Berlin grammar
The article Berlin Grammar describes the grammar , that is in linguistics : any form of a systematic description of language, of the Berlin dialect , as competent native speakers actually use them spontaneously (without feeling what is said as a slip of the tongue).
The Berlin dialect emerged from a Low German dialect that was reshaped through the use of the High German language and its particularities in written language. High German spelling is usually used for typesetting.
In addition to the official written language, there are also unofficial typesetting that are used to reproduce texts in Berlinic. This often happens in short glosses of the Berlin daily newspapers, which take up the Berlin linguistic joke in particular. There are also a few books that are written entirely in the Berlin dialect.
Depending on the type of publication, the Berlin typeface is sometimes more, sometimes less different from the standard German spelling. As a rule, one tries to maintain the similarity to the High German spelling, as Berliners are only familiar with this from everyday life. One then restricts oneself to a few basic rules for sound substitution and a limited list of completely substituted words ( Berolinisms ).
In addition, it is possible to base the Berlin font on the sound. This is problematic if only because the pronunciation in dealing strongly depends on the age and origin of the Berliner. In addition, Berliners tend to use more Berlin or standard German sounds, depending on the situation; they often adapt to their counterparts.
Some of the phonological differences shown here compared to standard German result from sound shifts that were not or only partially carried out in the Berlin dialect. The standard German pf , for example , arose from the original Germanic p , ch from k , and ß or z from t , not the other way around. These Germanic consonants are still contained in the Berlin words Appel (cf. standard German apple ) and Schnute (cf. standard German Schnauze ).
Emphasis
In German and Germanized words, the main syllable is emphasized in general as in the High German written language , i.e. Púlle, Járten, etc. The prefix is also emphasized in compound verbs, such as in úffstehn , ránschanzen .
In the case of words taken from French , on the other hand, the emphasis is mostly in the original way, i.e. Budíke, Musíke, Trottwár. In words with suffix emphasis, Berlinic largely follows standard German. There are special features with place names : While Bérnau is spoken in Bavaria , it is called Bernau in the Berlin area , as is common with other German formations ( Friedenau , Grünau ) . In the case of the frequently occurring place names that are of Slavic origin, the prefix is emphasized: Spándau , Stéglitz , Strálau , Tréptow . Compound place names are also emphasized on the second term if it has (at least) two syllables: Schönewéide , Friedrichshágen , Pichelswérder ; see on the other hand: Pichelsdorf , Friedrichshain and Schöneberg .
The accentuation of Berlinic is reserved. The sound movement is weak and the tone of voice is low. Gradation is mainly achieved through the tone strength. This creates a rather monotonous hearing impression with a high speaking speed compared to the rest of the German-speaking area .
Phonological differences to standard German
Note that the differences mentioned here are described from the perspective of the standard variety . These differences stem not only from changes that the Berlin dialect has undergone, but also from some that Standard German has undergone. Some of these sound shifts date back to Old High German times, e.g. B. the present-day Berlin monophthongs ee and o , which come from the Germanic diphthongs ai and au and were monophthonged in Old High German only before certain consonants.
Z → SS
The z [ ts ] can ss [ s ] are.
- at home [ tsuˈhaʊ̯zə ] → ssu home [ suˈhaʊ̯zə ]
R → A
After a long vowel, r becomes a short a :
The substitution from -r to -a is so regular that most of the time the substitution is not transcribed . The high German spelling ( we , door ) remains , even with a different sound.
An r after a short vowel has a lengthening effect on the vowel. In comparison to Standard German, it is noticeable that the vowel remains open, although it is pronounced long. In the typeface such vowels can be represented by doubling the vowel itself and doubling the following consonant.
After a vowel shrinkage (or recently unstressed vowel) is r , together with the fading vowel to a .
