A giggle about Dialekt

This video cracked me up. The poor Pfälzisch guy just wanted to order some flowers for his Mutti but the store clerk couldn't understand him because of his dialect. He mournfully exclaimed that he can't speak Hochdeutsch. With the help of a CD to change his dialect to Hochdeutsch, he was able go back and order the flowers.

I visited Thalia, a book store in town. It's part of a chain but it does have a lot of books and gifts of local interest, including a lot about the Pfalz region (where Kaiserslautern is located). I can somewhat understand what many of the things written in dialect say, but I'll be honest: I understand it only slightly more than what I can understand in written Dutch. I don't know Dutch at all; I can only read bits of it because of learning German, if that gives any indication.

I found out who the big bird is!

I did a bit of research (aka guessing, via Google) and found out that the Elwetritsch wandering around Kaiserslautern is actually the mascot of an electric company. There is some sort of promotion going on that if one spots her and (I believe) sends a picture of a good place for her to hide, there is a possibility of winning a car. At least that's what I understood by quickly perusing the company's website. It's something along those lines.

There are mythical Pfälzisch creatures about!

When I was walking around downtown Kaiserslautern, I saw a lady leading an elwetritsch around!

What is an elwetritsch, you ask? Well, it's a mythical bird known to the Pfälzisch region of Germany. It's like the Pfälzisch version of a snipe, I would assume. It's so famous that Neustadt has a fountain with quite a few of them in it (and I have pictures and more to say about that, but that's a whole other blog entry).

The interesting thing about the elwetritsch I saw was that its human leading it around was soliciting signatures for something. I was super curious about the whole situation but I still felt like an interloper because my German isn't good enough yet to ask about it. So, I just watched from a distance and took some pictures of the mysterious beast.

Pfälzisch Question Answered

I went out to dinner with some colleagues from another part of our institution and one member of the group is from this area and speaks the local German dialect, Pfälzisch. I had heard what sounds like (in English) "doe" being said around here and was curious about that. Our dining companion said that it's like the word "da" but they say "do" (I forgot to ask how it would be spelled so I'm guessing there; maybe it has an umlaut) and it means "there."

So, "do" you go.

German phrases I hear around Kaiserslautern

These are some things in German that I hear often around here. I'm sure I'll add more as I learn more German and recognize more words.

Alles klar = all is clear, or "I get it"
Geil = cool. Be careful with this one; it can also mean "randy."
Ja, ja = yes, yes.
Ach so = I see. Ach kind of sounds like "ah." I hear this one a lot and it usually stands alone in a sentence when the listener is confirming that she understands what the speaker just said.
Nä = no, used instead of or in addition to nein. It's a regional thing I've been told and it sounds like "nay."

and the top one...

Genau = exactly; you're right. Goodness! I feel like I'm being genaued to death around here. People say it ALL THE TIME.

No...nä! Being a naysayer in Pfälzich German

To be successful in learning a language, it is very important to immerse oneself in the language. Moving to the area of interest and listening to native speakers is very helpful. However, since language is a dynamic construction with almost a life of its own, it can also be confusing to hear the language in practice.

One reason for this is regional dialects. German, which I am currently learning, is full of many dialects, to the point that sometimes native speakers from different parts of the country can barely understand each other (again, the poor Bavarians come to mind; no one outside of Bavaria reports ease in understanding them).

I'm still very much a beginner in German, but I can hear some of the differences in the regional dialect of where I'm living, in the Rhineland-Pfalz. For example, speakers here say that "ch" sound more like a "sh" sound where in Hochdeutsch (the "school book" type German), that sound is more of like the sound of "loch" in Scottish. For a native English speaker, the "ch" sound from Hochdeutsch can be very difficult to learn and get right. Even when a person feels that she has it perfect, someone will of course correct her (not that this has happened to me or anything ;) I am tempted to adopt my local area's "sh" sound, such as saying ich like ish, but then again I would prefer to speak what is accepted as "standard" German. Plus, my very patient German teacher worked so hard with me to develop the "ch" sound that I feel that it would be best to put it to use.

Another regional sound I've heard is what sounds like "nay," which confers the negative. People use it instead of the traditional "nein" for no. I was curious about this; after all, in German, there are different ways to express the negative: nein, nicht, and nicht. I asked the teacher from the German class I am taking. She said that "nay" is part of the Pfälzich regional dialect and it's like saying "nein." I asked how to spell it and she noted that there are different ways but she suggested "nä." She said it's also common for people to say it like "nä nä nä." 

In contrast to all the no no nos I've heard, there is also the common "ja ja" that people here say, which is like saying "yeah, yeah" in agreement. It has been interesting to see the actual language in action, for sure.

You say potato...I say crooked berry.

I am taking a German class from the adult enrichment program. Even though I've had lessons in the past year and this is a basics class, it's a nice refresher for me. What's really nice is that the teacher is from this area and has an extensive knowledge of it.

There is standard German, which is called Hochdeutsch, and it is what would be learned in school. That is the focus of the class. However, in the German language, there are regional dialects and varieties, just as there are in other languages. In this area, which is called Rhineland Pfalz, the Pfälzisch dialect is spoken. Our teacher is filling us in on some of the differences.

For example, the standard word for potato is Kartoffel. However, one of our classmates said her neighbor called it a "Grumbeer," and was confused. Our teacher told us that it's the local word for potato and it literally means "crooked berry." That's not bad, eh? However, most people would just call it a Kartoffel.

And, the poor Bavarians (those in Bavaria, which is the south of Germany): I've heard Germans from all over say that they can barely understand the folks from their because their regional accent is so strong.