Big Bene wrote:knightkrawler wrote:Rheinfränkisch, eh? You're lucky they avoid speaking it...
I live in Edenkoben and work in Offenbach on Queich, basically in the heart of the Palatine, so it's very definitely Palatine German (which is of course part of the Rheno-Franconian family). And yes, it's awful. But there are worse dialects around, both German and other.
I can understand Palatian and Berlinerisch (my mother comes from Berlin) quite well, even when it's very thick, but I can't speak any dialect to save my live.
knightkrawler wrote:I can manage High German, Moselfränkisch, Oberpfälzisch, and General American.
Sjeng wrote:And then English, some German, a wee bit French, a few words Spanish. Just enough for having a vacation there
I speak German, English (enough to hold lectures without script), Arabic (not really, but enough to do some polite smalltalk), and read French (not very well), Latin, Dutch and Egyptian (Middle Egyptian, Late Egyptian, Demotic and Coptic).
Grüessech mitenand !
You should have some experience of Swiss German... is.. fascinating in its own way. But I guess that for Austrians or Bavarians is less alien than to people of, say, Hamburg.
__________________________________________________________________
I am Italian, I work in Switzerland now. I use English regularly (I work in Research), I studied French and I have my own terrible German that I try to improve. Still, for me is generally easier to understand Germans or Austrians than Swiss german Speakers. Is true that my boss is German and not Swiss and we alternate English and
Hochdeutsch..