The dialect glossary of the Ore Mountains.

Ore Mountains — the mid-range mountains on the Saxon-Bohemian border

„Grüß dich Gott mei Arzgeberch"№ 037

a little bit, a little while

„Bleib'n mr noch aweng do"№ 026

tree; small tree, sapling

„do steht a Bamel, a Vugelbeerbamel su grien"№ 024

miner — worker in the ore mining industry

„Glück auf, Glück auf, dr Steigr kimmt!"№ 058

beggar, vagrant — poor wanderer going from house to house

„D'r Battlmah"№ 045

Let's stay a little while longer — an invitation to prolong the evening

„Bleib'n mr noch aweng do, bleib'n mr noch a Weil!"№ 026

young man, lad; also: friend, boyfriend

„Dr verliebta Boß"№ 028

Gottesgabe — Czech name for Günther's birthplace; oldest mining town in Bohemia at 1020 m altitude

„De Guttsgoh, mein Heimatort"№ 002

little book — also used metaphorically for the book of life

„'s Lab'n is a Büchl"№ 036

little Christmas tree — small decorated Christmas tree; the -el/-amel diminutive suffix is characteristic of Erzgebirgisch

German and free — the informal motto of the Bohemian-German Ore Mountains

„Deitsch on frei, deitsch on frei, wer wullt's annerscht sei?"№ 012

outside, outdoors

„Drauß im Wald, do steht a Bamel"№ 024

at home, back home

„Drham is drham, koa's annerscht nett sei."№ 031

to honor — to hold the elders and ancestors in dignity; a recurring plea in Günther

„Ehrt da altn Leit!"№ 070

end of the working day; leisure time after work

„'s is Feieromd, 's Tagwerk is gemacht"№ 001

Fichtelberg — highest peak in Saxony (1215 m); landmark of the Ore Mountains

„dr Fichtelberg entstrahlt"№ 093

spring — the season after the long Ore Mountain winter

„En Frühgahr"№ 038

Miner's greeting; literally 'may the ore vein open up'

„Galück auf, Galück auf! Dr Steigr kimmt mit Licht."№ 088

mountains; in context usually the Ore Mountains

„Grüß dich Gott mei Arzgeberch"№ 037

boy, young man

„Wie ich e klaaner Gong noch war"№ 041

grandma — grandmother; the -la suffix is an Erzgebirgisch diminutive

„Mei Grußmütterla"№ 051

Gottesgabe — Boží Dar, Anton Günther's birthplace; a Bohemian mining town at 1020 m altitude

„De Guttsgoh, mein Heimatort"№ 002

secret, mysterious; softly rustling, intimate

„Wu da Walder hamlich rausch'n"№ 042

homesickness — longing for one's homeland, for the Ore Mountains

„Hamweh — a Wort nu a kloas, un doch so schwer as a Stein."№ 018

peddler, itinerant merchant who sold goods from house to house

„Dr alta Hannlsmah geht durch das Dorf"№ 035

heart — typical phonetic rendering in Erzgebirgisch

„'s Harz muß verschtandn warn"№ 064

heathland woman — poetic image of a woman living in harmony with nature

„S'Heederfraal geht übers Feld"№ 082

Heather woman — poetic term for a simple, nature-loving woman

„S'Heederfraal geht übers Feld, singt a Liedla durch die Welt."№ 082

autumn — the season, especially the end of summer in the mountains

„Herwistlied — Wenn die Blätter fallen"№ 067

Hutzen evening — a social winter gathering for lacemaking, woodcarving and storytelling

„Kummt, mr wöll'n Hutzn gehn!"№ 029

now — the typical Erzgebirgisch form of 'jetzt'; short and direct

year — Erzgebirgisch pronunciation with a lengthened diphthong; the long winters make the years in the mountains especially felt

comes — third person singular present of 'to come'

„dr Steigr kimmt!"№ 058

little child, baby (diminutive of Kind)

„Schlaf, mei Kinnla, schlaf"№ 069

bobbin lace — the tool for lacemaking; also the craft of lacemaking itself

„Klippl-Lied — auf den Winter an der Klöppelarbeit"№ 006

miners' guild and mutual aid society — an important social institution in mining

small basket — used for picking mushrooms or berries

„sei Körbl is noch leer"№ 134

come (plural imperative form)

