A close-up and personal look at Switzerland
One little two letter word and you get a heck of a all-around particle. Add a little intonation and you amplify the expressiveness. Change the position of the word (start, end, alone), and its meaning shifts dramatically. Repeat the word,… Read moreSo – A Swiss German Word for Every Occasion
It’s everywhere there’s no denying that. English words are in the German language to stay. But there are a lot of similarities in the two languages without having to dig around in the fashionable words of today. And when the… Read moreEnglish in the Swiss German Language
November 24, 1972 was the day that Mani Matter died. But let me start at the beginning. Who exactly was Mani Matter and what did he do? If you’re Swiss, then of course you have heard of the man. You… Read moreA Point in Time: 1972 – Mani Matter
What makes a Swiss, Swiss? It can get pretty blurry if you’ve never been here. The non-knowing usually end up with the wrong perception. Typically it is a picture of someone wearing leather shorts, a green hat and drinking beer…. Read moreWhat Makes a Swiss Swiss (part 1)
You’ve just got to love idioms and metaphors. You say one thing and mean something completely different. Literally translating them are lots of fun, too. Understanding them can sometimes be like mental gymnastics. How to do the Impossible German: Wie… Read moreIdioms and Metaphors
Sometimes it tickles me when I hear the Swiss pronunciation of words that I thought were American. Often the words mean the same in both languages and just sound funny. Other times they can mean something completely different. Different Pronunciation Different Meanings… Read moreWhose Pronunciation is Correct?
Back in the days when I was learning German I came across many words that sounded similar to English words. I usually only had to use a word wrong once to learn the German meaning. It’s lots of fun seeing… Read moreSimilar Words with Different Meanings in English and German
English is my mother tongue. I like to think I speak it and write it correctly, too. About 360 million people speak English as their first language. Add that to the population who speak English as an additional language and… Read moreLanguages and Dialects
In Bernese “Zwee”, “Zwo” and “Zwöi” translate into two, two and two. That many, no more and no less. When Ben explained this peculiarity of Bernese he stated that it was “Hohe Schule” [higher education] which I promptly misunderstood. For… Read moreTwo, Two or Two?
Formal or informal? I’ve looked at this question from the Swiss side a couple of times. It’s pretty clear-cut; formal uses Mr. and Ms, informal is first name. After our last trip to the States I realized the American first… Read moreAre we on a First Name Basis?
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