- come here [ həʁˈbaɪ ] → have [ haˈbaɪ ]
- unfortunately [ ˈlaɪdəʁ ] → leida [ ˈlaɪda ]
- do you have [ ˈhaptiʁ ] → habta [ ˈhapta ]
This replacement, too, is so regular that it is mostly not transcribed.
The replacement is only made at the end of a word, independent word part or prefix (such as ver in improve ). So the Handwerkerverband becomes Handwerkavaband . Words like Kerbe or Berlin are pronounced unchanged.
L → LH
The l - as in Bern Germans and the Dutch , except before vowel and end of the word - to dark (velar) ³ . The ł sounds like a mixture of the Schwund vowel Schwa and the English w . This is usually not transcribed.
If it is in front of a fading vowel, l also becomes ł .
If the voiced l is used together with other voiced sounds such as d and g / j , the following are shortened, sometimes completely left out:
- Sorry [ ɛntˈʃʊldɪgʊŋ ] → Tschuldi'ung , Tschuldjung [ ˈtʃʊɫjʊŋ ]
PF → P / F
The connection pf is very rare in Berlinic. Most of the time it starts with f , ends with p .
- Horse [ pfeːɐ̯t ] → Ferd , Fead [ feːa̯t ]
- Apple [ apfl ] → Appl [ APL ]
- Head [ kɔpf ] → Kopp [ kɔp ]
You receive a few words pf .
-
Victim →
Oppa(see Dutch offer ) - Oppa would be an older man (derived from Grandpa , i.e. from grandfather )
M, BM, TM
A b falls out before m . This happens very often in Berlin, because the ending -em is shortened to -m due to the loss of the fading vowel .
Likewise, d and t are adjusted.
Here, instead of t a glottal stop talking, as if the m be a new standalone word. Simply put, the t is pronounced like a p .
N, DN, GN
A b falls out before n . However, here the n becomes m .
There is no p before n , but the n becomes m . (To put it in a complicated way, the p is already canceled and a crackling sound remains.)
Before ft , n also becomes m .
- Information [ ˈaʊ̯skʊnft ] → Information [ ˈaʊ̯skʊɱft ]
A d falls out before n .
After g , k , ch ("ach" sound) and ng , n becomes ng . Here the g often fails.
- lay [ ˈleːgən ] → legn , legng , leeng [ ˈleːʔŋ̍ ]
- squat [ ˈhɔkən ] → squat , hockng [ ˈhɔkŋ̍ ]
- make [ ˈmaxən ] → machn , machng [ ˈmaxŋ̍ ]
- to sing [ ˈzɪŋən ] → singn , singng [ ˈzɪŋŋ̍ ]
- say [ zaːgən ] → sagn , sagng , Saang [ zaːʔŋ̍ ]
However, the n can be spoken again if the word is continued with a vowel, a d or a t .
- Signal [ zɪˈgnaːl ] → Signal , Singnal [ zɪˈŋnaːl ]
- Evening [ ˈaːbn̩t ] → Abnd , Abmnd , Aamnd [ ˈaːmn̩t ]
- actually [ ˈaɪ̯gn̩tlɪç ] → proper , proper , proper [ ˈaɪ̯ŋn̩tlɪç ]
G → GH / J
The g becomes a fricative sound after a vowel . After e , i , ä , ö , and ü it becomes voiced to j , and after a , o and u to r / gh , similar to the Arabic غ (gheyn).
G that has become voiceless then becomes an ego sound or an oh sound :
This change is already present in the High German ending -ig . If the word is continued after -ig , the g remains plosive, as in High German, so it does not become fricative.
-
Kingdom →
Kingdom
The final g shortens a preceding a or u .
Initially, g can always become j , but less often with younger speakers before r , l , o and ei .
CH → SCH, J
As an ego sound, ch can become too sh .
- properly [ ˈɔʁdn̩tlɪç ] → oadntlïsch , oonntlüsch [ ˈɔːn̩tlʏʃ ]
If you speak faster, the suffixes -lich and -ig can both become voiced, i.e. to -lij and -ij . This is transcribed with an apostrophe, if at all.
