Switzerland Today

Greetings from Bern!

Some stereotypes are true when it comes to Swiss German dialects. Bernese men speak slowly, and Zurich women speak quickly. At least, that is what research from the University of Bern has found.

More on this and other Swiss quirks in today’s briefing. But first, the news.

The federal court upheld the acquittal of the vice president of Exit Switzerland. KEYSTONE

In the News: a plane crash investigation, a new weight-loss drug, and the end of a university ranking.

• A preliminary report on a plane crash in the Swiss town of Grenchen on February 18 found that a skydiver’s reserve parachute opened while still in the aircraft. This caused the skydiver to crash into the tailplane, which tore off and caused the plane to crash. The 11 skydivers survived by jumping but the pilot died.
• Swiss president Viola Amherd met with representatives of the United Nations and other countries in New York. Amherd discussed various topics with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres including Switzerland’s preparations for a peace conference on Ukraine.
• As of this month, Swiss health insurance companies will cover the costsExternal link of a third weight loss injectible medication – Wegovy. This should relieve some of the pressure on the supply of Ozempic for diabetes patients, that has also been in demand as a weight-loss drug.
• The Swiss federal court acquittedExternal link Pierre Beck who had been accused of violating the Narcotics Act after he helped a healthy 86-year-old woman end her life in response to her wishes to die alongside her seriously ill husband. The court found that the legality of providing a drug for assisted suicide isn’t covered under medical guidelines.
• The University of Zurich is withdrawing from the university ranking published by the Times Higher Education magazine. The ranking creates false incentives, the university announced on Wednesday. 

Swiss dialects are the subject of a major research project in Bern. KEYSTONE/© KEYSTONE / URS FLUEELER

Are you a slow talker? Then, you’ll feel at home in Bern according to the research.

How do you say candy in Swiss German? Täfeli or Zückerli? What about doll? Is it Bääbi or Puppe? That depends of course on where you live in the Swiss German part of the country. Now apparently, it seems that it isn’t just what you say but how fast you say it that distinguishes one dialect from another.

That’s according to the “Swiss German Dialects Across Time and Space” research project at the University of Bern, which is investigating language change in German-speaking Switzerland.

As Tages-Anzeiger reportedExternal link today, the cliché that the Bernese speak slowly is true. But it isn’t necessarily all Bernese. The project found that men in Bern are the slowest speakers. “Young men from Bern stand out with their slow speaking speed. The cliché of the slow Bernese seems to originate mainly from them,” writes the author.

So, who are the fast talkers? Apparently, women from Zurich top the charts. Why are there such big differences? The researchers offer one possible explanation – “stance-taking”, which is how people project and position themselves vis-à-vis others. How do you say that in Bärndütsch?

Sunday shopping has been the subject of heated debate in Switzerland. KEYSTONE/© KEYSTONE / CHRISTIAN BEUTLER

Economic minister triggers debate over Sunday shopping

Dialects aren’t the only Swiss quirk in today’s briefing. For many Swiss who live abroad, one of the big shocks when you return to Switzerland is the fact that stores aren’t open on Sundays. Well, that’s at least the case in the main shopping districts.

But as many who are in a desperate search for spaghetti on a Sunday evening know, there is always the train station Migros. As journalists at Tages-Anzeiger pointed out today, the queuesExternal link can get out of control for a liter of milk on Sunday.

“Today’s rules for Sunday sales in Switzerland are complex to the point of absurdity,” wrote the paper. There are special rules for family businesses and gas stations. Then there are kiosks in touristed areas and shops in ski resorts. The list of exceptions goes on.

Economic minister Guy Parmelin reignited a long-standing debate on Sunday shopping yesterday when he suggested that luxury shops in touristy areas in big cities should remain open on Sundays. The idea received plenty of criticism from liberal politicians and unions who said this would push employees to the limit.