'German dialect' is dominated by the geographical spread of the
High German consonant shift, and the
dialect continuum that connects the
German with the
Dutch language.
Dialects
German dialects vs. varieties of standard German
In German
linguistics, ''German
dialects'' are distinguished from ''
varieties of
standard German''.
★ The ''German dialects'' are the traditional local varieties. They are traditionally traced back to the different German tribes. Many of them are hardly understandable to someone who knows only standard German, since they often differ from standard German in
lexicon,
phonology and
syntax. If a narrow definition of
language based on
mutual intelligibility is used, many ''German dialects'' are considered to be separate languages (for instance in the
Ethnologue). However, such a point of view is unusual in German linguistics.
★ The ''varieties of standard German'' refer to the different local varieties of the
pluricentric language standard German. They only differ slightly in lexicon and phonology. In certain regions, they have replaced the traditional ''German dialects'', especially in Northern Germany.
Dialects in Germany
Distribution of the native speakers of major continental 'West Germanic' dialects today (Dialects of the following standard languages: Dutch, German and Frisian).
The colours in this map do not reflect the actual relationship between the languages or dialects.
The variation among the German dialects is considerable, with only the neighbouring dialects being mutually intelligible. Most Low German and Upper German dialects, when spoken in their purest form, are not intelligible to people who only know standard German. However, all German dialects belong to the
dialect continuum of High German and Low Saxon. In the past (roughly till the end of the second world war) there was a dialect continuum of all the continental
West Germanic languages because nearly any pair of neighbouring dialects were perfectly mutually intelligible.
The German dialect continuum is typically divided into
High German and
Low German.
The traditional dialects (
basilects) were the normal everyday language of practically all Germans roughly until the year 1900 and of most Germans in rural areas until the 1950s. Since then, their use has much eroded and there are some areas where the traditional dialects are virtually extinct.
The erosion of dialect use takes two different forms:
Firstly, standard German exerted a considerable influence on grammar, lexis and phonetics/phonology of the dialects, thus causing them to become less distinct from the standard language.
Secondly, in many areas dialects, even in their more moderate forms, are being abandoned altogether and young people in many parts of the country speak standard German only.
Use of dialect, though usually not in its most conservative form, is still widespread even among younger people in many rural areas of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, the Palatinate and Saarland - all of them in the southern half of the country. The strong Saxon accent that is used by most Saxons is often mistaken for a dialect, but the Saxon basilects are nowadays confined to the southern fringe of Saxony.
Low Saxon
Low Saxon varieties (spoken on German territory) are considered dialects of the German language by some, but a separate language by others. Sometimes, Low Saxon and
Low Franconian are grouped together because both did not participate in the
High German consonant shift.
Middle Low German was the
lingua franca of the
Hanseatic League. It was the predominant language in Northern Germany. This changed in the 16th century. In 1534, the
Luther Bible, by
Martin Luther was printed. This translation is considered to be an important step the evolution of the
Early New High German. It aimed to be understandable to an ample audience and was based mainly on
Central and
Upper German varieties. The Early New High German language gained more prestige than Low Saxon and became the language of science and literature. Other factors were that around the same time, the Hanseatic league lost its importance as new traderoutes to Asia and the
Americas were established, and that the most powerful German states of that period were located in Middle and Southern Germany.
The 18th and 19th centuries were marked by mass
education, the language of the schools being standard German. Slowly Low Saxon was pushed back and back until it was nothing but a language spoken by the uneducated and at home. Today, Low Saxon could be divided in two groups: Low Saxon varieties with a (''reasonable/large/huge'') standard German influx, and varieties of standard German with a Low Saxon influence (
Missingsch).
High German
'High German' is divided into
Central German and
Upper German. Central German dialects include
Ripuarian,
Moselle Franconian,
Hessian,
Thuringian,
South Franconian,
Lorraine Franconian and
Upper Saxon. It is spoken in the southeastern Netherlands, eastern Belgium, Luxembourg, parts of France, and in Germany approximately between the River
Main and the southern edge of the Lowlands. Modern Standard German is mostly based on Central German, but it should be noted that the usual German term for modern Standard German is ''Hochdeutsch'', that is, ''High German''.
The Moselle Franconian varieties spoken in
Luxembourg have been officially standardized and institutionalized and are therefore usually considered a separate language known as
Luxembourgish.
Upper German dialects include
Alemannic (for instance
Swiss German,
Alsatian),
Swabian,
East Franconian and
Austro-Bavarian. They are spoken in parts of the
Alsace, southern Germany, Liechtenstein, Austria, and in the German-speaking parts of Switzerland and Italy.
Wymysorys,
Sathmarisch and
Siebenbürgisch are High German dialects of Poland and
Romania respectively.
The High German varieties spoken by
Ashkenazi Jews (mostly in the former
Soviet Union) have several unique features, and are usually considered as a separate language,
Yiddish. It is the only Germanic language that does not use the
Latin alphabet as its
standard script. Some German dialects that somewhat resemble Yiddish are e.g. Swabian, Badensian and Alsatian.
Overseas dialects
The dialects of German which are or were primarily spoken in colonies or communities founded by German speaking people resemble the dialects of the regions the founders came from. For example,
Pennsylvania German resembles dialects of the
Palatinate, and
Hutterite German resembles dialects of
Carinthia, while
Venezuelan ''
Alemán Coloniero'' is a
Low Alemannic variant.
Amana German
'Amana German' is a dialect of
West Central German. It is spoken in the
Amana Colonies in
Iowa, which were founded by
Inspirationalists of
German origin. Amana is derived from the
Hessian dialect, another West Central German dialect. Amana German is called ''Kolonie-Deutsch'' in
standard German.
Brazilian German
Main articles: Brazilian German
In Brazil the largest concentrations of German speakers (
German Brazilians) are in
Rio Grande do Sul, where
Riograndenser Hunsrückisch was developed, especially in the areas of
Santa Catarina,
Paraná, and
Espírito Santo.
Lagunen-deutsch
'Lagunen-deutsch' is a variety of
High German spoken in
Chile.
Most speakers of Lagunen-deutsch live around
Llanquihue lake.
Lagunen-deutsch has integrated elements of the
Spanish language.
This includes the integration of false cognates with the Spanish language, transferring the Spanish meanings into Lagunen-deutsch.
The geographical origin of most or all speakers of Lagunen-deutsch is
Chile, where the ancestors of the speakers immigrated from Europe in the 19th and 20th century.
See also
★
History of the German language
★
Standard German
★
German as a minority language
★
Ethnic Germans
External Links
★
An example sentence spoken in different German dialects (German)
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