Schwäbisch
Swabian
Indo-European
Swabian (autonymously Schwäbisch) is an Upper German Alemannic variety, spoken by around 800,000 people in southwestern Germany — primarily in Baden-Württemberg around Stuttgart, the Black Forest, and the Swabian Jura, with smaller populations in Bavarian Swabia around Augsburg. Swabian is famously the dialect of the Stuttgart region — home to Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Bosch, and the historic Daimler/Benz origin of the German automotive industry. Linguistically, Swabian is part of the Alemannic family alongside Swiss German (gsw) and Alsatian, with distinctive features including the Swabian /a/ → /ɔ/ shift, the diminutive suffix -le replacing Standard German -lein, and characteristic phrases like "Grüß Gott" and "Danggschee". Despite vibrant numbers, UNESCO classifies Swabian as vulnerable due to relentless Standard German pressure in education, media, and urban areas.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Swabian
Water
Wasser
/vasə/
Fire
Feuer
/foiɐ/
Sun
Sonne
/sonə/
Moon
Mond
/moːnd/
Mother
Mädder
/mɛdɐ/
Father
Vadder
/fadɐ/
Eat
essa
/ɛsə/
Drink
drengga
/dɾɛŋɡə/
Love
Liab
/liə̯b/
Heart
Herz
/hɛɐts/
Tree
Baum
/baum/
House
Hous
/haus/
Dog
Hond
/hond/
Cat
Katz
/kats/
Hand
Hand
/hand/
Eye
Aug
/aʊɡ/
Hello
Grüß Gott
/ɡryːs ɡɔt/
Thank you
Danggschee
/daŋkʃeː/
One
oine
/ɔinə/
Good
guad
/ɡuə̯d/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Indo-European languages
| Meaning | Swabian | East Franconian | Bavarian | Swiss German | Kölsch | Walser | German |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | Wasser /vasə/ | Wasser /vasːə/ | Wåssa /vɔsɐ/ | Wasser /vasːər/ | Wasser /vasɐ/ | Wasser /vasːər/ | Wasser /vasɐ/ |
| Fire | Feuer /foiɐ/ | Feier /faɪɐ/ | Feia /fɔɪɐ/ | Füür /fyːr/ | Füer /fyːɐ/ | Für /fyːr/ | Feuer /fɔɪ̯ɐ/ |
| Sun | Sonne /sonə/ | Sunn /sʊn/ | Sun /sʊn/ | Sunne /sʊnə/ | Sonn /zɔn/ | Sunna /sʊnːa/ | Sonne /zɔnə/ |
| Moon | Mond /moːnd/ | Maa /maː/ | Moo /moː/ | Mond /moːnd/ | Mond /moːnt/ | Maa /maː/ | Mond /moːnt/ |
| Mother | Mädder /mɛdɐ/ | Mudder /mʊdɐ/ | Muada /muɐdɐ/ | Mueter /muə̯tər/ | Moder /moːdɐ/ | Müeter /myə̯tər/ | Mutter /mʊtɐ/ |
| Father | Vadder /fadɐ/ | Vadder /fadɐ/ | Voda /foɐdɐ/ | Vatter /fatər/ | Vatter /fatɐ/ | Atti /atːi/ | Vater /faːtɐ/ |
| Eat | essa /ɛsə/ | esse /ɛsə/ | essn /ɛsn̩/ | ässe /æsə/ | esse /ɛsə/ | ässe /æsə/ | essen /ɛsn̩/ |
| Drink | drengga /dɾɛŋɡə/ | trinke /trɪŋkə/ | dringa /dɾɪŋɡɐ/ | trinke /trɪŋkə/ | drinke /dʁɪŋkə/ | trinke /trɪŋkə/ | trinken /tʁɪŋkn̩/ |
| Love | Liab /liə̯b/ | Liebe /liːbə/ | Liab /liɐb/ | Liebi /liə̯bi/ | Leev /leːf/ | Liebi /liə̯bi/ | Liebe /liːbə/ |
| Heart | Herz /hɛɐts/ | Herz /hɛrts/ | Heaz /hɛɐts/ | Härz /hærts/ | Hätz /hɛts/ | Hërz /hɛrts/ | Herz /hɛʁt͡s/ |
| Tree | Baum /baum/ | Bauma /baʊmaː/ | Bam /bãm/ | Baum /baʊ̯m/ | Boum /baʊm/ | Boum /boʊm/ | Baum /baʊ̯m/ |
| House | Hous /haus/ | Haus /haʊs/ | Haus /haʊs/ | Huus /huːs/ | Huus /huːs/ | Hus /huːs/ | Haus /haʊ̯s/ |
| Dog | Hond /hond/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnd/ | Hund /hʊnd/ | Hongk /hoŋk/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ |
| Cat | Katz /kats/ | Katz /kats/ | Katz /kʰats/ | Chatz /xats/ | Katz /kats/ | Chatz /xats/ | Katze /kat͡sə/ |
| Hand | Hand /hand/ | Hand /hand/ | Hand /hɔnd/ | Hand /hand/ | Hand /hant/ | Hand /hant/ | Hand /hant/ |
| Eye | Aug /aʊɡ/ | Aach /aːx/ | Aug /aʊɡ/ | Aug /aʊ̯ɡ/ | Auch /aʊx/ | Oug /oʊɡ/ | Auge /aʊ̯ɡə/ |
| Hello | Grüß Gott /ɡryːs ɡɔt/ | Grüß Gott /ɡrʏs ɡɔt/ | Servus /sɛɐvʊs/ | Grüezi /ɡryə̯tsi/ | Tach /tax/ | Grüössi /ɡryə̯sːi/ | Hallo /haloː/ |
| Thank you | Danggschee /daŋkʃeː/ | Vergelt's Gott /fɛɐɡɛlts ɡɔt/ | Vagelts Gott /fɐɡɛlts ɡɔt/ | Merci /mɛrsi/ | Dankeschön /daŋkəʃøːn/ | Vergelts Gott /fɛrɡɛlts ɡɔt/ | Danke /daŋkə/ |
| One | oine /ɔinə/ | ans /ans/ | oans /oɐns/ | eis /æɪ̯s/ | ein /aɪn/ | eins /æɪ̯ns/ | eins /aɪ̯ns/ |
| Good | guad /ɡuə̯d/ | guad /ɡuə̯d/ | guad /ɡuɐd/ | guet /ɡuə̯t/ | joot /joːt/ | guet /ɡuə̯t/ | gut /ɡuːt/ |
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