Swiss German
What it is, why you cannot follow it even though you read German — and which dialect is spoken where.
Spoken, not written
Swiss German is the spoken language of everyday life — and the written one between people who know each other: texts, WhatsApp, notes. Anything official is written in Swiss Standard German. Both are part of it, and somebody who has only one of them eventually sends a dialect message to their insurance company.
No correct spelling
There is no official orthography. Two people write the same word differently and both are right. That is why Heidi never tells you your spelling is wrong — only how we write it.
Not one language
Swiss German is not a single dialect but many. The differences are obvious to a local and completely invisible to a learner. Heidi teaches you Zurich German and says so, rather than pretending there is only one.
The dialects
Dialect boundaries do not follow cantonal ones — hence points rather than areas. The cantons are listed because you know which one you are in.