Hi Francine,

Really enjoyed your article and list.

My Jewish "bubby"/grandmother who was from Eastern Europe (ending up in Latvia) spoke a mishmash of English, German, Polish, Russian and,of course, Yiddish, so I never really knew which language those words that she spoke came from. She was always exhorting me to be a MENSCH- such as "eat like a mensch" or "talk like a mensch" or "dress like a mensch." Thus, I suppose that I was fortunate that she she did not aspire for me to be a SCHWEINEHUND!
Also from her I learned to be neither a SCHLEMIEL, SHLEMAZEL nor a SCHMUCK (literally and figuratively!).

Hello almal!

..and then there is Swiss German which 'language' I believe does not come in a written form at all or with dictionaries?

I hear you can have a long conversation in SwissGerman and confirm all in email and correspondence etc in formal/informal/colloquial German depending on the context of said conversation.

I also hear that Swiss German goes beyond merely being a dialect of German - and that with most languages, when it comes to use, a native can recognise someone who speaks Parisian French as opposed to one from Provence or Brussels as with a Berne German speaker versus one from Zurich.

I speak Schnizel - that international German dialect.

Funny how memories have a way of sneaking up on us and us being able to revel in them. I love it too when that happens for me - but Francine, please request three bits of eisbein from a friendly and perplexed restaurateur ... I can imagine the downside of being faced with the whole one 'en bone'. But maybe not!

Go well and I say cheers