Basel German or Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: '''Baseldytsch''' (Standard German: German: Baseldeutsch) is the dialect of the city of Basel, Switzerland. The dialect of Basel forms a Low Alemannic linguistic exclave in the High Alemannic region.
Basel German is characterised by aspirates pronounced as //kʰ, tʰ, pʰ// which are absent or at least less common in other dialects. Compare Basel German Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Khind (usually spelled Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Kind), pronounced more or less as Standard German German: Kind, with Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Chind with initial pronounced as //x-//, used in all other Swiss German dialects, with the exception of the dialect of Chur. Thus, Basel German did not complete the second Germanic sound shift (High German consonant shift). Nowadays, many speakers pronounce the pronounced as //x-// (or [χ], to be more exact), however. There are nevertheless still words that are never pronounced with pronounced as //x-//, for example Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: kenne (Standard German German: kennen, 'to know') or Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Keenig/Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: König (Standard German German: König). Typically, words from Standard German or Latin are pronounced with aspirated pronounced as //kʰ, pʰ, tʰ//, too, which is not or only to a lesser extent done in other dialects.
Examples: Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: phee or Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: pee (name of letter), Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: bhalte or Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: phalte ('to keep'), Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Phaargg or Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Pargg ('park'); Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Thee or Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Tee ('tea' and name of letter), Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: tholl or Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: toll ('great, swell'); Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: ka(a)/Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: khaa, Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: gghaa (name of letter; 'had'), Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Kaschte/Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Khaschte ('cupboard'), Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: gheie or Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: kheje ('to fall, throw').
Like other dialects and forms of the standard, Basel German has pronounced as //pf, ts// as well as pronounced as //tʃ//.
Examples: Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Pfanne ('pan'), Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Zaan ('tooth'), Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: dütsch ('German'), Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Tschooli ('stupid person', traditional word), Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: [[wikt:Tschoope|Tschoope]] "jacket" (a traditional word), Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: tschegge ('to understand', from English to check).
A French-style pronunciation of pronounced as //r// as pronounced as /[ʁ]/ is also used in Basel German, although many younger speakers—especially those with foreign parents—also use a tapped pronounced as /[r]/ which is more common in other Swiss German dialects. Traditionally, pronounced as //r// is voiceless pronounced as /[χ]/, and it may sometimes be described as a lenis pronounced as //x//. The pronunciation per se seems to derive from French (originally Parisian), and was probably re-interpreted as a lenis pronounced as //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 pronounced as //x// and pronounced as //r// is neutralised, as is the distinction between lenis and fortis consonants in clusters.
Basel German also has more lenis sounds in word-initial position—for example, Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Dag ('day'). This lenition is now often absent due to influence from other dialects, for example, the name of Santa Claus, Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Santiglaus, is now often pronounced with pronounced as //kʰ// or pronounced as //x//, as is the word Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Graft (Standard German German: Kraft), which traditionally has a lenis sound, now also pronounced as //kʰ// and pronounced as //x//.
Lenis plosives are however all voiceless; whereas fortis plosives are long or geminated. They are (like other lenis or short consonants) always preceded by long vowels, with the possible exception of unstressed vowels. According to Pilch, vowel length is not distinctive; however, vowel length is not always predictable: pronounced as //roːttə// 'to guess' has both a long vowel and a long/geminated consonant.
Examples: Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Dag pronounced as //tɑːk// ('day'), Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: umme pronounced as //ʊmə// ('around'), Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: ane pronounced as //ɑːnə// ('there'), Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: loose or Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: lohse pronounced as //loːsə// ('listen'), Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Gaas pronounced as //kɑːs// ('gas'). Phonemically speaking, pronounced as //p t k// may also be (more traditionally) transcribed pronounced as //b d ɡ//, or as unvoiced pronounced as //b d ɡ//.
Fortis or long consonants in general are more stable than in other dialects—'to swim' is always Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: schwimme, whereas it is pronounced with only a short pronounced as //m// in other dialects. This is probably because in stressed words, short vowels only appear before double or geminated/long consonants. Hence, a word like pronounced as //ˈʃvʏmə// is not possible in Basel German. As in other dialects, the difference between fortis and lenis is in length. Pilch (180) however interprets pronounced as //tt// as alveolar, not long. Fortis consonants may also be transcribed pronounced as //bb dd ɡɡ//, since lenis pronounced as //p t k// are often transcribed as pronounced as //b d ɡ//.However, voicing is always absent.
Examples: Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: schwimme ('to swim'), Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: phagge ('to pack'), Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: drugge ('to squeeze'), Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: roott ('to guess' — note the long pronounced as //oː// followed by fortis pronounced as //tt//)
Unrounding was also typical, but now it has been abandoned by many speakers. Lengthening of vowels is also found, linking it more closely to Standard German than all other Swiss German dialects.
Examples: Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: griezi ('good day'; Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: grüezi in other dialects, still more common), Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Hell ('hell', now rounded form more common), Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: greescht ('biggest, greatest'; now Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: grööscht more common).
