Schwiezerdeutsch Blappera - When Sick or Hurt
Note: Christine Purves writes about Swiss dialect words, phrases and stories, which relate to the history of this community. Her column is printed with permission by the Swiss Community Historical Society.
By Christine Habegger Purves
I never heard my grandmother use the word "rheumatism," but she came close. She would say, "I got some rheumatic fer shoor."
Or more specifically, "I ha jetszt es haxaschuss, und es duet mi viel rookveh." Literally this means, "I have a witch's shot and it gives me a big pain in the back."
Our daughter, Mary, age 5, was taught her part in one of the many Swiss/English skits written by my mother, Martha Baumgartner Habegger. Mary was to enter the stage barefooted, crying, "Mi tsaia, ach, mi tsaia," meaning she had stubbed her toe.
In another skit by Martha, a woman gossips, "Eh, I heard yet dat Vilhelmenia got the bronky ammonia" (the bronchial pneumonia).
When we lived in Berne, Indiana, we heard about a boy falling out of a tree, breaking his arm. He was a "Schvander," short for a Neuenschwander.
His mother, obviously wanting to know how serious a fall this was, was seen rushing out of her home, calling loudly, "Het's chlepft, Glen, het's chlepft?" (Did you hear it crack, Glen?) Not "Does it hurt?" but "Could you hear it crack?"
If you had a cold and your nose ran, you were called a A"Schnudernahse."
Stories Posted This Week
Friday, November 22, 2024
- Ticket and livestream info for Bluffton Pirates v. Patrick Henry football
- Service of thanks at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran
- Pirate girls basketball beats Hornets in McDonald’s opener
- 100+ voices in Bluffton's Handel's Messiah chorus
- Pirate Worcester named top district defender
- BVHS receives Level 7 achievement in ‘Most Wired’ survey
Thursday, November 21, 2024
- McDonald’s Holiday Tournament, Thursday, November 21
- 2024 Fall Festival in pictures: At the Schumacher Homestead
- Fairy I. Parkins was postmaster of Benton Ridge
- Council committee and residents discuss ADUs, best and worst case scenarios
- BPL hosts Open Crafts and Game Space, November 26
- Women in Business meet November 21
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
- Bluffton Beavers sports roundup, Nov. 13-19
- ODOT prepping for first snow of the season
- Mason named OBL 2024 Banker of the Year
- October 2024 land transfers in Bluffton school district
- November chamber meeting explores member news, Blaze plans and flag etiquette
- Bluffton EMS by the numbers: October 2024
- Children left unattended in running vehicles can lead to abductions
- Icon search function goes from 0 to 30
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
- Tickets and streaming information for Nov. 22 Pirate football playoff game
- Spirit Bus for November 22 football playoff in Findlay
- Tea Bag Exchange & Tasting at BPL, November 21
- Letter: University students learn about Fair Trade
- Join volunteer crew for 2024 Ream Display-Blaze of Lights setup
- Village of Bluffton asks for updated utility billing contact information
Monday, November 18, 2024
- Dorothy P. Moser operated Moser Electric
- Multi-agency active shooter drill to be held at Apollo
- Adopt-a-Family for Christmas via Bluffton Food Pantry
- Pirate football to play Hamler Patrick Henry at Findlay
- The "Brice" Presbyterian Church cornerstone
- Pirate football to face Patrick Henry in region finals