What does... "-ish" actually mean?

Have you come across the suffix recently? It is pronounced: "isch". And unfortunately it doesn't mean what it means in Swiss German, but exactly the opposite. The Swiss German form of the verb "sein" in the third person present, i.e. he/she/it "ist" - or "isch", means that something is. Definitive. Unchangeable. The equally pronounced English suffix "-ish", on the other hand, is an informal form for "approximately", "something like" or "perhaps". The ending is now used so frequently that "ish" can be considered a word in its own right. You can answer the question "Let's meet at 8" with "Ish" to leave yourself some flexibility.

Why has it become so hip in Switzerland to suddenly forget everything? The Swiss are so conscientious and punctual when it comes to keeping appointments that there is no room for vagueness.

Exactly how wide this temporal spectrum is depends heavily on the cultural origin of the person in question. For people from the USA or the UK, "-ish" is the same as "plus minus 10 minutes", which is common in German-speaking cultures. It should be noted, however, that the Swiss tend to arrive too early in order to avoid being unpunctual, which, if I may say so, is also unpunctual.

Speaking of tardiness, there is also the academic quarter of an hour, which academics like to use as an excuse for lateness. It's actually just an indication that lectures at universities start a quarter of an hour later than stated - but it can be a bit embarrassing in a private setting. In Latin countries, people are more relaxed. Here, the "hora latina" applies, which means that everything up to 30 minutes after the agreed time is completely fine. And English-speaking people from India even see "-ish" as the time between the hours. "Let's say 8ish" therefore means that the meeting will take place sometime between 8.00 and 8.59.

The height of non-commitment

However, "-ish" does not only mean unpunctuality, but also non-commitment. While the Swiss "isch" in the sense of "to be" represents a commitment, the English "-ish" is exactly the opposite. Are you stressed? "-ish". Do you have a lot to do? "-ish". How are things going? "-ish". And so on. But adjectives are also given the trendy ending. And this is where it becomes problematic in German-language usage. While the ending has become something of a metaphor for non-commitment, in uncertain times it is precisely commitment that would be important. What good is it if everything that wants to be presented and daring is neutralized with an "-ish"? Nothing at all. It would be appropriate for clients and client managers in agencies to strengthen their decision-making authority and take a clear stance instead of making imprecise decisions that sound cool. Instead of attaching a fashionable appendage to every assessment, it would be better to be consistent and clearly state how things are. Or just "ish".

* Benno Maggi is co-founder and CEO of Partner & Partner. He has been eavesdropping on the industry for over 30 years, discovering words and terms for us that can either be used for small talk, pomposity, excitement, playing Scrabble, or just because.

This article originally appeared on markt-kom.com - https://www.markt-kom.com/de/markom/was-bedeutet-eigentlich-ish/