NilsBriggenandClaude Opus 5.5
6f5a752c85
locales/BAERNDUETSCH.md collects the rules from 138 corrected sentences: spelling (i rather than y/ii, st rather than scht, no apostrophes, l -> u), fused words (chumeni, woni, wed, ufe), the indefinite article e, dative am/ar, verb forms and a word list. gsw.json follows them. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
104 lines
4.9 KiB
Markdown
104 lines
4.9 KiB
Markdown
# Writing Bärndütsch
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Rules for `gsw.json` (and any other Bernese text), taken from a native
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speaker's corrections. Read this before writing a single word; it wins over
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anything that looks like a rule elsewhere. The general translator rules and
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terms are in [GLOSSARY.md](GLOSSARY.md).
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Swiss German has no fixed spelling: write it the way it sounds, as one
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person from Bern would type it in a chat. When unsure, pick the spelling that
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reads closest to the spoken words, and stay consistent within the file.
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Examples: ✓ is the native speaker's version, ✗ what was written before.
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## Spelling
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1. **i, not y or ii.** Write a plain `i`, also for long i sounds. `y` is only
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seen now and then, and then means a long i; `ii` and `y` read as
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old-fashioned here.
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- ✓ Zit, gli, Gliche, Site, Triber, ichoufe, mim, sis, sig
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- ✗ Zyt, gly, Glyche, Siite, Triiber, ychoufe, mym, sys, syg
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- Keep `ii` only where it is two sounds: Freii, nöii (frei + i, nöi + i),
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and for the separable *ein-* standing alone, which would otherwise read
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as `i` (*ich*, *in*): Steck dis ii, stöu das ii, Stumm ii/us. Joined to
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its verb it is one `i`: ichoufe, isteckt, igstellt, Istellige.
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- `sy` survives as the verb *sein* (I las la sy); *sind* is `si`.
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2. **st, not scht,** where German writes st: the reader says it "scht"
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anyway. ✓ Herbst ✗ Herbscht. Words that are clearly said and written with
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sch stay: geschter, Luscht, Samschti, Donnschti, ersch, glöscht.
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3. **l becomes u** before a consonant and at the end of a word, everywhere:
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Waud, Miuch, aut, chaut, Gäut, viu, Kanau, Profiu, schnäu, Viertu,
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häufe, Doppuklick, and imperatives too: ✓ Steu dr Ton ab ✗ Stell.
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4. **nd between vowels becomes ng:** Ching, Hung, unger, hinger, Hüngli.
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5. **No apostrophes.** Joined words are written as one:
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✓ mers, gibes, sägs, has, hets, öbs, geits ✗ mer's, gibe's, säg's, ha's.
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6. Final d/t follows the sound; both are fine (Gäut/Gäud).
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## Words that join
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7. **Pronouns after a verb or `wo` fuse with it,** because nobody says them
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apart. Writing them apart tells a Bernese reader they're spoken apart.
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- ✓ chumeni, bini, chämi, woni, mitere, ufe Chnopf
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- ✗ chumen i, bin i, chäm i, won i, mit ere, uf e Chnopf
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8. **wenn / we, und / u:** keep the full word before a vowel sound (it links
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better, like French liaison), shorten it before a consonant:
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- wenn er, wenn i, Wenn e App · we d App, we me, we sech
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- und es schneit · u lueg
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- *wenn du* → `wed` (or `we de`), *wenn es* → `wes`, *wo du* → `wod`.
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Only for *du*: before the article `d` (*die*) the words stay apart,
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✓ O we d App wider startet ✗ O wed App.
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9. **Indefinite article `e`,** also before vowels (no `en` or `ne`):
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✓ e Ofe, e Öpfu, scho e Szene ✗ en Ofe, en Öpfu, scho ne Szene.
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(`ne` stays as the pronoun *ihn/ihm*: beweg ne.) `ä` is a spelling of the
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same word some people use (Ä Momänt).
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## Grammar
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10. **Dative objects take `am` / `ar`:** ✓ I gibes am Vatter, I gibes ar
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Mueter ✗ em Vatter, dr Mueter. After a preposition `em` is fine
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(uf em Tisch, mit em Soundserver), and plural `de` (mit de Ching).
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11. **Possession:** «mim Brüetsch sis Outo» (dative owner + sis/ihre).
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12. **Verbs:**
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- si (sind), mir si, dir syt, si hei
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- I ga (and `I gah ga ichoufe`), du geisch, är geit
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- I würd (not wür), är sig (*sei*)
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- ligt (not lit)
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- *lassen* doubles: I las la sy, är lat ds Outo la flicke
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- Prefer `mache` over `tue` for doing something: I mache das nid.
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The imperative of *tun* is `Due`: Due d Tür zue.
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13. **Adjectives in the plural end in -i:** di aktuelli Lutsterchi (plural),
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but dr aktuelle Lutsterchi (singular, feminine dative).
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14. **Pronouns:** im (*ihm*), dr (unstressed *dir*: Wie geits dr?),
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sech (*sich*), allei (*allein*).
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## Words
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| German | Bärndütsch | Not |
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|---|---|---|
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| fünf, zehn | füf, zä | föif, zäh |
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| zwei (all genders) | zwöi (zwe Manne also fine) | zwo Froue |
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| Montag … Sonntag | Mänti, Zischti, Mittwuch, Donnschti, Friti, Samschti, Sunnti | Mäntig, Zischtig … |
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| immer | geng | gäng |
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| später | später | speter |
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| zu Hause | dehei (daheim also heard) | deheim |
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| schau mal | lueg mau | lueg emau |
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| tschüss, bis bald | Tschüss, bis gli | Ciao, bis gly |
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| ungefähr | öppe | |
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| Bruder | Brüetsch | Brueder |
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| Kätzchen | Büsi, Chätzli | |
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| einen Moment | Ä Momänt | Es Momäntli (correct, but nobody says it here) |
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| alle 2 Sekunden | au 2 Sekunde | aui 2 Sekunde |
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| komm her | Chumm da häre | Chumm häre |
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| sei, sind | sig, si | syg, sy |
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| wieder | wider (wieder also fine) | |
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## App terms
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Decided earlier with the same speaker; keep them:
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- Ducking stays English (as in German UIs): Ducking, duckt.
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- Pick up (soft takeover): Übernäh; a fader *übernimmt ersch, wenn er d
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Lutsterchi erreicht*.
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- Rename: umbenenne (not umtoufe, which comes from *taufen*).
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- Learn: aalehre. Strip: Kanau. Volume: Lutsterchi.
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