Jauer (language)

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The Bündner languages ​​- the Jauer in dark purple

Jauer (German also Münstertalerisch ) describes the Rhaeto-Romanic dialect , which is spoken in Val Müstair ( Canton of Graubünden ) as the traditional majority language.

term

The name is derived from the word for I («jau»), which is a specialty of the Münstertal and the village of Zernez in the Lower Engadine (there «jo») (in contrast to the «eu» in the rest of the Lower Engadine and «eau» in the Upper Engadin ). The inhabitants of the Münster valley are called "ils jauers" (German: "die Jau-Sager").

Interestingly enough , Heinrich Schmid did not stick to the great idioms Sursilvan , Surmiran and Vallader (jeu / ia / eu) when creating the high-level language Rumantsch Grischun (jeu / ia / eu) for the word "I" , but instead chose the Münster valley typical "jau" . So today - in an etymological sense - all Graubünden novels are «Jau-Sager», as far as they communicate in Rumantsch Grischun.

Essence of dialect

The dialect has never developed its own written language , that is, Jauer never achieved idiom status. However, in Giuven Jauer , the Münstertaler Zeitung founded by Tista Murk in 1938 , until 1943 it was partly written in Jauer, even Jauer was even propagated and taught in the newspaper's "Sprachecke" section.

The school was taught in Vallader until 2008 , and from 2009 to 2013 the standard language Rumantsch Grischun was used throughout the valley for written documents and statements on the authorities and in the school . In 2012, a popular initiative was adopted calling for a return to Vallader as the literacy language . Its implementation is currently (status: 2013) being carried out.

A striking peculiarity of Jauer is the unusual emphasis on those verbs that end in stressed -ar elsewhere in Romansh frets . In Münstertal these are emphasized on the penultimate syllable and the ending is weakened to -er , e.g. B. guárder instead of guardár ( Eng . To look). Another peculiarity, especially compared to the Vallader, is the pronunciation of stressed -an as -aun-, e.g. B. in rumauntsch instead of rumantsch or cháunter instead of chantár (German to sing).

Part of the Ladin language family

Together with Vallader and Puter , the Jauer is one of the Ladin languages in the canton of Graubünden . Two-way communication between speakers of the three dialects is possible without any problems.

Newer development

In 2007, Plinio Meyer-Tschenett's Dschon Uein id atras istorias grischunas ( Eng . Dschon Uein and other Graubünden stories ) was published for the first time, a book written in Jauer that is also available as an audio book.

literature

  • Plinio Meyer-Tschenett: Dschon Uein id atras istorias grischunas (German Dschon Uein and other Graubünden stories). Ill. By Rudolf Mirer. Desertina, [Chur] 2007, ISBN 978-3-85637-342-9 (text in German and Rhaeto-Romanic).