The High German languages (German: hochdeutsche Mundarten, i.e. High German dialects), or simply High German (Hochdeutsch [ˈhoːxˌdɔɪ̯t͡ʃ] ) – not to be confused with Standard High German which is commonly also called "High German" – comprise the varieties of German spoken south of the Benrath and Uerdingen isoglosses in central and southern Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and eastern Belgium, as well as in neighbouring portions of France (Alsace and northern Lorraine), Italy (South Tyrol), the Czech Republic (Bohemia), and Poland (Upper Silesia). They are also spoken in diasporas in Romania, Russia, Canada, the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Chile, and Namibia.
| High German | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution | German-speaking Europe, United States, Canada, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Colonia Tovar
|
| Linguistic classification | Indo-European
|
| Subdivisions |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog | high1289 |
High German is marked by the High German consonant shift, separating it from Low German (Low Saxon) and Low Franconian (including Dutch) within the continental West Germanic dialect continuum. "Low" and "high" refer to the lowland and highland geographies typically found in the two areas.
Classification
As a technical term, the "high" in High German is a geographical reference to the group of dialects that forms "High German" (i.e. "Highland" German), out of which developed Standard German, Yiddish and Luxembourgish. It refers to the Central Uplands (Mittelgebirge) and Alpine areas of central and southern Germany; it also includes Luxembourg, Austria, Liechtenstein, and most of Switzerland. This is opposed to Low German, which is spoken in the lowlands and along the flat sea coasts of the North German Plain.
High German can be subdivided into Upper German (Oberdeutsch) and Central or Middle German (Mitteldeutsch, this includes Luxembourgish, which itself is now a standard language).
High German varieties are distinguished from other West Germanic varieties in that they took part in the High German consonant shift (c. AD 500) to various degrees. To see this, compare the following:[page needed]
| English | Low German | Standard High German | Consonant shift |
|---|---|---|---|
| pan | Pann | Pfanne | [p] to [p͡f] |
| two | twee | zwei | [t] to [t͡s] |
| make | maken | machen | [k] to [x] |
In the southernmost High Alemannic dialects, there is a further shift: Sack (like English/Low German "sack/Sack") is pronounced [z̥ak͡x] ([k] to [k͡x]).
History
Old High German evolved from about 500 AD. Around 1200 the Swabian and East Franconian varieties of Middle High German became dominant as a court and poetry language (Minnesang) under the rule of the House of Hohenstaufen.
The term "High German" as spoken in central and southern Germany (Upper Saxony, Franconia, Swabia, Bavaria) and Austria was first documented in the 15th century.
Gradually driving back Low German variants since the Early modern period, the Early New High German varieties, especially the East Central German of the Luther Bible, formed an important basis for the development of Standard German.
Family
This section does not cite any sources. (February 2024) |
Divisions between subfamilies within Germanic are rarely precisely defined, because most form continuous clines, with adjacent dialects being mutually intelligible and more separated ones not. In particular, there has never been an original "Proto-High German". For this and other reasons, the idea of representing the relationships between West Germanic language forms in a tree diagram at all is controversial among linguists. What follows should be used with care in the light of this caveat.
- High German
- Central German (German: Mitteldeutsch)
- East Central German
- Thuringian
- Upper Saxon, including Erzgebirgisch
- South Marchian
- Lusatian
- Silesian (now mostly spoken by the German minority in Upper Silesia)
- High Prussian (nearly extinct)
- West Central German
- Central Franconian
- Ripuarian
- Moselle Franconian dialects, including Luxembourgish
- Hunsrik language (from the Hunsrückisch dialect)
- Rhine Franconian
- Palatine, including Lorraine Franconian (France)
- Pennsylvania Dutch (in the United States and Canada)
- Hessian
- Palatine, including Lorraine Franconian (France)
- Central Franconian
- East Central German
- High Franconian, in the transitional area between Central and Upper German
- East Franconian
- South Franconian
- Upper German (German: Oberdeutsch)
- Alemannic in the broad sense or West Upper German (German: Westoberdeutsch), including Swiss German dialects
- Swabian
- Alemannic in the strict sense
- Low Alemannic, including Alsatian and Basel German
- High Alemannic
- Highest Alemannic
- Bavarian or East Upper German (German: Ostoberdeutsch), including Austrian German dialects
- Northern Bavarian
- Central Bavarian, including Viennese
- Southern Bavarian, including Mócheno in Trentino, Italy
- Gottscheerish
- Cimbrian, nearly extinct
- Hutterite German (in Canada and the United States)
- Lombardic, extinct
- Alemannic in the broad sense or West Upper German (German: Westoberdeutsch), including Swiss German dialects
- Yiddish, evolved from Middle High German
- Central German (German: Mitteldeutsch)
See also
- High Germany
References
- W. Heeringa: Measuring Dialect Pronunciation Differences using Levenshtein Distance. University of Groningen, 2009, pp. 232–234.
