Kölsch
Indo-European (Germanic, West, High German, Central, Ripuarian)
Kölsch is the Ripuarian Franconian dialect of Cologne and immediate surroundings — a West Central German variety distinct from both Standard German (it has not undergone all the High German Consonant Shift stages: e.g., "Aug" not "Auge", "joot" not "gut") and from Low German further north. Strong urban identity tied to the city of Cologne, with Kölsch-language carnival songs (Karneval), Kölsche Bier culture, and the Akademie för uns kölsche Sproch promoting linguistic codification (1983). Recognized as a separate language by Ethnologue and Glottolog despite German government treating it as a dialect.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Kölsch
Water
Wasser
/vasɐ/
Fire
Füer
/fyːɐ/
Sun
Sonn
/zɔn/
Moon
Mond
/moːnt/
Star
Stään
/ʃtɛːn/
Mother
Moder
/moːdɐ/
Father
Vatter
/fatɐ/
I
ich
/ɪɕ/
You
do
/doː/
Name
Name
/ˈnaːmə/
Eye
Auch
/aʊx/
Hand
Hand
/hant/
Heart
Hätz
/hɛts/
Love
Leev
/leːf/
Tree
Boum
/baʊm/
House
Huus
/huːs/
Dog
Hongk
/hoŋk/
Cat
Katz
/kats/
Eat
esse
/ɛsə/
Drink
drinke
/dʁɪŋkə/
One
ein
/aɪn/
Two
zwei
/tsvai/
Hello
Tach
/tax/
Thank you
Dankeschön
/daŋkəʃøːn/
Good
joot
/joːt/
Computer
Computer
/komˈpjuːtɐ/
Sushi
Sushi
/ˈzuʃi/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Indo-European (Germanic, West, High German, Central, Ripuarian) languages
| Meaning | Kölsch | German | German (Luxembourgish) | German (Austrian) | Low German | German (Swiss) | Early New High German (Luther-era) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | Wasser /vasɐ/ | Wasser /vasɐ/ | Wasser /vasɐ/ | Wasser /vasɐ/ | Water /vɑːtɐ/ | Wasser /ˈvasər/ | Wasser /ˈvasːər/ |
| Fire | Füer /fyːɐ/ | Feuer /fɔɪ̯ɐ/ | Feuer /fɔɪ̯ɐ/ | Feuer /fɔɪɐ/ | Füer /fyːɐ/ | Feuer /ˈfɔɪ̯ər/ | Fewr /foɪ̯r/ |
| Sun | Sonn /zɔn/ | Sonne /zɔnə/ | Sonne /zɔnə/ | Sonne /sɔnə/ | Sünn /zʏn/ | Sonne /ˈsɔnə/ | Sonne /ˈzɔnə/ |
| Moon | Mond /moːnt/ | Mond /moːnt/ | Mond /moːnt/ | Mond /moːnt/ | Maan /maːn/ | Mond /moːnt/ | Mond /moːnt/ |
| Star | Stään /ʃtɛːn/ | Stern /ʃtɛʁn/ | Stern /ʃtɛʁn/ | Stern /ʃtɛʁn/ | Steern /steːrn/ | Stern /ʃtɛrn/ | Stern /ʃtɛrn/ |
| Mother | Moder /moːdɐ/ | Mutter /mʊtɐ/ | Mutter /mʊtɐ/ | Mutter /mʊtɐ/ | Moder /moːdɐ/ | Mutter /ˈmʊtər/ | Mutter /ˈmʊtər/ |
| Father | Vatter /fatɐ/ | Vater /faːtɐ/ | Vater /faːtɐ/ | Vater /fɑːtɐ/ | Vader /fɑːdɐ/ | Vater /ˈfaːtər/ | Vater /ˈfaːtər/ |
