SlideWire/locales/BAERNDUETSCH.md

Writing Bärndütsch

Rules for gsw.json (and any other Bernese text), taken from a native speaker's corrections. Read this before writing a single word; it wins over anything that looks like a rule elsewhere. The general translator rules and terms are in GLOSSARY.md.

Swiss German has no fixed spelling: write it the way it sounds, as one person from Bern would type it in a chat. When unsure, pick the spelling that reads closest to the spoken words, and stay consistent within the file.

Examples: ✓ is the native speaker's version, ✗ what was written before.

Spelling

1. i, not y or ii. Write a plain i, also for long i sounds. y is only seen now and then, and then means a long i; ii and y read as old-fashioned here.
   • ✓ Zit, gli, Gliche, Site, Triber, ichoufe, mim, sis, sig
   • ✗ Zyt, gly, Glyche, Siite, Triiber, ychoufe, mym, sys, syg
   • Keep ii only where it is two sounds: Freii, nöii (frei + i, nöi + i), and for the separable ein- standing alone, which would otherwise read as i (ich, in): Steck dis ii, stöu das ii, Stumm ii/us. Joined to its verb it is one i: ichoufe, isteckt, igstellt, Istellige.
   • sy survives as the verb sein (I las la sy); sind is si.
2. st, not scht, where German writes st: the reader says it "scht" anyway. ✓ Herbst ✗ Herbscht. Words that are clearly said and written with sch stay: geschter, Luscht, Samschti, Donnschti, ersch, glöscht.
3. l becomes u before a consonant and at the end of a word, everywhere: Waud, Miuch, aut, chaut, Gäut, viu, Kanau, Profiu, schnäu, Viertu, häufe, Doppuklick, and imperatives too: ✓ Steu dr Ton ab ✗ Stell.
4. nd between vowels becomes ng: Ching, Hung, unger, hinger, Hüngli.
5. No apostrophes. Joined words are written as one: ✓ mers, gibes, sägs, has, hets, öbs, geits ✗ mer's, gibe's, säg's, ha's.
6. Final d/t follows the sound; both are fine (Gäut/Gäud).

Words that join

7. Pronouns after a verb or wo fuse with it, because nobody says them apart. Writing them apart tells a Bernese reader they're spoken apart.
   • ✓ chumeni, bini, chämi, woni, mitere, ufe Chnopf
   • ✗ chumen i, bin i, chäm i, won i, mit ere, uf e Chnopf
8. wenn / we, und / u: keep the full word before a vowel sound (it links better, like French liaison), shorten it before a consonant:
   • wenn er, wenn i, Wenn e App · we d App, we me, we sech
   • und es schneit · u lueg
   • wenn du → wed (or we de), wenn es → wes, wo du → wod. Only for du: before the article d (die) the words stay apart, ✓ O we d App wider startet ✗ O wed App.
9. Indefinite article e, also before vowels (no en or ne): ✓ e Ofe, e Öpfu, scho e Szene ✗ en Ofe, en Öpfu, scho ne Szene. (ne stays as the pronoun ihn/ihm: beweg ne.) ä is a spelling of the same word some people use (Ä Momänt).

Grammar

10. Dative objects take am / ar: ✓ I gibes am Vatter, I gibes ar Mueter ✗ em Vatter, dr Mueter. After a preposition em is fine (uf em Tisch, mit em Soundserver), and plural de (mit de Ching).
11. Possession: «mim Brüetsch sis Outo» (dative owner + sis/ihre).
12. Verbs:
    • si (sind), mir si, dir syt, si hei
    • I ga (and I gah ga ichoufe), du geisch, är geit
    • I würd (not wür), är sig (sei)
    • ligt (not lit)
    • lassen doubles: I las la sy, är lat ds Outo la flicke
    • Prefer mache over tue for doing something: I mache das nid. The imperative of tun is Due: Due d Tür zue.
13. Adjectives in the plural end in -i: di aktuelli Lutsterchi (plural), but dr aktuelle Lutsterchi (singular, feminine dative).
14. Pronouns: im (ihm), dr (unstressed dir: Wie geits dr?), sech (sich), allei (allein).

Words

German	Bärndütsch	Not
fünf, zehn	füf, zä	föif, zäh
zwei (all genders)	zwöi (zwe Manne also fine)	zwo Froue
Montag … Sonntag	Mänti, Zischti, Mittwuch, Donnschti, Friti, Samschti, Sunnti	Mäntig, Zischtig …
immer	geng	gäng
später	später	speter
zu Hause	dehei (daheim also heard)	deheim
schau mal	lueg mau	lueg emau
tschüss, bis bald	Tschüss, bis gli	Ciao, bis gly
ungefähr	öppe
Bruder	Brüetsch	Brueder
Kätzchen	Büsi, Chätzli
einen Moment	Ä Momänt	Es Momäntli (correct, but nobody says it here)
alle 2 Sekunden	au 2 Sekunde	aui 2 Sekunde
komm her	Chumm da häre	Chumm häre
sei, sind	sig, si	syg, sy
wieder	wider (wieder also fine)

App terms

Decided earlier with the same speaker; keep them:

• Ducking stays English (as in German UIs): Ducking, duckt.
• Pick up (soft takeover): Übernäh; a fader übernimmt ersch, wenn er d Lutsterchi erreicht.
• Rename: umbenenne (not umtoufe, which comes from taufen).
• Learn: aalehre. Strip: Kanau. Volume: Lutsterchi.