This article is going to demand a bit of knowledge from the reader as it starts off in German. I was a bit stumped by a German joke I read online because it hinges on the Swiss German and Swabian dialects being almost like foreign languages to a Prussian who speaks a more standard German – called “Hochdeutsch” although in linguistic terms a Prussian would tend more to Low German and the Swabian and Alemannic forms of German are HIgh German dialects becuase originally that meant upland German, with the second German sound shifts and the vowel shifts.
The AI explains the joke in German and then takes my challenge to produce an equivalent joke in English. It first selects Yorshire and Scouser dialects to understand each other and helpfully “translate” the dialect for the benefit of the Londoner but to no effect, as he doesn’t get either. This choice of dialects however makes for a fairly confusing joke as the reader is led to the conclusion that the Londoner must be really thick not to have understood what the other two were saying, although in performance it conceivably might work. I suggested confronting the Londoner in the train witgh Scots and Geordie, and then the AI came up with a more convincing example of how those two dialects might understand one another better than a Londoner might understand either.
All of this I now share with you to illustrate how capable the AI – in this case Copilot – is to deal not only with standard forms of languages but also to communicate and even compose in less standard forms of the language.I’m still experimenting with the best ways to show who is speaking, me or the AI, so for now I am using header formats for when it’s me talking to the AI.
Kennst Du einen Witz über die Schweiz? Ein Schweizer, ein Schwabe und ein Preuße fahren mit der Bahn von Basel nach Stuttgart. Schweigen im Abteil, während die Landschaft vorbei zieht. Um die Stimmung aufzuheitern, fragt der Schweizer den Preussen „sind sie au in Basel gsie?“. Fragende Blicke des Preussen. Springt der Schwabe helfend ein „Err moint gwä“.
😄 Sehr schön erzählt! Das ist ein klassischer Dialekt‑Witz, der mit den feinen Nuancen zwischen Schweizerdeutsch, Schwäbisch und Hochdeutsch spielt. Der Preuße versteht „gsie“ nicht, der Schwabe übersetzt es mit „gwä“ – und beide meinen natürlich „gewesen“.
Das Lustige daran ist, dass sich die drei Dialekte gegenseitig fast wie Fremdsprachen anhören, obwohl sie alle deutsch sind. Gerade im Zug von Basel nach Stuttgart ist das eine sehr realistische Szene: man fährt durch die Sprachgrenzen und merkt, wie unterschiedlich die Regionen klingen.
Wenn du magst, kann ich dir noch ein paar andere Schweizer Witze erzählen, die mit Sprache und Missverständnissen spielen. Zum Beispiel:
- Ein Tourist fragt in Zürich: „Sprechen Sie hier auch Hochdeutsch?“ – Antwort: „Ja, aber nur mit Gästen.“
- Oder der Klassiker: „Was ist das Beste an der Schweiz?“ – „Ich weiß es nicht, aber die Flagge ist ein großes Plus.“ 🇨🇭
Möchtest du lieber noch ein paar Dialekt‑Witze (Schwaben, Bayern, Schweizer) oder eher die typischen Schweiz‑Klischee‑Witze hören?
If you had to make an equivalent of that joke using English dialects, how would that go?
Great challenge! Let’s mirror the Swiss–Swabian–Prussian joke with English dialects. The humor comes from one speaker using a regional verb form, another trying to “helpfully” translate it into another dialect, and the outsider still being lost. Here’s how it could work in English:
🚂 English Dialect Version
Three men — a Yorkshireman, a Scouser (Liverpool), and a Londoner — are riding the train from Manchester to London. Silence in the carriage as the countryside rolls by. To break the ice, the Yorkshireman asks the Londoner:
“Tha bin i’ Manchester, then?”
The Londoner looks puzzled.
The Scouser jumps in to help:
“He means, ‘Have yer been?’”
The Londoner still looks baffled, muttering:
“Been where?”
Why it works
-
- Yorkshire dialect: “Tha bin” = “Have you been.”
-
- Scouse dialect: “Yer been” = “You’ve been.”
-
- Londoner: Used to standard English, still doesn’t get the point.
-
- The joke plays on the same rhythm as the Swiss one: regional verb forms that sound alien to outsiders, and a “translation” that doesn’t actually clarify.
Would you like me to sketch a few alternative versions — say with Scots, Irish, and Cockney — so you can see how the humor shifts depending on which dialects clash?