- correct [ ˈʁɪçtɪç ] → rïchtij , rüchti ' [ ˈʁʏçtɪʝ ]
- really [ ˈvɪʁklɪç ] → wïrklij , würkli ' [ ˈvʏʁklɪʝ ]
- equal [ glaɪ̯ç ] → gleij , glei ' [ glaɪ̯ʝ ]
Even me , you , yourself and nich can then end voiced.
H → J
Between vowels, h becomes j , but this is usually not transcribed.
- Marriage [ ˈeːhə ] → marriage , Eje [ ˈeːjə ]
- When I see that again ... → If I see you already wieda ... , Wennik dit already wieda see ...
E.
Before the consonant, e is usually omitted as a fading vowel.
In particular, from an unstressed it as the last syllable of the word end (or at the end of a word part) an a , because the r is after a vowel to a , and e is precipitated. This is not always transcribed.
- better [ ˈbɛsəʁ ] → better , bessa [ ˈbɛsa ]
- improve [ fɛɐ̯ˈbɛsɐn ] → improve , vabessan [ faˈbɛsan ]
- induced [ hɛɐ̯baɪ̯ ] → induced , habei [ habaɪ̯ ]
However, an e does not fall out after r , chn , tm .
-
interesting → interesting →
interesting -
calculate → calculate →
calculate -
breathe → breathe → apmen →
apmn
After a short i or u , a fading vowel is even inserted.
After double n , -en is apostrophized. The n is pronounced twice.
Ä → E
An ä is always pronounced like an e in Berlin .
For this reason, a short e is not lengthened by a subsequent r , since this would phonetically correspond to an ä . Instead, a short e is spoken long before r .
EI → EE
ei [ aɪ̯ ] often becomes ee [ eː ] (monophthonging), namely if it corresponds to the Middle High German ei:
- alone [ alˈaɪ̯n ] → alleïn , alleen [ aˈleːn ]
-
three [ draɪ̯ ] →
dree(here the ei corresponds to the mhd. î )
I → Ü
Open i can tend to ü .
- Fish [ fɪʃ ] → Fïsch , Füsch [ fʏʃ ]
- nothing [ nɪçts ] → nïscht , nüscht [ nʏʃt ]
- Milk [ Mɪlç ] → Mïlsch , Mülsch [ Mʏlʃ ]
The transcription of the sound on ü is rare and mostly limited to fixed forms such as nüscht . In other cases, the standard German spelling remains with a different sound, cf. "Light" [ lɪçt ].
E → Ö
Open e can tend towards ö .
- The number 11: eleven → twelve
AU → OO
au [ aʊ̯ ] often becomes oo [ oː ] (monophthonging) when it corresponds to the ancient Germanic au :
- also [ aʊ̯x ] → åuch , ooch [ oːx ] (<Urg. * auk )
-
from [ aʊ̯s ] →
oos(here this corresponds to the urg. û : * ût )
Word formation
Words can be pulled together and change in the process. Some of these shapes are so noticeable that they are transcribed into the typeface in Berlinisch. These are typically personal pronouns and articles that are attached to verbs and conjunctions like suffixes.
