What does yodeler mean?
A yodeler is a person who yodels, performing songs or calls that use rapid shifts between lower chest-register and higher head-register sounds. The word is especially associated with traditional yodeling in the Alpine regions of Switzerland, Austria, and southern Germany, where skilled performers sing complex melodies and imitate calls from the mountains. In the United States, yodeling is also well known through Pennsylvania Dutch communities and has appeared in country, folk, and popular entertainment. As a noun, yodeler identifies the performer rather than the vocal technique or song itself. It is a useful word when discussing a particular singer or musician, but it carries a regional and cultural flavor that makes it more specific than the general term singer. The standard American plural is yodelers, while British spelling commonly uses yodellers.
nounA person who yodels, especially a performer of the traditional Alpine style of yodeling.
- A person who yodels or performs yodeling songs.
"The yodeler opened the festival with a lively song from the Austrian mountains."
"The Swiss yodeler greeted the crowd with a rapid alternation between chest and head voice."
"She learned from her grandmother, an accomplished yodeler known throughout the county."
The standard American plural is yodelers; yodellers is the usual plural in British spelling.
"Several yodelers performed during the mountain festival."
From Alpine mountain songs to Pennsylvania Dutch barns, the yodeler carries a vocal tradition built for carrying across valleys.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of yodeler
English borrowed yodeler from the German Jodler, meaning a person who yodels, during the nineteenth century. The German term is related to jodeln, an established verb whose exact ultimate origin is uncertain but is generally considered imitative of the distinctive vocal technique. Related forms appear in neighboring languages, including Dutch jodelen, to yodel, and jodlaar, a yodeler.
Related word forms
How yodeler is actually used
The term is neutral in register but strongly evokes Alpine folk music. In American spelling it normally has one l, while British spelling commonly uses yodeller.
Easily confused with yodeler
A yodel is the vocal cry or song itself, whereas a yodeler is the person who performs it.