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Swiss German speakers use gsi in place of gewesen.

What is the origin of gsi?

Was there ever a old form gesein that sounds like gsi in the dialect? (my amateur opinion)

3
  • 1
    With my dialect (SG/GR), I rather pronounce it like "gse".
    – user9104
    Feb 23, 2015 at 10:15
  • 1
    Interesting.....
    – philshem
    Feb 23, 2015 at 10:18
  • I confused things. Meant to address Graubünden. Edited now.
    – user9104
    Feb 23, 2015 at 10:19

2 Answers 2

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Die Bildung des Partizips gewesen aus sein wurde nach Grimm bereits sehr früh im Gotischen vollzogen.

Erst viel später trat eine weitere Form gesîn in Anlehnung von sîn auf, die sich in mehreren mittelhochdeutschen Dialekten findet:

gesîn ist besonders dem alem. eigen und hier seit dem 12. jahrh. die gewöhnlichste form.

Das heißt, dass in den alemannischen Dialekten, zu dem auch die Schweizer Mundart gehört, diese Form seit dem 12. Jahrhundert vorherrscht.

Das heutige gsî ist demnach eine Kontraktur der älteren Form gesîn.

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In dialects "gewesen" can have various shortened forms.

gewesen g.we..n (The dot stands for dropped sounds.)

gewesen to g...sen to gse to gsi ( my assumption)

My grandfather even used the form gewest (regular) in a poem (Frankish).

During World War I, with a bullet in his arm and taken prisoner by the French near Metz, he wrote a letter in verse to his wife. He told her:

Mich trugen Krankenträger fort,

Und zwar in den nächsten Ort,

Rutzi hieß das elende Nest,

Wo wir sind fünf Tag' gewest.

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  • I remember hearing that swiss german is based on old high german, which would explain it since "gesein" is old german, and in swiss german "ei" is pronounced "ie" (eg. "Schweiz -> "Schwiiz"). Like most dialects, they drop off the last "n" in verbs, so "gesein" became "gesie" (pronounced "gsi"). Feb 9, 2022 at 6:00

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