| I [ ɪç ] → ick , -ik [ ɪk ] | can I [ ˈkanɪç ] → can ick → kannik [ ˈkanɪk ] |
| you [ youː ] → you , -de [ də ] / e [ ə ] | if you [ vɛnduː ] → if you , wennde [ vɛndə ]; have you [ hastd̥u ] → you , haste [ hastə ] |
| he [ eːɐ̯ ] → he , -a [ a ] | will he [ ˈvɪlˀeːɐ̯ ] → will ea , willa [ ˈvɪla ] |
| she [ ziː ] → she , -se [ zə ] | want her [ ˈvɪlziː ] → want her , willse [ ˈvɪlzə ] |
| es [ ɛs ] → it , -et [ ət ] | so it is [ zoː ɪst ɛs ] → so is it , so eat [ zoː ɪsət ] |
| we [ viːɐ̯ ] → wia , -wa [ va ] | we have [ ˈhaːbn̩ˌviːɐ̯ ] → habn wia , habnwa , haamwa [ ˈhamva ] (→ hamma [ ˈhamma ]) |
| you [ iːɐ̯ ] → ia , -a [ a ] | do you know [ ˈvɪstiːɐ̯ ] → know ia , wissta [ ˈvɪsta ] |
| she [ ziː ] → -se [ zə ] | see [ ˈzeːənziː ] → see , see [ ˈzeːnzə ] |
| me [ miːɐ̯ ] → -ma [ ma ] | can you me [ ˈkanstd̥uˌmiːɐ̯ ] → can you mia , kannema [ ˈkanstəˌma ], kannema = can you times |
| dir [ diːɐ̯ ] → -da [ da ] | if I give you [ ˈvɛnɪçˌdiːɐ̯ ] → if ick dia , Wennikda [ ˈvɛnɪkˌda ] |
| him [ iːm ] → -m [ m̩ ] | I have him [ ˈhaːbəɪçˌiːm ] → have ick him , habbikm [ ˈhabɪkm̩ ] |
| you [ iːɐ̯ ] → -a [ a̯ ] | did he want her [ ˈvɔltəˌˀeːɐ̯ˌˀiːɐ̯ ] → wanted ea ia , wolltaa [ ˈvɔltaˀa̯ ] |
| me [ mɪç ] → me , -mij , -mi ' [ mɪʝ ] | as she me [ ˈalsˌz̥iːˌmɪç ] → as she me , alssemij , alssemi ' [ ˈalsəˌmɪʝ ] (or alssema = as she me, see accudative) |
| you [ dɪç ] → you , -dij , -dij [ dɪʝ ] | have you yourself [ ˈhastˌd̥uˌdɪç ] → have you yourself , hastedij , hastedi ' [ ˈhastəˌdɪʝ ] (or hasteda = you have yourself, see accudative) |
| him [ iːn ] → -n [ n̩ ] | I want him [ ˈvɪlɪçˌiːn ] → want ick him , willikn , willikng [ ˈvɪlɪkŋ̍ ] |
| itself [ zɪç ] → -sij [ sɪʝ ] | there he can [ daˈkaneːɐ̯ˌzɪç ] → there can ea himself , da kannasij , da kannasi ' [ daˈkana̯ˌsɪʝ ] |
| dem [ deːm ] → dem , -m [ m̩ ] | to the [ ˈtsuːdeːm ] → to the , to the [ tsʊm ] |
| den [ deːn ] → -n [ n̩ ] | to [ tsuːdeːn ] → to , initially [ Tsun ] |
| the [ deːɐ̯ ] → -a [ a̯ ] | to the [ ˈtsuːdeːɐ̯ ] → to dea , to the [ ˈtsuːa̯ ] |
If necessary, the carrier word of the liaison is adapted to the pronunciation in order to clarify the voicelessness of the final or the brevity of the vowel.
- did he [ ˈhatˀeːɐ̯ ] → hatta [ ˈhata ]
- whether I [ ˈɔpɪç ] → ob ick → obpik [ ˈɔpɪk ]
- with the [ ˈmɪtd̥eːm ] → mittm , mitpm [ ˈmɪpm̩ ]
- with the [ ˈmɪtd̥eːɐ̯ ] → mitta [ ˈmɪta ]
- in the [ ˈɪndeːɐ̯ ] → inna [ ˈɪna ]
The final word of the carrier word can disappear in some cases. If the falling final is an n , then -ik becomes -ink .
