-li

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The Swiss German and South Baden suffix -li (pronounced [lɪ] ) is a diminutive affix and reduces a noun (see diminutive ) or sometimes other words such as pronouns. Functionally it basically corresponds to the high German -chen / -lein .

Other sound variants are the Swabian and in parts of Middle Alemannic , South Bavarian and South Franconian -le occurring , the Alsatian , South Franconian, Rhenish Franconian , North Bavarian , Thuringian , Upper Saxon and partly Silesian -el, the East Franconian , North Bavarian and partly Silesian -la as well as the Bavarian -la -l .

origin

-li or High German -lein developed from the combination of the Old High German suffix -al, -il (cf. ahd. fogal "bird", leffil "spoon") with the Old High German diminutive suffix -īn and became a new, independent suffix by transferring it to words that originally had no l-suffix (cf. for example ahd. hūsilin «little house»).

to form

-li also knows the variants -eli, -ili , depending on the dialect, degree of affection or word .

Regional, predominantly Alpine and pre-Alpine Swiss German variants, which ultimately also go back to -li in terms of linguistic history , are -ji, -je, -elti, -etli, -ti, -tschi . These suffixes were created on the one hand for special articulatory and syllable structural reasons in an environment characterized by a Germanic-Romance language mixture and on the other hand they are based on the merging of two existing suffixes or on the merging of the wording and the suffix with subsequent morphologically incorrect replacement. Examples of these types are Hundji, Hundi “ Hündchen ”, Vogelti “Vöglein”, Chuotschi “Kühlein”, Alpelti / Alpetli “Kleine Alp”. In the case of the Bernese and Lucerne German Meitschi "girl" and Müntschi "kiss", the -tschi type has advanced as far as the Mittelland ; in an even larger geographical area it can also be found in names such as Rüetschi for "Rudolf". In general, Swiss German is semantically independent diminutives on -i, an ending that does not go back to Old High German -ilīn, but to Old High German -īn , for example in Amdi "Ende".

The diminutives on -li are usually neural. Exceptions are the derivation of surnames and surnames, such as de (r) Hansli “Hänschen” or en Bünzli “ ein Kleinbürger”, as well as a few other words such as the usually male Peeterli “parsley” and Röteli “cherry liqueur from Graubünden” rarely Egli "perch", stands next to its older neutral genus younger masculine.

Use with nouns

Word formation

The suffix usually entails the umlaut of the stem vowel of the basic word that it diminishes, as long as it is phonetic:

  • / a /> / ä /: Männli «Männchen» to Maa «Mann»
  • / a /> / e /: Negeli «nails» to nail «nail»
  • / ä / = / ä /: Wäägli "Weglein" to Wääg "Weg"
  • / i / = / i /: Wyybli "Weiblein" to Wyyb "Weib"
  • / iə̯ / = / iə̯ /: Tierli « little animal» to animal «animal»
  • / o /> / ö /: Röösli "Röschen" to Roos (e) "Rose"
  • / u /> / ü /: Muesli «Mäuschen» to Muus «Maus»
  • / uə̯ /> / üə̯ /: Muesli "Müslein" to Mues "Mus"
  • / ü / = / ü /: Füürli "Feuerchen" to Füürli "Feuer"

Words ending in -le and -i and in some cases those ending in -e form a diminutive of -eli (not to be confused with -eli, -ili, which in some dialects is generally formed instead of -li ):

  • Chügeli "Kugel" to Chugle "Kugel"
  • Byygeli «small pile» to Byygi «pile, beige»
  • Cash box "money box " to cash register "cash desk , savings bank"

Words on -el form a diminutive on -i (which should not be confused with -i, which in some dialects can generally be formed instead of -li ):

  • Tüfeli "Teufelchen" to Tüfeli "Teufel"

If -li and -eli can stand side by side, the latter is associated with greater affection (tenderness):

  • Mäitli "girl" opposite Mäiteli "(sweet) girl"
  • Hündli "small dog" compared to Hündeli "(dear) small dog"

Variation with or without umlaut - often depending on the region and / or with nuances of meaning - can be found at

  • Hundeli / Hündli « little dog» to dog «dog»
  • Puurli / Püürli «little peasant, small farmer» to Puur «farmer»

Variants without umlaut are often associated with greater affection:

  • Chueli "(sweet) cool girl" opposite Chueli "little cow"
  • Hundeli «(sweet) little dog» opposite Hündli «little dog»
  • Puurli "(lovable) peasant " opposite Püürli " peasant "