„Kummt, mr wöll'n Hutzn gehn!"№ 029

life

„'s Lab'n is a Büchl"№ 036

skylark — the songbird (Alauda arvensis), symbol of spring in the mountains

„Wenn da Lärich sengt"№ 073

people; the villagers, the community

„Ehrt da altn Leit!"№ 070

lyric postcard — a publication format invented by Anton Günther: handprinted postcard with song text, musical notation and original illustration

lithography — the printing technique Günther used for his lyric postcards; he was a trained lithographer

girl, young woman

„Maadel, dich Gott behüt!"№ 131

morning song — a song celebrating the beginning of the day

„Morgnlied — Die Sonn' geht auf im Arzgebirch"№ 052

mother — often used as a symbol of home and safety

„D'r Muater steht ihr Spinnrad still"№ 069

dialect — here: Erzgebirgisch, the dialect of the Ore Mountain people

inside, inward — direction toward the interior

„'s Herz zieht dich immer nach'm Erzgebirg rei"№ 031

not — negation particle

„koa's annerscht nett sei"№ 031

only, just — restrictive particle

„Hamweh — a Wort nu a kloas"№ 018

also, too — the Erzgebirgisch form of 'auch'; omnipresent in speech and song

„Die Sunn sagt ooch gute Nacht"№ 001

pipe — smoking pipe; symbol of the cozy Hutzen evening

„Da Pfeif"№ 011

to smoke, to emit curling wisps — when the incense cone smolders inside the Räuchermännchen, it puffs cozily into the room

incense smoker — a wooden figure from the Ore Mountains that releases smoke through its mouth when incense is burned inside

sheep — livestock of the Ore Mountain upland farming

„da Vata hit die Schaf"№ 069

snow — up to 5 months of snow per year in the Ore Mountains; deeply formative for the regional identity

„Wenn dr Schnee wag gieht"№ 055

mushroom picker — a person who collects mushrooms in the forests

„Dr Schwammeklaaber geht durch'n Wald, sei Körbl is noch leer."№ 134

bilberry, blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) — characteristic fruit of the Ore Mountains

„Schwarzbeern, Schwarzbeern, su gut!"№ 108

sun — often written without the final -e in dialect

„Die Sunn' sagt ooch gute Nacht"№ 001

late — late in the evening, into the night

„Er suckt und suckt von früh bis spat"№ 134

spinning wheel — used for spinning wool and flax; symbol of domestic winter work

„D'r Muater steht ihr Spinnrad still"№ 069

mine foreman, pit supervisor — the shift boss in an ore mine

„dr Steigr kimmt!"№ 058

little stars (diminutive) — a typical Ore Mountain motif, especially at Christmas

„Guck nauf ze da Sterla!"№ 111

little room — cozy living room; center of home life in winter

„Drham in Stübl"№ 119

so, such — adverb of manner; also emphatic: 'so beautiful', 'so green'

„a Vugelbeerbamel su grien"№ 024

searches, looks for — third person singular of 'suchen'

„Er suckt und suckt von früh bis spat"№ 134

day's work — the labor of the day, what has been accomplished

„'s Tagwerk is gemacht"№ 001

loyalty, faithfulness — an important value in Günther's songs

„Gebrochene Trei"№ 048

bench by the stove — the seat of the elderly and children in the warm room

„Da Uf'nbank"№ 016

father — with the open Erzgebirgisch 'a' vowel

„da Vata hit die Schaf"№ 069

rowan tree (Sorbus aucuparia) — symbol of the Ore Mountains, with bright red berries in autumn

„a Vugelbeerbamel su grien"№ 024

away, gone

„Wenn dr Schnee wag gieht"№ 055

forest — the dense coniferous forest of the Ore Mountains that shapes the landscape

„Wu da Walder hamlich rausch'n"№ 042

hiking song — a song about wandering, travel, and the longing for nature

„Wannerlied"№ 125

weather — often used collectively or in plural form in Erzgebirgisch

„Allerhand Watter"№ 127

Christmas — especially rich in Ore Mountain traditions (incense burning, wood carving, mining parade)

„Weihnachtsfried'n"№ 034

lullaby — a children's sleeping song; in the Ore Mountains often in dialect

„Schlaf, mei Kinnla, schlaf"№ 069

meadow valley — often refers to Oberwiesenthal, the ski resort at the Fichtelberg

„Willkomma in Wiesntol"№ 117

treetop — the top of a tree; diminutive form 'Wipfele'

„wu 's Wipfele treibt im Wind"№ 047

where — local adverb; also used as a relative pronoun

„Wu da Walder hamlich rausch'n"№ 042

ground squirrel or siskin — small animal; used affectionately in dialect as pet name

„Mei' Zässichla"№ 014

zither — the string instrument Anton Günther played when performing his songs

zither — stringed instrument played in Erzgebirgian folk music; Anton Günther's typical accompaniment