- You could have said something about that again. [ ˈDaːtsuː ˈhɛtəstˌd̥uːˌdɔx ˈaʊ̯xˌnɔx ˈaɪ̯nmaːl ˈɛtvas ˈzaːgn̩ˌkœnən ]
- → Da hettste do 'oo' no 'ma' wat ssu saang can '. [ daː ˈhɛtsˌtə dɔː ˈoːnɔma vat suː ˈsaːŋ̍ kœnː ]
syntax
pronoun
Replacement of personal pronouns
In Berlin, a demonstrative pronoun is used much more frequently than a personal pronoun.
- it → dit ( it rains → dit rains )
"Here" and "there" instead of "dieset" and "jenet"
More common than this , these and these are the one here , the one here and the one here . Likewise, one hears the one there , the one there and the one there, than the jena , the one and the jenet .
- Will you give me that book → Are you jibing the book?
Omission at the beginning of the sentence
Personal pronouns, demonstrative pronouns and there can be omitted at the beginning of a sentence if the context is clear.
- I have no idea. → I have no idea. → Keene idea.
- The ha'ik do 'yu know. → Ha'ik do 'yu known.
- There it was. → Warik already.
- Everybody? (instead of "Have you served?")
Separation of pronouns and particles
Connections such as where from are separated more often in Berlin than in Standard German.
- Where are you from? → Where are you from?
- I have nothing from that. → Da ha 'ik nüscht of.
If the particle begins with a vowel, so that an r has to be inserted between there or where and the particle , after the separation the particle begins with dr .
- I don't care about that. → Machikma nips out of it.
declination
The Berlin declination uses the inflected forms of High German. However, the usage differs significantly. In Berlin, there is no grammatical distinction between dative and accusative, so that the high German inflection forms can appear optionally. The trend, which also appears in High German, to replace many genitive forms after a preposition with a dative form, is almost constant in Berlin usage and extends to expressions without prepositions.
Accusative-dative consonance
The lack of distinction between the Berliners and the use of a dative or accusative is proverbial. Already in the last century the winged word of
- I don't confuse "me" and "me",
- that can't pass me.
Or
- I don't confuse "me" and "me",
- dit doesn't happen to me,
- Meen Köta don't run around with me,
- and run me away through the gate.
Or
- If you don't know whether "me" or "me",
- because come to me and eat mia.
Or
- I love you, I love you
- How is it right, I don't know
- And I am also pomade.
- I don't love you in the third case
- I don't love you in the fourth case
- I love you in any case.
- - Langenscheidt Lilliput Berlinerisch , Berlin and Munich 2008
According to more recent studies, however, Berlinic follows the newer Low German , where there is only the object case as the third and last case. The Berlin language does not know any special form of diffraction of an object case, so that the accusative or dative case is used to name the object, which (originally jokingly) is also called "accudative". Which form of inflection appears does not depend on grammatical rules, but rather takes place according to aural aspects - in the above example by rhyme on nich .
- I have a problem:
- I should be ashamed of you.
- I'm not ashamed of myself.
- What do you think of me?
- - Robert Gernhardt : Gesammelte Gedichte , Frankfurt 2006.
“The Berliner always tells me , ooch if it's not right.” ( Peter Schlobinski ).
For most nouns, the Berliner uses the accusative forms because they are easier to pronounce. This is all the more true when entire articles can be linked by prepositions. An ending e can also be seen as a shortening of a genderless de instead of the / die / das :
- with the girlfriend → middle girlfriend → middle girlfriend
- with the people → mittn people → middle people
The dative form is more common for personal pronouns. In Low German, the object form of you / you and me / me is a simple di and mi . The high-linguistic me and you is closer to the sound, so that it is regularly preferred and often also blended. However, it is not a question of confusing the dative with the accusative, just a shortened consonance:
- I asked myself that. → Dit ha'ickmi 'jefracht. → Dit ha'ickma jefracht.
In the few cases of Standard German where two direct objects are required after a verb, in Berlin the second object is regularly marked with an additional preposition opposite :
- I prefer Matthias (accusative) to Hans (dative) .