| I | ich /ɪɕ/ | ich /ɪç/ | ich /ɪç/ | ich /ɪç/ | ik /ɪk/ | ich /ɪx/ | ich /ɪç/ |
| You | do /doː/ | du /duː/ | du /duː/ | du /duː/ | du /duː/ | du /duː/ | du /duː/ |
| Name | Name /ˈnaːmə/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ | Naam /naːm/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ |
| Eye | Auch /aʊx/ | Auge /aʊ̯ɡə/ | Auge /aʊ̯ɡə/ | Auge /aːɡə/ | Oog /oːx/ | Auge /ˈaʊɡə/ | Aug /aʊk/ |
| Hand | Hand /hant/ | Hand /hant/ | Hand /hant/ | Hand /hɑnt/ | Hand /hant/ | Hand /hant/ | Handt /hant/ |
| Heart | Hätz /hɛts/ | Herz /hɛʁts/ | Herz /hɛʁts/ | Herz /hɛɐts/ | Hart /haɐt/ | Herz /hɛrts/ | Hertz /hɛrts/ |
| Love | Leev /leːf/ | Liebe /liːbə/ | Liebe /liːbə/ | Liebe /liːbə/ | Leev /leːf/ | Liebe /ˈliːbə/ | Liebe /ˈliːbə/ |
| Tree | Boum /baʊm/ | Baum /baʊ̯m/ | Baum /baʊ̯m/ | Baum /baːm/ | Boom /boːm/ | Baum /baʊm/ | Bawm /baʊm/ |
| House | Huus /huːs/ | Haus /haʊ̯s/ | Haus /haʊ̯s/ | Haus /haʊs/ | Huus /huːs/ | Haus /haʊs/ | Hauß /haʊs/ |
| Dog | Hongk /hoŋk/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ |
| Cat | Katz /kats/ | Katze /katsə/ | Katze /katsə/ | Katze /kɑtsə/ | Katt /kat/ | Katze /ˈkɑtːsə/ | Katze /ˈkatsə/ |
| Eat | esse /ɛsə/ | essen /ɛsn̩/ | essen /ɛsn̩/ | essen /ɛsn̩/ | eten /eːtn̩/ | essen /ˈɛsn̩/ | essen /ˈɛsːən/ |
| Drink | drinke /dʁɪŋkə/ | trinken /tʁɪŋkn̩/ | trinken /tʁɪŋkn̩/ | trinken /tʁɪŋkŋ/ | drinken /drɪŋkn̩/ | trinken /ˈtrɪŋkn̩/ | trincken /ˈtrɪŋkən/ |
| One | ein /aɪn/ | eins /aɪ̯ns/ | eins /aɪ̯ns/ | oans /ɑːns/ | een /eːn/ | eins /aɪ̯ns/ | eyn /aɪ̯n/ |
| Two | zwei /tsvai/ | zwei /tsvaɪ/ | zwei /tsvaɪ/ | zwei /tsvai/ | twee /tveː/ | zwei /tsvai/ | zwey /tsvaɪ/ |
| Hello | Tach /tax/ | Hallo /haloː/ | Hallo /haloː/ | Servus /zɛɐvʊs/ | Moin /mɔɪn/ | Hallo /haˈloː/ | Gott zum Gruß /ɡɔt tsʊm ɡruːs/ |
| Thank you | Dankeschön /daŋkəʃøːn/ | danke /daŋkə/ | danke /daŋkə/ | Danke /daŋkə/ | Dankschöön /daŋkʃøːn/ | danke /ˈdaŋkə/ | Danck /daŋk/ |
| Good | joot /joːt/ | gut /ɡuːt/ | gut /ɡuːt/ | gut /ɡuːt/ | good /ɡoːt/ | gut /ɡuːt/ | gut /ɡuːt/ |
| Computer | Computer /komˈpjuːtɐ/ | Computer /kɔmˈpjuːtɐ/ | — | Computer /kɔmˈpjuːtɐ/ | Computer /kɔmˈpjuːtɐ/ | Computer /komˈpjuːtər/ | Rechenmeister /ˈrɛçənˌmaɪstər/ |
| Sushi | Sushi /ˈzuʃi/ | Sushi /ˈzuːʃi/ | — | Sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | Sushi /ˈzuʃi/ | Sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | Stockfisch /ˈʃtɔkfɪʃ/ |
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