Play it again, Sämu: decoding Bernese nicknames

If you’re introduced to Seppu, Küsu, Vanä and Simä, you might think you’ve woken up in Finland. But you’re actually in the Swiss capital, Bern, and have just met Joseph, Markus, Vanessa and Simone. Welcome to the colourful world of Bernese nicknames. Nicknames, sobriquets, monikers – call them what you like, almost all cultures have them. They can be used for convenience (Alex for Alexander, Liz for Elizabeth), to express affection, or to signal that you’ve been accepted by a group – that you…