Jodeln
/ˈjoːdl̩n/noun
To yodel; to sing with rapid alternation between chest voice and falsetto.
Did you know?Jodeln is the German verb behind yodeling, and its sharp vocal breaks made it a powerful alpine signal long before it became a performance style.
Etymological Timeline
19th Century
German
jodeln
“to yodel; to sing with rapid voice breaks”
18th–19th Century
German
jodeln / jodel
“an imitative formation associated with alpine singing”
16th–18th Century
German dialects
jo / jô / jodl-like cries
“vocal calls used in mountain and rural singing”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
unknown
“no securely established ancestral form is documented”