What is the difference between low and High German?
“Low” refers to the flat plains and coastal area of the northern European lowlands, contrasted with the mountainous areas of central and southern Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, where High German (Highland German) is spoken.
Is Standard German high or Low German?
High German
The varieties of German are conventionally grouped into Upper German, Central German and Low German; Upper and Central German form the High German subgroup. Standard German is a standardized form of High German, developed in the early modern period based on a combination of Central German and Upper German varieties.
What is considered High German?
High German (Hochdeutsch) Middle High German was the language of an extensive literature that includes the early 13th-century epic Nibelungenlied. Modern standard High German is descended from the Middle High German dialects and is spoken in the central and southern highlands of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
What is High German and Low German?
German dialects can be divided into two main groups: “high” and “low” German. These are geographical terms: people in the low-lying plains of northern Germany speak Low German (Plattdeutsch), the inhabitants of the more mountainous south speak while High German (Hochdeutsch).
Is Berlin High or Low German?
Berlin German, or Berlin dialect (High German: Berliner Dialekt, Berliner Mundart, Berlinerisch or Berlinisch), is the dialect spoken in the city of Berlin as well as its surrounding metropolitan area….Pronouns.
| m. (f.) | n. | |
|---|---|---|
| Nom. | wer | wat |
| Gen. | wems wemst | |
| Dat.-Acc. | wem |
Are Low and High German mutually intelligible?
Are German dialects mutually intelligible? The short answer is “No”. Had people from different German-speaking regions not all learnt a common standard German, they would have a hard time understanding each other.
Can all Germans speak High German?
It doesn’t matter how many dialects are spoken, all Germans, Swiss and Austrians learn High German so when they do meet, they actually do speak only ONE language, High German. You also get dialects in English, like for example have you heard someone from Jamaica speak English.
Did Prussians Speak Low or High German?
Low Prussian was spoken in East and West Prussia and Danzig up to 1945….Low Prussian dialect.
| Low Prussian | |
|---|---|
| Language family | Indo-European Germanic West Germanic North Sea Germanic Low German East Low German/Northern Low German Low Prussian |
| Dialects | Plautdietsch |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
Does Austria speak High German?
High German is the language of the southern highlands of Germany. It is also the official written language of Germany and the variation of German that is spoken in Austria. In Austria, however, High German is known as Austrian German – or Österreichisches Deutsch.
Are Amish of German descent?
While most Amish and Old Order Mennonites are of Swiss ancestry, nearly all speak Pennsylvania Dutch, an American language that developed in rural areas of southeastern and central Pennsylvania during the 18th century.
Is Low German mutually intelligible with High German?
Can you speak High German in Switzerland?
The speakers speak either Swiss Standard German, or a Swiss German dialect, and they are conscious about this choice. Nevertheless, about 10%, or 828,200, of Swiss residents speak High German (also called Standard German) at home, but mainly due to the presence of German immigrants.
Why is Pennsylvania Dutch German?
The Pennsylvania Dutch are descendants of early German-speaking immigrants who arrived in Pennsylvania in the 1700s and 1800s to escape religious persecution in Europe. They were made of up German Reformed, Mennonite, Lutheran, Moravian and other religious groups and came from areas within the Holy Roman Empire.
What is the Low German dialect of Germany?
Low German dialects from the West are however considered to be ‘purer’ than those from the eastern Germany, especially the dialect from Hamburg and Bremen. These two cities were historically – and are still nowadays – at the heart of the Low German historical speaking area.
What is the difference between high and Low German?
When we say German, we are mostly thinking of High German, Hochdeutsch- so what is this whole High German-Low German business? Originally it was just altitude- up north, the land is at sea level, and that’s Low German (and to the west, the Netherlands and Belgium are the Low Countries).
What are the Upper German dialects?
Upper German dialects include Alsatian, Swabian, Low Alemannic, Central Alemannic, High Alemannic, Highest Alemannic, Southern Austro-Bavarian, Central Austro-Bavarian and Northern Austro-Bavarian. They are spoken in parts of the Alsace, southern Germany, Liechtenstein, Austria, and in the German-speaking parts of Switzerland and Italy.
Why is Low German called Plattdeutsch?
Low German came to be called Plattdeutsch or just Platt. Platt means flat, plain- the rural language of the flat northland. Old High German, Old Saxon (Old Low German) and Old Dutch had already split into separate languages by the Dark Ages; the latter two were actually closer to Old English than to Old High German.