn /ʃtærn/ | Stern /ʃtɛrn/ | Stern /ʃtɛrn/ | Stern /ʃtɛrn/ | sjter /ʃtɛr/ |
| Mother | Mu̜eter /ˈmuə̯tər/ | Mueter /muə̯tər/ | Müeter /myə̯tər/ | Mutter /ˈmʊtər/ | Mutter /ˈmʊtər/ | Mudder /mʊdɐ/ | mam /mam/ |
| Father | Vattär /ˈfatːær/ | Vatter /fatər/ | Atti /atːi/ | Vater /ˈfaːtər/ | Vater /ˈfaːtər/ | Vadder /fadɐ/ | pap /pap/ |
| I | ich /ɪç/ | ich /ɪx/ | ich /ix/ | ich /ɪx/ | ich /ɪç/ | i /i/ | ich /ɪç/ |
| You | du /du/ | du /duː/ | du /du/ | du /duː/ | du /duː/ | du /du/ | doe /du/ |
| Name | Namu /ˈnamu/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ | Name /ˈnamə/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ | Nama /ˈnamɐ/ | naam /naːm/ |
| Eye | Oig /ɔɪ̯ɡ/ | Aug /aʊ̯ɡ/ | Oug /oʊɡ/ | Auge /ˈaʊɡə/ | Aug /aʊk/ | Aach /aːx/ | oug /ɔux/ |
| Hand | Hand /hand/ | Hand /hand/ | Hand /hant/ | Hand /hant/ | Handt /hant/ | Hand /hand/ | handj /hanʲ/ |
| Heart | Härz /hærts/ | Härz /hærts/ | Hërz /hɛrts/ | Herz /hɛrts/ | Hertz /hɛrts/ | Herz /hɛrts/ | hart /hart/ |
| Love | Liebi /ˈliə̯bi/ | Liebi /liə̯bi/ | Liebi /liə̯bi/ | Liebe /ˈliːbə/ | Liebe /ˈliːbə/ | Liebe /liːbə/ | leefde /leːfdə/ |
| Tree | Boum /bɔʊ̯m/ | Baum /baʊ̯m/ | Boum /boʊm/ | Baum /baʊm/ | Bawm /baʊm/ | Bauma /baʊmaː/ | boum /bʌʊm/ |
| House | Hus /huːs/ | Huus /huːs/ | Hus /huːs/ | Haus /haʊs/ | Hauß /haʊs/ | Haus /haʊs/ | hoes /huːs/ |
| Dog | Hung /hʊŋk/ | Hund /hʊnd/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | hóndj /hɔnʲ/ |
| Cat | Chatza /ˈxatsa/ | Chatz /xats/ | Chatz /xats/ | Katze /ˈkɑtːsə/ | Katze /ˈkatsə/ | Katz /kats/ | kat /kat/ |
| Eat | ässu /ˈæsːʊ/ | ässe /æsə/ | ässe /æsə/ | essen /ˈɛsn̩/ | essen /ˈɛsːən/ | esse /ɛsə/ | ete /eːtə/ |
| Drink | trichu /ˈtrɪxʊ/ | trinke /trɪŋkə/ | trinke /trɪŋkə/ | trinken /ˈtrɪŋkn̩/ | trincken /ˈtrɪŋkən/ | trinke /trɪŋkə/ | drinke /drɪŋkə/ |
| One | eis /æɪ̯s/ | eis /æɪ̯s/ | eins /æɪ̯ns/ | eins /aɪ̯ns/ | eyn /aɪ̯n/ | ans /ans/ | eine /ɛɪnə/ |
| Two | zwei /tsvɛi/ | zwöi /tsʋøi/ | zwei /tsʋei/ | zwei /tsvai/ | zwey /tsvaɪ/ | zwaa /tsvaː/ | twee /tweː/ |
| Hello | Tagwol /ˈtaɡʋol/ | Grüezi /ɡryə̯tsi/ | Grüössi /ɡryə̯sːi/ | Hallo /haˈloː/ | Gott zum Gruß /ɡɔt tsʊm ɡruːs/ | Grüß Gott /ɡrʏs ɡɔt/ | hallo /halo/ |
| Thank you | Vergälts Gott /ferˈɡæltsɡot/ | Merci /mɛrsi/ | Vergelts Gott /fɛrɡɛlts ɡɔt/ | danke /ˈdaŋkə/ | Danck /daŋk/ | Vergelt's Gott /fɛɐɡɛlts ɡɔt/ | merci /mɛrsi/ |
| Good | güet /ɡyə̯t/ | guet /ɡuə̯t/ | guet /ɡuə̯t/ | gut /ɡuːt/ | gut /ɡuːt/ | guad /ɡuə̯d/ | good /ɡoːt/ |
| Cuckoo | Gugger /ˈɡʊɡər/ | Gugger /ˈɡʊɡər/ | Gugger /ˈɡʊɡər/ | Kuckuck /ˈkʊkʊk/ | gukuk /ˈɡukuk/ | Gutzgauch /ˈɡʊtsɡaʊx/ | kókkók /ˈkoːkoːk/ |
| Computer | Computer /komˈpjuːtər/ | Computer /komˈpjuːtər/ | Computer /komˈpjuːtər/ | Computer /komˈpjuːtər/ | Rechenmeister /ˈrɛçənˌmaɪstər/ | Computer /kɔmˈpjuːdɐ/ | computer /kɔmˈpjuːtər/ |
| Sushi | Sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | Sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | Sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | Sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | Stockfisch /ˈʃtɔkfɪʃ/ | Sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ |
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