- Peter Wiesinger: Die Einteilung der deutschen Dialekte. In: Werner Besch, Ulrich Knoop, Wolfgang Putschke, Herbert Ernst Wiegand (Hrsg.): Dialektologie. Ein Handbuch zur deutschen und allgemeinen Dialektforschung, 2. Halbband. de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1983, ISBN 3-11-009571-8, pp. 807–900.
- Werner König: dtv-Atlas Deutsche Sprache. 19. Auflage. dtv, München 2019, ISBN 978-3-423-03025-0, pp. 230.
- C. Giesbers: Dialecten op de grens van twee talen. Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen, 2008, pp. 233.
- Compare the definition of "high" in the Oxford English Dictionary (Concise Edition): "... situated far above ground, sealevel, etc; upper, inland, as ... High German".
- E.g.
- Hermann Niebaum, Jürgen Macha, Einführung in die Dialektologie des Deutschen (series: Germanistische Arbeitshefte), 2nd ed., Max Niemeyer Verlag, Tübingen, 2006, p. 220 [1st ed. 1999, 3rd ed. 2014]
- Gabriele Graefen, Martina Liedke-Göbel, Germanistische Sprachwissenschaft: Deutsch als Erst-, Zweit- oder Fremdsprache, 3rd ed., 2020, p. 31.
- Howard Jones & Martin H. Jones, The Oxford Guide to Middle High German, Oxford University Press, 2019, p. 7
- M. O'C. Walshe, A Middle High German reader with grammar, notes, and glossary, Oxford University Press, 1974, p. 3
- Robinson, Orrin. Old English and its Closest Relatives. Routledge, 1994.
- "Understanding High German: The Standardized Linguistic Bridge of the German-Speaking World". www.verbalplanet.com. Retrieved 2025-03-12.
- Russ, Charles V.J. The German Language Today: A Linguistic Introduction. Routledge, 1994, p. 15f.
Further reading
- Friedrich Maurer (1942), Nordgermanen und Alemannen: Studien zur germanischen und frühdeutschen Sprachgeschichte, Stammes- und Volkskunde, Strasbourg: Hünenburg, [designation of High German languages as Irminonic].
The High German languages German hochdeutsche Mundarten i e High German dialects or simply High German Hochdeutsch ˈhoːxˌdɔɪ t ʃ not to be confused with Standard High German which is commonly also called High German comprise the varieties of German spoken south of the Benrath and Uerdingen isoglosses in central and southern Germany Austria Liechtenstein Switzerland Luxembourg and eastern Belgium as well as in neighbouring portions of France Alsace and northern Lorraine Italy South Tyrol the Czech Republic Bohemia and Poland Upper Silesia They are also spoken in diasporas in Romania Russia Canada the United States Brazil Argentina Mexico Chile and Namibia High GermanGeographic distributionGerman speaking Europe United States Canada Brazil Chile Argentina Paraguay Colonia Tovar Central and southern Germany Austria Italy in South Tyrol Liechtenstein Luxembourg Switzerland Belgium Alsace and LorraineLinguistic classificationIndo EuropeanGermanicWest GermanicElbe GermanicHigh GermanSubdivisionsCentral German Upper GermanLanguage codesISO 639 3 Glottologhigh1289 High German is marked by the High German consonant shift separating it from Low German Low Saxon and Low Franconian including Dutch within the continental West Germanic dialect continuum Low and high refer to the lowland and highland geographies typically found in the two areas ClassificationGerman dialect area defined as all West Germanic varieties using Standard German as their literary language Frisian Low Franconian Low Saxon or Low German Central German Upper German As a technical term the high in High German is a geographical reference to the group of dialects that forms High German i e Highland German out of which developed Standard German Yiddish and Luxembourgish It refers to the Central Uplands Mittelgebirge and Alpine areas of central and southern Germany it also includes Luxembourg Austria Liechtenstein and most of Switzerland This is opposed to Low German which is spoken in the lowlands and along the flat sea coasts of the North German Plain High German can be subdivided into Upper German Oberdeutsch and Central or Middle German Mitteldeutsch this includes Luxembourgish which itself is now a standard language High German varieties are distinguished from other West Germanic varieties in that they took part in the High German consonant shift c AD 500 to various degrees To see this compare the following page needed English Low German Standard High German Consonant shiftpan Pann Pfanne p to p f two twee zwei t to t s make maken machen k to x In the southernmost