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immigrant“I’ve lived in Switzerland for 15 years and I’m still ‘the German'”
41-year-old Alexandra K. has lived in Switzerland for 15 years and feels at home here. But the fact that she is still being told that she is “typically German” bothers her enormously.
“In Germany I’m no longer German,” says K. But: “In Switzerland I’m not Swiss, I’m still ‘the German’.”
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Again and again, the 41-year-old is confronted with characteristics or things that are considered “typically German” for Swiss people. “It’s just annoying,” she says.
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That’s what it’s about
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Alexandra K. (41) has lived in Switzerland for 15 years.
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But even after all this time, she is still considered “the German”.
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That bothers her a lot, because: K. feels more at home here than in Germany.
“You’re typically German – don’t be so German.” 41-year-old Alexandra K. has to listen to such statements from the start, she says. K. is bothered that after 15 years in Switzerland she is still considered “the German”.
K., who lives in Zurich, feels at home in Switzerland and there is no question that she is moving back to Germany. “In Germany, I’m no longer a German,” she says. But: “In Switzerland I’m not Swiss, I’m still ‘the German’.”
“You have to take a step back and be less German”
This is noticeable when people from their environment, or even former superiors, repeatedly make statements like “You are typically German, don’t be so direct”, “You are German, you sound so harsh” or “You are one typical Germans, you have to take a step back and be less German».
“For example, when I ask questions at work, collect information and organize myself in such a way that I can do the job well, former colleagues and superiors sometimes felt attacked or questioned,” says K. Hätten, a Swiss national Swiss did the same thing, it was perceived differently. K. is repeatedly confronted with characteristics or things that are considered “German” for Swiss people. “It’s just annoying.”
Alien Survey
In a survey by 20 Minuten and Tamedia, people without a Swiss passport who live in this country were asked what they like and what bothers them. The results show that foreigners often see Swiss people as distant, materialistic, boring, pedantic, stressed and racist.
“Disappointed that I’m still seen as a German”
It’s just as annoying for K. when people automatically speak High German to her – even though she understands Swiss German. “I can understand that that’s meant politely, but we’re in Switzerland and not in Germany,” she says.
“Sometimes I’m disappointed that I’m still seen as a German,” says the 41-year-old. “I keep getting labeled and put in a drawer.”
*Name known to editors.
Expert: “Swiss are more polite, Germans are cheeky”
Andreas Diekmann is a German sociologist and lectures at the ETH Zurich, among others.
Science College Berlin
Mr. Diekmann, how do you explain this phenomenon?
“There are enormous differences in the large German minority in Switzerland. In particular, it depends on whether people from Germany move with their families and settle in Switzerland for a longer period of time, or whether they move to Switzerland alone and only for a short time for work. But if you overlook this, one disadvantage of the Germans is definitely the language: German-speaking Switzerland has built its own identity out of the different dialects. This means that immigrant Germans who speak Standard German can be identified very easily. In addition, northern Germans have a harder time in Switzerland than those who speak Bavarian, for example, because they – like the Swiss – speak a dialect.”
Why do many Germans still not speak Swiss German even after years?
“Of course, adult Germans who move to Switzerland find it more difficult to learn Swiss German. In addition, people in Switzerland do not like it when High Germans break out in Swiss German – that often sounds rather ridiculous. The Swiss in Germany often have it better: their accent is perceived as charming.»
Do Swiss people have different characteristics than Germans?
«The Swiss are said to be more polite, friendlier and not so direct, but also to distance themselves more privately. The style of the Germans, on the other hand, is sometimes louder and more direct, and they are happy to share their opinions. There are exceptions on both sides.”
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2023-05-02 20:11:19
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