The so-called "gendative"
The genitive is almost completely replaced in Berlin. The trend in standard German and other European languages (e.g. English) to replace prepositionally required genitive with dative (because of whom) can be found throughout Berlin for all prepositional forms, and also often for direct genitive. To distinguish it from other object forms, it can be marked with an additional preposition of :
- the sister of my friend → the sister of my friend (the sister of my friend)
- because of this bird → weg'n this'm Vogel (wee'gn de'm Voorel)
- during the game → during the game (weamptn game)
The general non-differentiation of all cases is rather dialect. Berlinic tends to only differentiate between subject and direct object in its sound. A genitive that has been replaced by a dative can also appear in the inflected form of an accusative. However, this is rare in parlance:
- Did not you see me? → Didn't you see me? - "Didn't you see it?"
- because of the heat → because of the heat (wee'ng di heat)
This interpretation is controversial, however. Mostly, non-Berliners already see the shortened consonance of “me” and “me” to “ma” or “mi” or of “der” and “di” to “de” as a mix-up of genitive and dative.
Stress forms on "e"
An e can be added to emphasize a word , especially when the word is on its own. This phenomenon regularly exists in other languages, such as French, where a distinction is made between unstressed je (“pronom conjoint” ~ connected pronoun) and stressed moi (“pronom disjoint” ~ unconnected pronoun). Common forms include:
- ick → icke
- book now → jetze
- dit → ditte
- there → drinne
- six → six
- thin → thin
Extended infinitive with "zu"
The use of infinitives with or without too does not always correspond with the High German. Even educated Berliners who speak exclusively Standard German do not lose this peculiarity, even in the use of writing. A long-running favorite in German proofreading and editorial offices.
- Do you have nothing better to do than sit around a janz'n Tach? (instead of: sitting around )
- I have the book on the table. (instead of: lieng uff'm table )
Mostly need is needed without being needed. In addition, the third person singular is formed without t , which means need can be counted among the auxiliary verbs in Berlin.
- Then he doesn't need to do it. → Because you don't need to do it.
Alternative spelling with diacritical marks
If a stronger phonetic representation is desired, it is advisable to mark phonetic substitutions with diacritical marks. This avoids that the reader is intuitively tempted to suspect a spelling error instead of a regular sound replacement.
- Only for the ɣ-According to a sensitive place as gh, as this does not occur in high German case, however, already regularly diakritisch by linguists as a simplification of a labeled g is used (g).
- If a diacritical mark is made with circumflex letters, then many substitutions can be written regularly, including er → â (pronounced short open a ), g → ĵ (pronounced between g and r ), i → î (pronounced as ü ), and optional e → ê (pronounced closed long e ), - meen Vâlêĵâ has nîscht jesaĵt to it. (The use of ĵ instead of ĝ is advisable, since the j-sound dominates in the broader Berlin language).
- Other letter substitutions are possible. Analogous to the Scandinavian å , which denotes a shift from a to o , in Berlin notation an åu is suitable , which denotes a shift from au to o ( tree to Båum ). After the vowel, l often experiences a softening, which can also be written as ł , based on the Polish ł (want to wiłłst, everything too ałłet) . A voiced d becomes mute ( sorry to Tschułłjung ).
See also
literature
- Agathe Lasch : "Berlinisch". A Berlin linguistic history . Hobbing, Berlin 1928. In it especially chapter VI Grammar of Berlin , p. 215 ff. ( Digital.zlb.de: Digitalisat )
Individual evidence
- ^ "Berlinisch" - a history of Berlin language , Agathe Lasch Berlin, Hobbing, 1928, p. 119 f.
- ^ "Berlinisch" - a Berlin language history , Agathe Lasch Berlin, Hobbing, 1928, p. 120 f.
- ↑ The non-Berliner Gernhardt reacts with his me to the rhyme with nich . But the real Berliner tells me .
- ↑ In need the monophthongization of the au to oo does not take place: Dit needma nich ooch no.