What is up with Chuck mispronouncing soft "ch" ?

[ekhamer]

I recently subscribed to GermanPod101 and have been working through the Season 3 Intermediate lessons. They are very good except for one thing: Chuck always mispronounces the soft "ch" sound as "sh". It's not even slightly wrong, it's always completely wrong, isn't it? Part of the reason to listen to a podcast is to learn listening skills but I am so thrown off by his mispronunciation.

Am I missing something here? Shouldn't the teacher of a lesson fix his own pronunciation problem? I'd love to hear if there is a reason for doing this.

Thanks, Eric

[skyhan48]

I had the some question as yours till I lived in Dresden for two months last year. I was taught Hochdeutsch in Taiwan and my teacher pronounced "ch" as "ch". When I took German class in Goether Institute in Dresden. The teachers there always pronounced "ch" as "sh", so did my German friend. I guess that is one of difference between old East and West Germany.

I am not used to hear "sh" either.. but, I think Chuck is not wrong.. just take it as different accent.

Machs gut!
Angela

I recently subscribed to GermanPod101 and have been working through the Season 3 Intermediate lessons. They are very good except for one thing: Chuck always mispronounces the soft "ch" sound as "sh". It's not even slightly wrong, it's always completely wrong, isn't it? Part of the reason to listen to a podcast is to learn listening skills but I am so thrown off by his mispronunciation.

Am I missing something here? Shouldn't the teacher of a lesson fix his own pronunciation problem? I'd love to hear if there is a reason for doing this.

Thanks, Eric

[Sprachprofi]

It's not East/West so much as it is North/South. In the very north, the soft CH becomes K and throughout the south, from Baden-Württemberg all the way to the Czech border, it's SH. Chuck spent several years in Baden-Württemberg in the Swabian area and picked up some of the local accent. I however come from a comparatively central and dialect-free part of Germany so I have no problem teaching you the official CH sound.

[ekhamer]

I didn't realize that the pronunciation of "ch" was based on an area dialect, thanks for clearing that up. (although it still really bugs me to hear him say it as "sh" for some reason).

I'll be in Munich and Berlin this summer, I'll definitely pay attention to differences in dialect.