Occasionally the differentiations are more semantically relevant:

  • Manndli "little man" against Männdli "little man; Animal males »
  • Schachteli (formerly) «box for writing utensils» opposite Schachteli «small box»

In the whole of German-speaking Switzerland, diminutives on -i that do not go back to Old High German -ilĩn, but -īn , are semantically independent

  • Ääri «Ähre» to (masculine) ether, Äär «Ähre»
  • Change «end (for example of a piece of string)» to change «end»
  • Bäsi "female relatives" to Baas "aunt; female relatives at all »
  • Chüni / Chini "chin" (basic word no longer available)
  • Hirni «brain» (basic word no longer available).
  • Rippi "rib" to rib "rib"

In synchronicity, diminutives of children's language join here, for example

  • Bibi "Chicken, Chick" (after the chicks beep)
  • Büsi "Kitten" (to the bus-bus call )
  • Zizi "kitten" (to call zi-zi )

Plural formation

In the Alemannic dialects of the Swiss Plateau , most of the Pre-Alps and some of the Alps (Urkantons, Glarus, Graubünden) the forms of singular and plural are identical: e (s) birds, two / twelve birds, "one bird, two birds". Many dialects, however, had a special form of -ene in the dative plural until the 20th century , for example de Vöglene «the little bird».

In south-western German-speaking Switzerland, however, the dialects differentiate between singular and plural (and within the plural often also between nominative / accusative and dative). For example, in the Bernese Simmental , in the Bernese Haslital , in the Freiburg Sense district and in the Freiburg Jaun Vögeli (singular) - Vögeleni (nominative / accusative plural), Vögelene (dative plural, or in Haslital -enen; special dative form is missing in the Sense district) , and in the Valais Visperterminen as well as in Valais in general it is called Redli "Rädlein" - Redlini (nominative / accusative plural) - Redlinu (dative plural).

meaning

Functions are downsizing, isolation, affection / appreciation, disdain / degradation and belittling. In addition, there are functionless diminutives.

  • Downsizing : Büechli «small book»
  • Separation : Chörnli “single grain”, Erbsli “single pea”, Gresli “single grass”, Häärli / Höörli “single hair”
  • Appreciation / disparagement : Puurli l «amiable or little valued small farmer», Bappeli «amiable or slightly idiotic father», Buebetrickli «deception maneuvers in ice hockey, also political maneuvers», Gschäftli «questionable business», cantonal spirit «church tower policy»
  • Belittling : Rüüschli «little intoxication», Ämtli «regular task (especially for children, but also for adults)», Glesli Wyy «a glass of wine»
  • Functionless: Lyybli “ Leibchen ”, Zündhölzli “Matchstick”, Widli “Bindereis”

The diminutive can also be independent in terms of meaning, for example in

  • Chätzli «flower catkins », to Chatz «cat» (as they have a similarly soft «fur»)
  • Croissants "croissant, croissant" to peak "mountain top; top part of a plant; curved pastries (nut, vanilla croissants) »
  • Glesli "Hyazinte", to Glaas "Glas" (in which they were raised in early spring)
  • Gstältli «part of the women's costume ; Part of certain sports equipment », to Gstalt « Gestalt »
  • Häntscheli "cowslip", to Häntsche "glove" (which they resemble)
  • Hüüsli «toilet», to Huus «house» (as it used to be a separate house in the open air)
  • Lyybli " Leibchen ", to Lyyb "Leib"
  • Mäieryysli «lily of the valley», to Ryy's «(the) rice»
  • Muesli “breakfast cereals with fruits”, with mues “Mus, porridge”
  • Muesli "Sage", with Muus "Mouse" (since baked sage cakes look like mice)
  • Nägeli «carnation», to nail «nail» (since it looks like a small nail)
  • Turnip «carrot», to beet (e), turnip «large turnip of any kind; Sugar beet"
  • Schänkeli «pastries made from flour, milk, eggs and butter baked in fat», for Schänkel «Schenkel»
  • Schüfeli «shoulder blade of the pig», to Schuufle «shovel»
  • Schwigerli-Schwöögerli "Pansy" (plant name), to Schwiger "father-in-law" and Schwooger "brother-in-law"
  • Täfeli, Dääfeli «Bonbon», to Taf (e) le «Blackboard, square plate or surface»
  • Zältli «Bonbon», zu Zälte (Zelten) «flat cake»

