Basel German

Basel German or Baseldytsch (also Baseldütsch, Baslerdüütsch, Baseldeutsch) is the dialect of the city of Basel, Switzerland. Among the Swiss German dialects, it is the only Low Alemannic one.

Basel German is characterised by aspirates /kʰ, tʰ, pʰ/ which are absent or at least less common in other dialects. Compare Basel German Khind (usually spelled Kind), pronounced more or less as Standard German Kind, with Chind with initial /x-/, used in all other Swiss German dialects, with the exception of the dialect of Chur. Thus, Basel German didn't complete the second Germanic sound shift (High German consonant shift). Nowadays, many speakers pronounce the /x-/ (or [χ], to be more exact), however. There are nevertheless still words that are never pronounced with /x-/, for example kenne (Standard German kennen, to know) or Keenig/König (Standard German König). Typically, words from Standard German or Latin are pronounced with aspirated /kʰ, pʰ, tʰ/, too, which is not or only to a lesser extent done in other dialects.

Examples: phee or pee (name of letter), phalte or bhalte (to keep), Phaargg or Pargg (park); Thee or Tee (tea and name of letter), tholl or toll (great, swell); kha(a)/kaa, ghaa' (name of letter; had), Khaschte'/ Kaschte (cupboard), kheje or gheie (to fall, throw).

Like other dialects and forms of the standard, Basel German has /pf, ts/ as well as /tʃ/.

Examples: Pfanne (pan), Zaan (tooth), dütsch (German), Tschooli (stupid person, traditional word), Tschooppe (jacket, traditional word), tschegge (to understand, from English ‘to check’).

A French-style pronunciation of /r/ as [ʁ] is also used in Basel German, although many younger speakers—especially those with foreign parents—also use a tapped [r] which is more common in other Swiss German dialects. Traditionally, /r/ is voiceless [χ], and it may sometimes be described as a lenis /x/. The pronunciation per se seems to derive from French (originally Parisian), and was probably re-interpreted as a lenis /x/ according to Basel German phonology. Not surprisingly, French influence was for a long time dominant in Basel, with well-to-do families speaking French even at home. At least in clusters, the distinction between /x/ and /r/ is neutralised, as is the distinction between lenis and fortis consonants in clusters.

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