Swiss-German comprehension

The course

In this course, priority is given to understanding Swiss German. It is a training program based on the understanding of the four main Swiss-German dialects, ie. that of Basel, Bern, St. Gallen and Zurich, which, with their crossings, cover more than 90% of all Swiss-German dialects. This course helps you cross the "Röschtigrabe". Thanks to this Swiss-German comprehension course, you will not feel left out when Swiss-Germans talk to each other!

Prerequisites

The higher your command of standard German, the faster you will understand Swiss German. Ideally, you have a B2 level or higher in German. However, everything is possible if your motivation is high enough!

Audience

You are or will be in regular contact with Swiss-Germans for professional or private reasons. Standard German is no longer a problem for you, you get by or master it, but would also like to understand the dialect. You want to become familiar with the most important expressions of daily and professional life in the German-speaking part of Switzerland.

Goals

• understand Swiss German with its most important dialects (Basel, Bern. St. Gallen and Zurich)
• memorize and recognize the vocabulary of basic everyday and/or professional topics
• put your Swiss-German interlocutor at ease by allowing him to continue speaking in his dialect
• get to know the Swiss-German culture in its most important spheres of daily life
• start interacting in Swiss-German in your professional and/or private domain

Contents

The red thread of the traditional course is the work "Chunsch druus? ", which was developed by the Department of Research, Plurilingualism and Foreign Language Teaching at the University of Fribourg. It comprises eight chapters, four CDs, a DVD and authentic material from Swiss-German radio and television, exercises ranging from dialect to standard German, as well as vocabulary exercises. Higher relevance can be given to either Basel, Bernese or Zurich dialect upon request. For those who already understand Swiss-German quite well and who would like to perfect their understanding and gain confidence, an à la carte program will be put together or chosen together (For example: "Regionaljournal", songs, Slam Poetry, Schnabelweid, YouTube…).

Method and material

The inductive and communicative method developed by the University of Multilingualism of Fribourg, inspired by the pedagogy of discovery, as well as the participatory method, based on personal involvement by the participants. Book "Chunsch druus? ", or copies of the book with CD and DVD, as well as the most common media (internet, YouTube, WhatsApp or Threema). On request, a certificate of attendance can be issued at the end of the course.