Sprachbuch

The Appenzeller Language Book contains not only a dictionary of the Appenzeller dialect. Numerous maps illustrate the diversity of the Appenzeller dialect: for example, "church" is pronounced Chee(r)che in the Ausserrhoden hinterland, Cherche in the Mittelland, and Kie(r)che in the Vorderland. In Innerrhoden, it is called Chülche. An Äbese is an Innerrhoden ant, while in Ausserrhoden it is called Emese or Emmesse. A chicken is a Hüeli, and the foehn wind is referred to as Föö or Pföö. Fèch means cattle, but Fiich is a derogatory term. The phonetic transcription (accents on vowels) is essential and understandable to everyone. The Appenzeller Language Book was published in 1999 at the initiative of the Appenzell Public Welfare Society by the education departments of both Appenzells. The authors are Stefan Sonderegger, an emeritus professor of Germanic philology at the University of Zurich living in Herisau, a specialist in dialectology, and the philologist Thomas Gadmer.