What are some features of Berlinisch?
Besides "icke," of course.
Besides "icke," of course.
Berlinisch
Berlinisch is a unique mixture of middle- and northern German dialects.
Most distinctive features I can think of:
- 'a' often becomes 'e" in the most commun words: 'det' for 'das', 'wenn' instead of 'wann'
- diphtongs are reduced to a single sound: 'uf' for 'auf', 'keen' for 'kein', 'ooch' for 'auch' etc.
- pre-vocalic 'r' sounds like in French
- 'g' is softened to 'j' when starting a stressed syllabe (like in Cologne)
- lots of specific idioms.
- 'ick', 'bissken' of course
- etc.
A very funny, very pleasant, very urban tongue in its own way, to be spoken swiftly and witty.
Most distinctive features I can think of:
- 'a' often becomes 'e" in the most commun words: 'det' for 'das', 'wenn' instead of 'wann'
- diphtongs are reduced to a single sound: 'uf' for 'auf', 'keen' for 'kein', 'ooch' for 'auch' etc.
- pre-vocalic 'r' sounds like in French
- 'g' is softened to 'j' when starting a stressed syllabe (like in Cologne)
- lots of specific idioms.
- 'ick', 'bissken' of course
- etc.
A very funny, very pleasant, very urban tongue in its own way, to be spoken swiftly and witty.
A lot of these things are not modifications of standard German, but rather due to Low German influence (even though I have heard that such is not necessarily Low Saxon or East Low German but actually largely Low Franconian due to immigration by Dutch historically, which is reflected by "bissken"). Said diphthongs in standard "auf", "kein", and "auch", for instance, are not being monophthongized - rather, the forms in Berlinisch are independent of such and are Low German in nature. Likewise, said "softening of /g/" is rather due to the modification of historical [G] rather than Standard German [g].
One note, though, is that "ooch" /o:x/ is a mixed high-low form, as the presence of /x/ is a feature of High German dialects, but the presence of /o:/ is a feature of Low German (including Low Franconian) dialects.