Greetings Forumers,

I moved to Switzerland from Ireland about three-and-a-half months ago to work as an English Teacher in Kanton Zug. I have a degree in German and lived in Konstanz am Bodensee for a year while studying for it. Most of you will have been there, and know that it's beautiful, but I have warmed to the Swiss people in three months in a way I never warmed to the Germans. I feel, as an Irishman, that I have a lot in common with the 'gemeine Schweizer, and, in particular, I feel that the relationship between Switzerland and Germany is similar to that which exists between Ireland and England: The little proud country and their much bigger, prouder neighbours. I have been fortunate to develop friendships with a number of Swiss people and they've been helping learn their gorgeous language - I no longer think of it as a variation of Hochdeutsch.

I have been loving it so far, but the place in which I was living up until recently was a bit of a dump. So now I am on the search for a new Wohnung and I am hoping to put down more solid roots here - and get my Ausländerbewilligung changed to allow me to do so! I have already gleaned plenty of good advice from the forum and decided it was time to take a more active role. I look forward to heated debate, more good advice and maybe even some real life encounters!

Frohes Neues Jahr!!!

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welcome to the forum!
very entertaining introduction.
it's true what you say about CH/D and Ireland/UK. have you already found out how to translate "Der große Kanton" (as the older swiss call germany), just to annoy your bossy british neighbour?! "the big county"?
do let me know, as I am a great ireland fan

good luck with your accomodation search.

'The Big County' works well as it simultaneously insults the British and people from Cork.

ouch, let me think, could this mean that people from Ticino call italy "il grande cantone"...?!

Welcome to EF!

I would think they whey are more likely to call Italy 'il grosse Latifundia.'

Wait, an Irish English teacher? I thought native speakers had enough trouble with y'alls accent!

Welcome to Zug!

My son is seriously challenging the English curriculum in school with his use of Hiberno-English. He has discovered that he can cause great confusion for the (Swiss native) English teacher that way - she is never sure if what he says is acceptable or not!

In fairness to him I have to say he understands the difference between it and the Queen's English and can happily switch between both. Mainly because my wife, who is a certified English translator, keeps pointing out to the kids that Dad's English is not so hot

You mean learning ONE of their gorgeous languageS! :P

Welcome.

That is exactly what I mean! Sorry.

As soon as I have the SwiDu down I definitely want to add SwiFr and SwiIt to the quiver.

BTW Has anyone taken the SwissGerman courses in the Migro Klubschule? Or any other suggestions on how best to learn a language that you rarely find written down?

I'd hate to groan at someone's intro but I do hope some of the sectarian sentiment expressed there was tongue-in-cheek. I saw enough of it in the old country (being a born and bred Irishman myself) to last a lifetime.

Yes, I feel so insulted.

How about in fairness to the teacher and other children you tell him to stop creating any confusion and stick to English? Undermining teachers never helps. Look at what it's done back in the UK.

Of course it's tongue in cheek 'Parnell.' England has long been a second home to the Irish and although our intertwining history is a compelling source for debate, discriminating between any two people on grounds of their place of birth, ethnicity, religious beliefs, skin colour etc is wrong. Plain wrong. With no room for exception.

However, I rejoice when I think we have finally see enough water flow under the bridge that we can talk, tongue-in-cheek about our relationship with Britain in the same offhand manner that the Swiss can talk about 'The Grosse Kanton." I watch British Football every weekend, have Aunts, Uncles and Cousins who have lived there for decades and I have holidayed there a number of times. I read British Papers, watch British TV and feel reasonably well represented by both. This was never a debate about Northern Ireland and I don't think you were attempting to draw me into one. Here, however, is the point I would like to make:

I think that at every juncture there is a place for a person to describe their experiences of their own ethnicity and it is necessary to allow them the freedom to do so. People should be encouraged to examine feelings about their nationality, for example, because in an ever more globalised world those feelings are far more dynamic than ever before and there are interesting debates to be had about how an Irish an Irishman in Toronto feels about his Irishness as compared to an Irishwoman in Perth.

In that debate, I think there is room for humour: I'm Irish, there's always room for humour.

I'm all for humour when it's funny.

I think you should start the new year again, Olygirl ...

Anwyay, welcome Blotterthingy!!

I did look into these courses but found them to be on the expensive side and was worried that it would take the fun out of learning the language. I wanted to learn words i want, not plodding away through a book! As crazy as this sounds i have learnt an awful lot from my swiss friends and from using google translate to get some key words for now. I think i might start taking lessons for the grammar. Also I found the BBC website quite useful and fun for learning German

Welcome to the forum!
If you need some help learning italian, i'm available. I live in Ticino...and if you would like to visit my region..I'm here