The basic form can also have completely disappeared, so at

  • Beieli, Byyli "Biene", to the now rare Byy "swarm of bees"
  • Egli "(river) perch", originally specific "small perch"
  • Fäärli "piglet", in Middle High German varch "pig"
  • Gänterli «cupboard, cupboard; Pantry " to obsolete yawn " closure; Shack »
  • Gspäändli «companion, colleague», to the now outdated Gspaane with the same meaning
  • Hämmli, Hemmli, Hömmli in the western and central Swiss dialects for "shirt", to the synonym Hämp, Hemp, shirt, which is quite common in the other dialects
  • Läckerli ( Basler Läckerli , Züriläckerli), a gingerbread or marzipan cake, ultimately most likely to lëcken in Middle High German "lick"
  • Mäitli, Meitschi "girl", too early New High German Meid "Maid", in turn maged "girl" from Middle High German
  • Müntschi, Muntschi «kiss», for «mouth», which is extinct in Swiss German
  • Rööteli "Rotkehlchen", " Arctic char", " Cowslip ", "Cherry liqueur " , with the now rare Röötel "something red (for example a redhead)"

Has never existed a basic form of the pensée translated from French

  • Dänkeli "Pansy" (plant name)

-li is in some cases a folk etymological reinterpretation:

  • Peeterli "parsley", reinterpreted from Latin / Greek petroselīnum, petroselīnon "rock carpet, stone carpet"
  • Viöönli, Veieli "Veilchen", reinterpreted from Latin viola "Veilchen, Levkoje"
  • Zoggeli " Zoccoli ", sometimes interpreted as a diminutive, is taken from Italian zoccoli, plural from zoccolo "Holzschuh"

Use with other parts of speech

In the case of other types of words, the use of the diminutive by means of the suffused -li is exclusively belittling and mostly in children's language or ironic. The formal nouning of the word in question is sometimes associated with the diminution.

Question pronouns

Reduced question words are attested from all over German-speaking Switzerland, whereby these are often doubled:

  • Waaseli (waas) wottsch dänn? "so what do you want?"
  • Wääreli (wäär) säit that? "Who says that?"

A -d- or -n- can be inserted as Hiat tilger :

  • Woodeliwoo (wooneliwoo) is it? "Where is it?"

Personal pronouns

Reduced forms of personal pronouns are attested for various dialects.

In the salutation there is diminished du in the forms duuli, duueli, duili, döüeli attested:

  • Duuli, chum glyy zue-n-is! (Lucerne)
  • Duuli, see you so good! (Lucerne)
  • Duili !, tender salutation (Nidwalden)
  • E döüeli! "You little one!" (Engelberg)

Reduplicated duulidu also occurs .

"Especially kosend to children" is diminished myyn in the form myyseli (Zurich). The diminutive myyneli or myynelis also exists as a euphemistic interjection of pain, surprise and pity, such as o du myyneli! (Bern, Glarus, Zurich), oh myyneli! (Zürcher Oberland) or e myynelis nei! (Bern), each covering myyn God .

Adjectives

The normal language include pastries names Bruunsli and Guetsli, Gueteli, Güetsi in which nothing but the diminution adjectives bruun "brown" and guet are "good" with the molds with inlautendem -s connect the nominative of the strong neuter with the diminutive suffix are (something Bruuns, Guets + -li ).

Only when it comes to toddlers will educations like warmeli haa be “warm” or is that guetili? «Is that good?» Until stillili! "be quiet!" second hand.

Adverbs

Diminishing adverbs is belittling in cases such as:

  • sooli (soodeli, sooneli, sooseli), that would be «so, that would be»
  • sevili «so much»
  • e chlyyseli «a little», diminished e chlyy «a little»

Confusing use can be found in the following examples:

  • as a gift or souvenir e goldenigs Nüüteli (Nünteli) or bring it home Läärhäigängeli , "a golden little nothing, a little emptiness -going home"
  • es Hättigäärneli or Hätteligäärn «a little I would have liked to»

Interjections

Widespread attestation is diminutive in children's language, ää in Ääli mache and Ääli gää «making or giving a caressing gesture, especially nestling cheek to cheek».