High Alemannic dialects there is a further shift Sack like English Low German sack Sack is pronounced z ak x k to k x HistoryOld High German evolved from about 500 AD Around 1200 the Swabian and East Franconian varieties of Middle High German became dominant as a court and poetry language Minnesang under the rule of the House of Hohenstaufen The term High German as spoken in central and southern Germany Upper Saxony Franconia Swabia Bavaria and Austria was first documented in the 15th century Gradually driving back Low German variants since the Early modern period the Early New High German varieties especially the East Central German of the Luther Bible formed an important basis for the development of Standard German FamilyThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed February 2024 Learn how and when to remove this message Divisions between subfamilies within Germanic are rarely precisely defined because most form continuous clines with adjacent dialects being mutually intelligible and more separated ones not In particular there has never been an original Proto High German For this and other reasons the idea of representing the relationships between West Germanic language forms in a tree diagram at all is controversial among linguists What follows should be used with care in the light of this caveat High German Central German German Mitteldeutsch East Central German Thuringian Upper Saxon including Erzgebirgisch South Marchian Lusatian Silesian now mostly spoken by the German minority in Upper Silesia High Prussian nearly extinct West Central German Central Franconian Ripuarian Moselle Franconian dialects including Luxembourgish Hunsrik language from the Hunsruckisch dialect Rhine Franconian Palatine including Lorraine Franconian France Pennsylvania Dutch in the United States and Canada Hessian High Franconian in the transitional area between Central and Upper German East Franconian South Franconian Upper German German Oberdeutsch Alemannic in the broad sense or West Upper German German Westoberdeutsch including Swiss German dialects Swabian Alemannic in the strict sense Low Alemannic including Alsatian and Basel German High Alemannic Highest Alemannic Bavarian or East Upper German German Ostoberdeutsch including Austrian German dialects Northern Bavarian Central Bavarian including Viennese Southern Bavarian including Mocheno in Trentino Italy Gottscheerish Cimbrian nearly extinct Hutterite German in Canada and the United States Lombardic extinct Yiddish evolved from Middle High GermanSee alsoGermany portalHigh GermanyReferencesW Heeringa Measuring Dialect Pronunciation Differences using Levenshtein Distance University of Groningen 2009 pp 232 234 Peter Wiesinger Die Einteilung der deutschen Dialekte In Werner Besch Ulrich Knoop Wolfgang Putschke Herbert Ernst Wiegand Hrsg Dialektologie Ein Handbuch zur deutschen und allgemeinen Dialektforschung 2 Halbband de Gruyter Berlin New York 1983 ISBN 3 11 009571 8 pp 807 900 Werner Konig dtv Atlas Deutsche Sprache 19 Auflage dtv Munchen 2019 ISBN 978 3 423 03025 0 pp 230 C Giesbers Dialecten op de grens van twee talen Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen 2008 pp 233 Compare the definition of high in the Oxford English Dictionary Concise Edition situated far above ground sealevel etc upper inland as High German E g Hermann Niebaum Jurgen Macha Einfuhrung in die Dialektologie des Deutschen series Germanistische Arbeitshefte 2nd ed Max Niemeyer Verlag Tubingen 2006 p 220 1st ed 1999 3rd ed 2014 Gabriele Graefen Martina Liedke Gobel Germanistische Sprachwissenschaft Deutsch als Erst Zweit oder Fremdsprache 3rd ed 2020 p 31 For the Middle High German time e g Howard Jones amp Martin H Jones The Oxford Guide to Middle High German Oxford University Press 2019 p 7 M O C Walshe A Middle High German reader with grammar notes and glossary Oxford University Press 1974 p 3 Robinson Orrin Old English and its Closest Relatives Routledge 1994 Understanding High German The Standardized Linguistic Bridge of the German Speaking World www verbalplanet com Retrieved 2025 03 12 Russ Charles V J The German Language Today A Linguistic Introduction Routledge 1994 p 15f Further readingFriedrich Maurer 1942 Nordgermanen und Alemannen Studien zur germanischen und fruhdeutschen Sprachgeschichte Stammes und Volkskunde Strasbourg Hunenburg designation of High German languages as Irminonic
