Foreigners living in Switzerland’s French and Italian-speaking regions have it (relatively) easy: most, if not all, of expressions related to Christmas and holiday season in general, are the same as in France and Italy: Joyeux Noël et Bonne Nouvelle Année in French, and Buon Natale e Buon Anno in Italian.
(If you want to cover Switzerland’s entire linguistic scope, those two expressions are Bellas festas da Nadel and Vantirevel Bumang in Romansh).
What about Switzerland’s most prevalent language, Swiss-German?
You can, of course spread good wishes and good cheer in standard German, which everyone understands just fine, though they probably won’t admit that they do.
It is fair to say that Swiss people understand Germans much better than vice-versa; many arrivals from Germany will tell you, in fact, that Swiss German is an entirely different language.
But is there really a difference between these two languages?
Well, you be the judge.
Let’s look at how Christmas expressions differ one from another:
Merry Christmas in standard German: Frohe Weihnachten
Merry Christmas in Swiss German: Schöni Wiehnacht
Happy Holidays in German: Schöne Feiertage, in Swiss German, Schöni Festtage
Christmas tree: Weihnachtsbaum in German, versus the Swiss German version: Wiehnachtsbuum
Christmas presents are Geschenke in German and Geschenkli in Swiss
In Germany, Santa Claus is Weihnachtsmann, but in Swiss-German regions, he morphs into Samichlaus
Christmas carol is Weihnachtslied in German and Wiehnachtsliedeli in Switzerland.
Last but not least, if you want to wish some a Happy New Year in Germany, just say Frohes Neues Jahr.
In Swiss German it is more of a tongue twister: E guets Nöis! or Gleckliches Nejohr!
And if you would like to hear what a universal Wiehnachtsliederli sounds like in Swiss German, you can listen to it here.
At least the music is not lost in translation!
READ ALSO: Is it better to learn Hochdeutsch or Swiss German?
Comments