Reduced forms of the verb

The regular diminution of verbs is done using the ending -le, -ele or -erle, for example bräätle / bröötle «grillieren», bädele «(as a leisure activity ) bathing», lädele «shopping», sändele «playing in the sandpit», sünnele « sunbathe ", snow (r) le " lightly snow ", lismerle " knit to yourself ". Here, too, the l originally belonged to the noun from which the verb is derived and was only secondarily reinterpreted as a suffix.

literature

Review works
Grammars
  • Ludwig Fischer : Lucerne German grammar. 2nd ed. Hitzkirch 1989, pp. 459-471.
  • Werner Marti : Bern German grammar. Bern 1985, pp. 196-200.
  • Rudolf Suter : Basel German grammar. 3rd ed. Basel 1992, pp. 182-185.
  • Albert Weber : Zurich German grammar. 3rd ed. Zurich 1987, pp. 327-335.
Special examinations
  • Natascha Frey: doubling of the w-word in Swiss German. Berner Diss. Online publication 2010, especially pp. 72–79.
  • Werner Hodler : Contributions to word formation and word meaning in Bern German. Berner Diss. Francke, Bern 1915; Reprint Kraus, Nendeln / Liechtenstein 1970, especially pp. 113–130.
  • Roland Hofer: Suffix formation in Bernese namesake. The diminutives on -ti, -elti, -etli and the collectives on -ere. A contribution to name grammar. Berner Diss. Basel 2012, especially pp. 23–83.
  • Heinrich Lüssy: Umlaut problems in Swiss German. Studies on the contemporary language. Huber, Frauenfeld 1974 (contributions to Swiss German dialect research XX; digitized version), especially pp. 172–208.
  • Esther Odermatt: The deminution in the Nidwalden dialect. Zurich dissertation Zurich 1903.

