Thoughts on learning Swiss German?

Learning some German is definitely a good idea. Even though Swiss German is virtually incomprehensible to speakers of Standard German (Hochdeutsch), Swiss German doesn't really exist in written form. Therefore, knowledge of Standard German will allow you to read menus, signs, etc. Since I know some German, is was odd for me since I could read all the signs but didn't know what the heck anyone was saying. Also, German Swiss people learn standard German in school and are able to switch back and forth effortlessly. Since many speak limited English, again, knowledge of standard German can help you communicate. I'd suggest just learning a few Swiss German pleasantries, such as "Gruetzi" (Hello) and "Merci" (Thanks, pronounced not like French but MER-ci with the stress on the first syllable. Good luck / Viel Glueck!

I do fine there with "regular" German. As Will pointed out, you will be able to read most everything, although there are some unique Swiss terms used on menus, which you will quickly learn. The people will understand you and answer in standard Hochdeutsch in most cases. I actually have more trouble understanding, and being understood, in Bavaria than in Switzerland. It is a good idea to learn the greetings. Unless you are alone, you will generally hear "Grüezi Miteinan" which short for " miteinander" or " among ourselves", in a sort of sing-song cadence.

Thank you all for your replies, they were very helpful. It's back to work for me to learn as much German as I can before our trip. Now if it would just stay in my brain!

Of course there is a written version of the different German dialects. There is a dialect for every region that speaks German, whether it is the various towns in Austria, Bavaria, Hessen, or Switzerland and they certainly know how to write it down. If you don't know German, you wouldn't notice it though. Even in Frankfurt, they have ads in Frankfurt dialect. Have seem similar ones in Cologne or Munich. So, to help you with your Swiss German: http://www.eldrid.ch/swgerman.htm http://www.dialektwoerter.ch/ch/a.html

Hello Barbara,
I was talking to a Swiss resident and she noted that Swiss German is different that German German.....sort of like people in different regions of our country have different names and pronounciations for some things. I' ve run into some Swiss people who speak only French and won't speak German. I think learning a few phrases would be of some benefit and while many do speak English, many do not. Either way, you'll have a great time in a beautiful and expensive country.

The good thing about learning proper German is people will understand you no matter where you are. I equate Swiss German, and to some extent Bavarian and Austrian German, to U.S. southern accents. They take a little getting used to. For some they are completely incomprehensible. I find myself first mentally translating it to German so I can then mentally translate it to English. I'm sure, during that time, my face has a little hour glass icon on it. :)

"For some they are completely incomprehensible." Include me with that "some". First time I heard Swiss German on the radio, I wondered why there was a Scandinavian-language station in Switzerland. Then when I concentrated on the words, I realized that it was, in fact, German. It has a sing-songy cadence, though, that sounds very foreign if you're accustomed to Standard German. To me, a native English speaker, it would be comparable to an entire country speaking English like the Swedish Chef.

I came across this interesting statement on another forum: "My Swiss friend tells me that when he is away, he has a great deal of trouble writing to his wife (they are both from Zurich) because to write in High German feels like a formal document, while he doesn't know how to write in dialect" It's kind of hard to imagine not being able to write in your native language (dialect) that you use all day in your work and at home. It may be that younger German Swiss these days are more comfortable writing dialect owing to proliferation of super-informal modes of writing such as texting, Facebook, etc.

Will, I can remember a German woman from Schwaben telling me that she is not comfortable speaking standard German (Hoch Deutsch), because she feels like she is putting on "airs". You do realize that the various German dialects are not written. They are only spoken; "Hoch Deutsch" is the only officially written German. True, many people have tried to create dialect dictionaries, but they are putting down the spoken dialect phonetically.

German is phonetic anyway, so what is the difference? You can buy books written in Hessisch for example. Like Astirix and Obelisk. If you do not speak Hessisch, you will not understand this written form. If you couldn't write it down, how is this possible? Plays in Hessisch are popular here as is caberet and even ads. Only people who speak this understand the ad. Doing a little bit of research about Swiss German with Google will lead you to dozens of websites about literature, poems, songs, etc. written in Swiss German. Dictionaries abound with all the various dialects written down in them. Plays are produced in these dialects. It is much more than an accent too, for those who think it is similar to the difference between someone from New York and someone from Texas. It isn't. Edit: For those of you who can read German, this website is fun to use, as it shows all the different words used in German speaking lands for the same thing. For example, potato pancake. It also shows how much alike certain German dialects are to each other. Enjoy!
http://www.philhist.uni-augsburg.de/de/lehrstuehle/germanistik/sprachwissenschaft/ada/runde_7/f01e/

As far as Swiss German goes, most Swiss will still be able to speak High German as well as Swiss German. Learn a few greetings typical of Switzerland (like Gruetzi!), and you should be fine. I agree that you receive better reception when you can speak a bit of the language (the difference last weekend between my husband and I at a Venetian restaurant versus another couple who didn't speak a word of Italian was enormous) but if you speak German to the waitstaff, etc, they will often be happy enough. Here are some phrases. http://wikitravel.org/en/Swiss-German_phrasebook. Likely, you will not understand their Swiss German but they will understand your German.