Lengthening always occurs before lenis (short) consonants, for example in words like Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Daag ('day'), Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: loose ('listen'), Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: miir ('we'). Shortening, on the other hand, always occurs before long or fortis consonants, for example in Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Baseldytsch, the name of the dialect: whereas other dialects have long pronounced as //yː// in Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Baseldütsch or any other word with Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: -dütsch ('German') in it, Basel German always has short pronounced as //i// or pronounced as //y//. pronounced as //a:// and pronounced as //o:// (as well as pronounced as //ø://), however, are usually not shortened, probably because of the shift from earlier pronounced as //a:// to pronounced as //o://. Another reason may be the fact that those are the only vowels that exist as such only as long vowels, i.e. whereas pronounced as /[i:]/ can be shortened to pronounced as /[i]/, it is never possible to shorten pronounced as /[e:]/ to pronounced as /[e]/ because *pronounced as /[e]/ as such does not exist in Basel German. Some speakers, however, use short open vowels in a number of words, e.g. pronounced as //hɔkkə// instead of pronounced as //ho:kkə// ('hook'). Those speakers who use this pronunciation lack one minimal pair, since pronounced as //hɔkkə// also translates as 'crouch'. However, this shortening of pronounced as //o:// pronounced as //ø:// pronounced as //a:// pronounced as //æ:// is not general. Note however that pronounced as //a:// exists mainly in words of foreign origin such as pronounced as //sa'la:tt//.
Middle High German pronounced as //aː// was velarised and appears as pronounced as //oː//. For example, Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Strooss pronounced as //ʃtroːss// 'street'.
Typically (but not exclusively) open vowels occur before pronounced as //r//; for example, Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Oor ('ear') has the allophone pronounced as /[ɔː]/, not pronounced as /[oː]/. Both pronounced as /[ɔː]/ and pronounced as /[ɛː]/ only occur before pronounced as //r// in native words.
Additionally, vowels before pronounced as //r// are always long, with the exception of loan words such as pronounced as /[ˈsɔri]/ 'sorry', pronounced as /[ˈkʰœri]/ 'curry' as well as unstressed vowels.
Examples: Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Oor pronounced as /[ɔːr]/ 'ear', Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Eer pronounced as /[ɛːr]/ 'honour'.
The vowels pronounced as //a// and pronounced as //aː// traditionally are front, yet distinct from pronounced as //æ// and pronounced as //æː//. Nowadays, a back pronunciation pronounced as //ɑ// and pronounced as //ɑː// is more common.Examples: Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Sagg ('bag'), Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Baasel ('Basel').
Modern pronunciation has pronounced as //aj//, pronounced as //aːj//, pronounced as //ej// [ɛj], pronounced as //aw//, pronounced as //aːw//, pronounced as //iə//, pronounced as //uə// and pronounced as //œj//; traditional pronunciation lacks pronounced as //œj// which is partly pronounced as //aj//, partly pronounced as //ej//. In modern pronunciation pronounced as //aj//, pronounced as //aːj//, pronounced as //aw//, pronounced as //aːw// are pronounced as /[æj]/, pronounced as /[æːj]/ pronounced as /[æw]/, pronounced as /[æːw]/, whereas traditional pronunciation has pronounced as /[aj]/, pronounced as /[aw]/ etc. Suter (1992: 11) posits only one diphthong pronounced as //au//, pronounced pronounced as /[æːw]/. In exclamations and few other words, pronounced as /[uj ɔw]/ also exist.
Examples: Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: eläi ('alone'), Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: draaie ('to turn'), Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: drei ('three'), Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: baue ('to build'), Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: blaau ('blue'), Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: vier ('four'), Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: zue ('shut'), Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: nöi ('new'); Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: nei ('traditional').
Unlike other Alemannic dialects, Basel German features a rather strong dichotomy between the traditional form—Baseldytsch, used especially for the Carnival of Basel (Basler Fasnacht)—and normal spoken language. Some speakers prefer to use the more traditional variety in written form. The traditional variety is normally associated with the upper classes and with Fasnacht. Like other Swiss German dialects, Basel German has (at least in Basel) more prestige than Standard German, and it is now even used in churches.
There is a lot of confusion especially when it comes to the use of the grapheme, which is often used for rounded sounds, i.e. pronounced as //ʏ// or pronounced as //y//, whereas it is exclusively used for pronounced as //i// traditionally. Typically, lenis stops are spelled,,, fortis stops are spelled,, sometimes (Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: öpper, Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: öbber, Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: ebber 'someone');,, sometimes (Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Middi 'middle');, rarely and mainly in loan-words,, etc. This use of for the fortis, unaspirated consonant is used also in other varieties of Swiss German, but sometimes abandoned in favour of spellings more closely resembling Standard German spellings. Examples: Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: drugge ('to push'), Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Läggerli (typical sweet cookie; but also Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Läckerli), Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Sagg ('bag'; but sometimes also Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Sack), Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Gugge ('bag', traditional word). The fortis pronounced as //xx// is always spelled like lenis pronounced as //x//, namely (ch). The same is true for pronounced as //ʃʃ//.
Obviously, especially the typical use of and leads to confusion, even among native speakers, since the dialect is not taught in schools. Aspirates are normally spelled as in Standard German, namely with,, . However, words where the aspirates derive from a lenis consonant plus pronounced as //h// are usually written as lenis plus (h), e.g., Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: bhalte 'to keep', Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: gheie 'to fall'.
Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Baseldytsch reflects traditional pronunciation with pronounced as //i//, Swiss German; Alemannic; Alsatian: Baseldütsch reflects modern pronunciation with pronounced as //y//, whereas German: Baseldeutsch is the Standard German form. Baslerdüütsch may be used in other dialects.