Schweizerisches Idiotikon, project to document and provide a dictionary of Swiss German dialects
The Schweizerisches Idiotikon is a large dictionary documenting Swiss German dialects and contains more than 150,000 entries dating back to the late Middle Ages. The collection includes regional words, their meanings, and how they are used in speech and writing.
The project started in 1862 when scholars began collecting Swiss dialect words for a comprehensive dictionary. The first volume was published in 1881, and the work was gradually expanded and improved by successive editors over many decades.
The dictionary shows how Swiss German appears in everyday life, local crafts, and traditions. The entries reveal how communities named and understood their surroundings across generations.
The dictionary has been freely available online since 2010, allowing you to access entries from anywhere. Visitors can explore the collections in Zurich or use the digital platform to look up regional words and their origins.
The institute also operates ortsnamen.ch, a project focused on the origins of Swiss place names and how they have changed over time. This digital resource features historical maps and tools for exploring the geographical and linguistic history of Switzerland.
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