Notes and individual references

  1. ↑ Wolfgang Pfeifer: Etymological Dictionary of German. Berlin 1989 (with further editions), s. v.
  2. ^ A b Walter Henzen : German word formation. 3rd, reviewed and supplemented edition. Niemeyer, Tübingen 1965, pp. 143–146.
  3. ↑ For details on this, Roland Hofer: Suffix formation in Bernese names. The diminutives on -ti, -elti, -etli and the collectives on -ere. A contribution to name grammar. Berner Diss. Basel 2012, pp. 23–83.
  4. ↑ For the distribution of different diminutive variants cf. Linguistic Atlas of German-speaking Switzerland, Volume III, cards 149 ( little dog), 150 (hook), 151 (wheel), 152 (trough), 153 (apples), 154 (birds), 155–158 (supplements to the diminutive cards) and Schweizerisches Idiotikon, Volumes I ff. Frauenfeld and Basel 1881 ff., passim.
  5. ↑ See the grammars by Ludwig Fischer, Werner Marti, Rudolf Suter and Albert Weber mentioned under "Literature".
  6. ↑ a b c d e f For the respective words, consult primarily Schweizerisches Idiotikon, Volumes I ff. Frauenfeld or Basel 1881 ff.
  7. ↑ Emil Abegg : The dialect of Urseren. Frauenfeld [1911], p. 75; Heinrich Baumgartner : The dialects of the Bernese Seeland. Frauenfeld 1920, p. 142; Leo Brun: The dialect of Obersaxen in the canton of Graubünden. Frauenfeld 1918, p. 153; Walter Clauss : The Uri dialect. Frauenfeld 1920, p. 182; Ludwig Fischer: Lucerne German grammar. 2nd edition Hitzkirch 1989, p. 190; Werner Marti: Bern German grammar. Bern 1985, p. 87; Paul Meinherz: The dialect of the Bündner Herrschaft. Frauenfeld 1920, p. 171; Martin Schmid, Gaudenz Issler: Davos German Dictionary. Chur 1982 (for example p. 79: Hääremji “Grosses, also Kleines Wiesel”, plural as singular); Rudolf Suter: Basel German grammar. 3rd edition Basel 1992, p. 66; Georg Wanner: The dialects of the canton of Schaffhausen. Frauenfeld 1941, p. 164; Albert Weber: Zurich German grammar. 3rd edition Zurich 1987, p. 110.
  8. ↑ Emil Abegg: The dialect of Urseren. Frauenfeld [1911], p. 75; Leo Brun: The dialect of Obersaxen in the canton of Graubünden. Frauenfeld 1918, p. 153; Walter Clauss: The Uri dialect. Frauenfeld 1920, p. 182; Ludwig Fischer: Lucerne German grammar. 2nd edition Hitzkirch 1989, p. 190; Georg Wanner: The dialects of the canton of Schaffhausen. Frauenfeld 1941, p. 164; Albert Weber: Zurich German grammar. 3rd ed. Zurich 1987, p. 110. The older dialects of the Bernese Central and Seeland, Basel and Bündner Herrschaft did not have any separate dative forms; see the individual proofs mentioned above.
  9. ↑ Armin Bratschi, Rudolf Trüb a . a .: Simmental vocabulary. Thun 1991, p. 13; Hans Dauwalder: Haslitiitsch. How mma s and write cha. A short Hasli German grammar. Gemeinnütziger Verein Meiringen, Meiringen 1992, p. 21 (with other examples, such as Wägelli, Wägelleni, Wägellenen ); Walter Henzen: The German Freiburg dialect in the Sense and south-eastern lake district. Frauenfeld 1927, p. 186; Carl Stucki : The dialect of Jaun in the canton of Freiburg Frauenfeld 1917, p. 267.
  10. ↑ Elisa Wipf: The dialect of Visperterminen in the Valais. Frauenfeld 1910, p. 125; Karl Bohnenberger : The dialect of the German Valais in the home valley and in the suburbs . Frauenfeld 1913, p. 194.
  11. ↑ Schweizerisches Idiotikon, Volumes I ff. Frauenfeld and Basel 1881 ff .; Ludwig Fischer: Lucerne German grammar. 2nd edition Hitzkirch 1989, pp. 461-463; Werner Marti: Bern German grammar. Bern 1985, p. 198; Rudolf Suter: Basel German grammar. 3rd edition Basel 1992, p. 183 f .; Albert Weber: Zurich German grammar. 3rd ed. Zurich 1987, pp. 228-230.
  12. ↑ Christoph Landolt : Das Gspäändli. Word history from June 18, 2020, ed. from the editors of the Swiss Idiotikon .
  13. ↑ For usage see Natascha Frey: Doubling the w-word in Swiss German. Berner Diss. Online publication 2010, especially pp. 72–79, also for example Schweizerisches Idiotikon, Volume XVI, Column 1043, Lemma wër I, with documents Sp. 1045, 1048 and 1050 ; ibid. column 1763, Lemma was, with information on the distribution in column 1764 and documents in column 1765 and 1766 .
  14. ↑ Examples from Schweizerisches Idiotikon, Volume XII, Column 35 f., Lemma dū and from Esther Odermatt: The deminution in the Nidwalden dialect. Zurich Dissertation Zurich 1903, p. 88.
  15. ^ A b Ludwig Fischer: Lucerne German grammar. 2nd edition Hitzkirch 1989, p. 465.
  16. ↑ a b Schweizerisches Idiotikon, Volume IV, Column 314, Lemma mīn .
  17. ↑ Schweizerisches Idiotikon, Volume V, Column 648, Lemma brūn, Bed. 1bδ ; ibid. Volume II, Column 554, Lemma Gueteli ; Hans-Peter Schifferle , Christoph Landolt : Wienachtsguetsli - die Klassiker , in: Wortgeschichte from December 15, 2016, ed. from the editors of the Swiss Idiotikon.
  18. ^ A b Esther Odermatt: The deminution in the Nidwalden dialect. Zurich Dissertation Zurich 1903, p. 88.
  19. ↑ See Schweizerisches Idiotikon, Volume VII, Column 15 or 17, Lemma sō .
  20. ↑ See the document from Gotthelf's work in Schweizerisches Idiotikon, Volume V, column 1071 above .
  21. ↑ Schweizerisches Idiotikon, Volume VI, column 871, Lemma nǖt, Bed. 3b and Volume II, column 347, Lemma Lǟr-heim-Gängeli .
  22. ↑ Schweizerisches Idiotikon, Volume II, column 427, Lemma Hätteli-Gërn .
  23. ↑ Schweizerisches Idiotikon, Volume I, Column 3, Lemma ǟ II ; Albert Weber: Zurich German grammar. 3rd edition Zurich 1987, p. 273; Ludwig Fischer: Lucerne German grammar. 2nd edition Hitzkirch 1989, p. 465.
  24. ↑ See Werner Hodler: Contributions to word formation and word meaning in Bern German. Zürcher Diss. Francke, Bern 1915 (reprint: Kraus, Nendeln / Liechtenstein 1970), pp. 8-10 and 21-34 as well as Esther Odermatt: The deminution in the Nidwalden dialect. Zurich Dissertation Zurich 1903, pp. 85–88.