It seems like the English accents are more mutually intelligible than the German ones.
That’s a sharp observation. You’re right: English dialects are usually more mutually intelligible than German dialects, and the reason lies in history and linguistic structure.
🗣 Why English Dialects Stay Closer
- Standardization: English had early standardization through printing (London English became dominant in the 15th–16th centuries).
- Mass media: Radio, TV, and now the internet reinforce a common “Standard English,” so even strong accents rarely block comprehension.
- Shared vocabulary: Most dialects use the same core words, with differences in pronunciation or a few local terms.
🇩🇪 Why German Dialects Diverge More
- Late standardization: Standard German (Hochdeutsch) only became widespread in the 19th–20th centuries. Before that, local dialects were the everyday language.
- Regional isolation: Mountain valleys, rural communities, and political fragmentation meant dialects evolved independently.
- Deep structural differences: Dialects like Swiss German or Bavarian aren’t just accents — they have distinct grammar, verb forms, and vocabulary. For example:
- Swiss German “gsie” = “gewesen” (been).
- Swabian “gwä” = also “gewesen.”
- To a northern German (Preuße), both sound alien.
📊 Comparison
| Language |
Dialect Variation |
Mutual Intelligibility |
| English |
Accents + some vocabulary |
High (Londoner understands Yorkshireman, even if puzzled) |
| German |
Dialects with grammar/vocab differences |
Lower (Preuße struggles with Swiss/Swabian speech) |
🔑 Takeaway
English dialects are mostly pronunciation differences, while German dialects can be different languages in miniature. That’s why the Swiss–Swabian–Prussian joke works so well: the Preuße genuinely doesn’t understand, whereas in English the Londoner would at least catch the gist.
Would you like me to sketch a map of German dialect zones vs. English dialect zones, so you can visually see why German splits more sharply than English?
I think a Scot, a Geordie and a Londoner would be able to get closer to the rhythm.
Exactly — that trio captures the rhythm beautifully, because Scots and Geordies both have deeply distinctive dialects that can feel almost like separate languages to a Londoner. Here’s how an equivalent joke could play out:
🚂 English Dialect Joke (Scot, Geordie, Londoner)
A Scot, a Geordie, and a Londoner are riding the train from Edinburgh to London. Silence in the carriage as the countryside rolls by. To break the ice, the Scot turns to the Londoner:
“Were ye in Embra yestreen?” (Scots: “yestreen” = yesterday evening)
The Londoner looks puzzled.
The Geordie jumps in to help:
“He means, ‘Wor ye theer tha neet?’” (Geordie: “tha neet” or “last neet” = last night)
The Londoner still frowns:
“Sorry, mate… I’ve no idea what you’re on about.”
Why it works
- Scots dialect: “yestreen” is a real Scots word, but opaque to outsiders.
- Geordie dialect: “last neet” is clearer, but still foreign‑sounding to a Londoner.
- Londoner: Even after the “translation,” still confused — just like the Preuße in the Swiss joke.
So yes, a Scot, a Geordie, and a Londoner recreate the same dynamic: two regional dialects bouncing off each other, while the “outsider” remains lost.
Would you like me to sketch a mini‑table of dialect equivalents (Swiss/Swabian/Preuße vs. Scot/Geordie/Londoner), so you can see the parallels side by side?
Yes, that gets closer to it.
I’m glad you feel that way — the Scot/Geordie/Londoner trio really does mirror the Swiss/Swabian/Preuße rhythm, because the dialect gap is wide enough to create genuine confusion, yet still close enough to be funny rather than incomprehensible.
Here’s a neat side‑by‑side comparison to show the parallel:
| Trio |
Dialect Phrase |
“Helper” Translation |
Outsider Reaction |
| Swiss / Swabian / Preuße |
Swiss: „Sind Sie au in Basel gsie?“ |
Swabian: „Err moint gwä.“ |
Preuße: still puzzled |
| Scot / Geordie / Londoner |
Scot: “Were ye in Embra yestreen?” |
Geordie: “He means, wor ye theer last neet?” |
Londoner: still puzzled |
Both jokes hinge on:
- A regional verb form or time word that outsiders don’t recognize (gsie / yestreen).
- A helper dialect that’s just as opaque (gwä / last neet).
- An outsider who remains lost, even after the “translation.
That’s why the rhythm feels so similar — it’s the comedy of mutual intelligibility breaking down inside one language.
Tell all your friends and share the love!
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