Is High German the same as German?

Only after about the 6th century ce can one speak of a “German” (i.e., High German) language. The main difference between High and Low German is in the sound system, especially in the consonants. High German, the language of the southern highlands of Germany, is the official written language.

Can Germans understand Swabian?

Swabian can be difficult to understand for speakers of Standard German due to its pronunciation and partly differing grammar and vocabulary.

Is Standard German low or High German?

Standard High German (SHG), less precisely Standard German or High German (not to be confused with High German) (German: Standardhochdeutsch, Standarddeutsch, Hochdeutsch or, in Switzerland, Schriftdeutsch), is the standardized variety of the German language used in formal contexts and for communication between …

Is there such thing as High German and Low German?

German dialects are classified as either Low or High, depending on the region in Central Europe from which they derive. The blue area north of the line is Low German. In the High German area, the West Central region is purple, East Central is green, and the Upper region is orange.

How different are high German and Swiss German?

Swiss German consonants are a different case from vowels. Orthographically speaking, they are longer, whereas their pronunciation is a bit harsher than their German counterparts. For example, the Standard German /k/ becomes the famous Swiss German /ch/. Instead of this German feature, the Swiss use ‘ss.

What dialect is spoken in Baden-Württemberg?

Low Alemannic is spoken in Baden-Württemberg and Alsace, and High Alemannic is the dialect of German-speaking Switzerland.…

Is Alemannic German a language or dialect?

According to this framework, Alemannic varieties of German form a dialect continuum and are clearly dialects. Some linguists and organisations that differentiate between languages and dialects primarily on the grounds of mutual intelligibility, such as SIL International and UNESCO, describe Alemannic as one of several independent languages.

What is the difference between low and High German?

Thus, dialects of the north, where the landscape is quite flat, are called Low (Platt- or Niederdeutsch). The further south one travels, flatlands give way to hills and eventually, in Switzerland, the Alps; the varieties spoken in these areas are High German dialects.

What are the different variants of Alemannic?

Alemannic comprises the following variants: Swabian (mostly in Swabia, in Germany, covering large parts of Württemberg and all of Bavarian Swabia ). Unlike most other Alemannic dialects, it does not retain the Middle High German monophthongs û, î but shifts them to [ou], [ei] (as opposed to Standard German [aʊ], [aɪ] ).

What is the Standard German language?

Historically and linguistically, standard German is a mixture of Middle German and High German (i.e. most Austrian dialects). It did not develop out of one regional dialect but was artificially created by poets, philosophers and scholars. At all our of recommended language schools, you will be taught standard German.