Editing German language (section)

==Dialects==
[[German dialects]]
German is a member of the [[West Germanic language|western branch]] of the [[Germanic languages|Germanic]] [[language family|family of languages]], which in turn is part of the [[Indo-European language family]]. The German dialect continuum is traditionally divided most broadly into [[High German languages|High German]] and Low German.

The variation among the German dialects is considerable, with only the neighboring dialects being mutually intelligible. Some dialects 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 languages.

===Low German===
[[Low German]]

[[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, when in 1534 the [[Luther Bible]] by Martin Luther was printed. This translation is considered to be an important step towards the evolution of the [[Early New High German]]. It aimed to be understandable to a broad audience and was based mainly on [[Central German|Central]] and [[Upper German]] varieties. The Early New High German language gained more prestige than [[Low Saxon German|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 trade routes 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]] of [[Standard German]] in schools. 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 can be divided in two groups: Low Saxon varieties with a reasonable standard German influx and varieties of Standard German with a Low Saxon influence known as [[Missingsch]]. Sometimes, Low Saxon and [[Low Franconian]] varieties are grouped together because both are unaffected by the High German consonant shift. However, the part of the population capable of speaking and responding to it, or of understanding it has decreased continuously since [[World War II]].

===High German===
[[High German languages]]

High German is divided into [[Central German]] and [[Upper German language|Upper German]]. Central German dialects include [[Ripuarian language|Ripuarian]], [[Moselle Franconian]], [[Rhine Franconian]], [[Central Hessian]], [[East Hessian]], [[North Hessian]], [[Thuringian]], [[Silesian German]], [[High Franconian]], [[Lorraine Franconian]], [[Alemannic German|Mittelalemannisch]], [[North Upper Saxon]], [[High Prussian]], [[Lausitzisch-Neumärkisch]] and [[Upper Saxon dialect|Upper Saxon]]. It is spoken in the southeastern Netherlands, eastern Belgium, Luxembourg, parts of France, and parts of 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 common (but not linguistically correct) German term for modern Standard German is ''Hochdeutsch'', that is, ''High German''.

The Moselle Franconian varieties spoken in Luxembourg have been officially standardised and institutionalised and are therefore usually considered a separate language known as [[Luxembourgish language|Luxembourgish]].

Upper German dialects include [[Northern Austro-Bavarian]], [[Central Austro-Bavarian]],
[[Southern Austro-Bavarian]], [[Swabian German|Swabian]], [[East Franconian German|East Franconian]], [[High Alemannic German]], [[Highest Alemannic German]], [[Alsatian language|Alsatian]] and [[Low Alemannic German]]. They are spoken in parts of the Alsace, southern Germany, Liechtenstein, Austria, and the German-speaking parts of Switzerland and Italy.

[[Wymysorys]] is a High German dialect of Poland, and [[Sathmarisch]] and [[Siebenbürgisch]] are High German dialects of Romania. The High German varieties spoken by [[Ashkenazi Jew]]s (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 [[official script|standard script]].

===German dialects versus varieties of standard German===
In German [[linguistics]], German [[dialect]]s are distinguished from [[variety (linguistics)|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|pluricentric]] standard German. They only differ slightly in lexicon and phonology. In certain regions, they have replaced the traditional German dialects, especially in Northern Germany.