Meaning

Frequency

A1
Dialects

Zürich

Zürich

wie

Appenzell Innerrhoden

Appenzell Innerrhoden

wie

Fribourg

Fribourg

Appenzell Ausserrhoden

Appenzell Ausserrhoden

wie

Zürich

Zürich

wiä

Fribourg

Fribourg

wie

Aargau

Aargau

wie

Graubünden

Graubünden

wia

Bern

Bern

wi

Basel-Stadt

Basel-Stadt

wie

Fribourg

Fribourg

wi

Zürich

Zürich

wi

Basel-Landschaft

Basel-Landschaft

wie

Bern

Bern

wie

Zürich

Zürich

mir

Graubünden

Graubünden

wie

Fribourg

Fribourg

Data provided by: Deutsch-Schweizerdeutsches Wörterbuch

Pronounced as (IPA)
/viː/
Etymology

In summary

From Middle High German wie, a merger of two interrelated forms: 1.) Old High German hwio, from older hwēo, from Proto-Germanic *hwaiwa; cognate with Gothic 𐍈𐌰𐌹𐍅𐌰 (ƕaiwa). 2.) Old High German hwē, hwie, from Proto-Germanic *hwē; cognate with Gothic 𐍈𐌴 (ƕē). The latter is a variant of Proto-Germanic *hwī, whence English why, and is further a fossilized instrumental case of *hwaz, *hwat (“who, what”). Form 1 is also related to this stem. Outside of High German the only direct modern cognate is Limburgish wie.

Notes

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