Legend: ██ Dutch. ██ Low Franconian dialects in Germany. ██ West Middle German dialects. ██ Transitional Upper German dialects.

Franconian is a linguistic marker for a number of (West)Germanic languages and dialects spoken in the former core of the Frankish Empire: the Low Countries (The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg) and the most Western tip of Germany (around Aachen, Cologne and Trier).^[1] Within this groups there are a number of well known languages and dialects, such as Dutch and Afrikaans but also Pensylvania German spoken in North America. Central German (in German: Mitteldeutsch) is a group of German dialects spread from the Rhineland to Thuringia, south of Low German and north of Upper German. ... Subdivisions Alemannic language Austro-Bavarian language Upper German is a family of High German languages spoken primarily in southern Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Northern Italy. ... West Germanic is the largest branch of the Germanic family of languages, including such languages as English, Dutch, and German. ... The Frankish Empire was the territory of the Franks, from the 5th to the 10th centuries, from 481 ruled by Clovis I of the Merovingian Dynasty, the first king of all the Franks. ... The Low Countries, the historical region of de Nederlanden, are the countries (see Country) on low-lying land around the delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse (Maas) rivers. ... Motto: Je Maintiendrai (Dutch: Ik zal handhaven, English: I Shall Uphold) Anthem: Wilhelmus van Nassouwe Capital Amsterdam1 Largest city Amsterdam Official language(s) Dutch2 Government Parliamentary democracy Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Beatrix  - Prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende Independence Eighty Years War   - Declared July 26, 1581   - Recognised January 30, 1648 (by Spain... Aachen (French Aix-la-Chapelle, Dutch Aken, Latin Aquisgranum, Ripuarian Oche) is a spa city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, on the border with Belgium and the Netherlands, 65 km to the west of Cologne, and the westernmost city in Germany. ... Köln redirects here. ... The city of Trier (Latin: Augusta Treverorum; French: ; Luxembourgish Tréier; Italian: ; Spanish: ) is situated on the western bank of the Moselle River in a valley between low vine-covered hills of ruddy sandstone. ...

Controversy

Linguists doubt whether there really is a Franconian linguistic family as no proof exists that the present Franconian languages and dialects historically developed from a common ancestor language.

Low Frankish dialects and languages (via Old Dutch), for instance, are commonly accepted to be a descendant of Old Frankish, the proposed common ancestor and language of the Franks, while West Central German and the Upper German transition dialects might just be have been heavily influenced by it rather than being its direct decendant. Old Dutch Foods is a manufacturer of potato chips and other snack foods in the American Midwest and Western Canada. ... Old Frankish was the language of the Franks. ... For other uses, see Franks (disambiguation). ...

The 3 Groups

Low Frankish

Low Frankish, also called Low Franconian, consists of Dutch, Afrikaans and their dialects. They are spoken in the Netherlands, Belgium, South Africa, Suriname, the Caribbean as well as in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Low Franconian is any of several West Germanic languages spoken in the Netherlands, northern Belgium, and South Africa. ... Afrikaans is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in South Africa and Namibia with smaller numbers of speakers in Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Zambia. ... The Caribbean or the West Indies is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. ...

Modern Low Frankish dialects

With a total of over 40 ^[2]million speakers this is the most numerous of the 3 groups, as well as most spread globally and the only group that has members which are official, national and standard languages. An official language is a language that is given a privileged legal status in a state, or other legally-defined territory. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... A standard language (also standard dialect or standardized dialect) is a particular variety of a language that has been given either legal or quasi-legal status. ...

Sometimes, Low Franconian is grouped together with Low Saxon in the Low Saxon-Low Franconian languages. However, since this grouping is not based on common linguistic innovations, but rather on the absence of the High German consonant shift and Anglo-Frisian features, there are linguistic reference books that do not group them together.^[3] Low Saxon (in Low Saxon, Nedersaksisch, Neddersassisch, Plattdüütsch or Nedderdüütsch) is any of a variety of Low German dialects spoken in northern Germany and the Netherlands. ... Low Saxon-Low Franconian languages (Nederduitse talen, Nedderdüütsche Spraken) are any of a variety of West Germanic languages spoken in northern Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Surinam. ... In historical linguistics, the High German consonant shift or Second Germanic consonant shift (German: hochdeutsche or zweite germanische Lautverschiebung) was a phonological development (sound change) which took place in the southern dialects of German in several phases, probably beginning between the 3rd and 5th centuries AD, and was almost complete... The Anglo-Frisian languages (also known as Ingvaeonic languages or North Sea Germanic languages) are a group of West Germanic languages consisting of Old English, Old Frisian, and their descendants. ...

• Dutch
  • Brabantian
  • Zuid-Gelders (Variant also spoken in Germany)
    • Pella Dutch
  • West Flemish
  • East Flemish
  • Zealandic
  • Hollandic
  • Limburgish (partly)
• Afrikaans

Brabantian or Brabantic (Dutch: Brabants) is a dialect of the Dutch language spoken in Noord-Brabant and in the Belgian provinces of Antwerpen and Vlaams-Brabant and small parts in the west of Limburg. ... Zuid-Gelders (Kleverlands) is the dialect of the Dutch language, that is spoken in the Veluwezoom, around Nijmegen, in the Bommelerwaard, other areas of the Netherlands and traditionally parts of Germany including Duisburg and partly Wuppertal up to Wenden, which is the only Westphalian municipality. ... West Flemish (in West Flemish, Vlaemsch) is a group of dialects, spoken in parts of the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. ... East Flemish is a dialect of the Dutch language, which is a Low Franconian language. ... Zealandic (Zêeuws in Zeelandic, Zeeuws in Dutch) is a regional language spoken in the Dutch province of Zeeland and on the South Holland island of Goeree-Overflakkee. ... Hollandic is together with Brabantic the most frequently used dialect of the Dutch language. ... Limburgian (Dutch: Limburgs, German: Limburgisch, French: Limbourgeois) is a group of Franconian varieties, spoken in the Limburg and Selfkant regions, near the common Dutch/Flemish(Belgium)/German border. ... Afrikaans is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in South Africa and Namibia with smaller numbers of speakers in Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Zambia. ...

West Central German dialects

The West Central German dialects are spoken in the German states of South-Western North Rhine-Westphalia, Western Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, in the bordering French département Moselle, in Luxembourg, by the Transylvanian Saxons in Romania, and by the Amish in North America. It is estimated that these dialects have about 1,700,000 native speakers ^[4] West Central German (Westmitteldeutsch) is a High German dialect family in the German language. ... West Central German (Westmitteldeutsch) is a High German dialect family in the German language. ... North Rhine-Westphalia (German: Nordrhein-Westfalen, usually shortened to: NRW) is - in population and economic output - the largest Federal State of Germany. ... The Rhenish Palatinate (Rheinpfalz, sometimes Lower Palatinate or Niederpfalz) occupies rather more than a quarter of the German Bundesland (federal state) of Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz) and contains the towns of Ludwigshafen, Kaiserslautern, Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, Pirmasens, Landau and Speyer. ... Saarland is one of the 16 states of Germany. ... The Transylvanian Saxons (German: Siebenbürger Sachsen; Romanian: SaÅŸi, Hungarian: Szászok) are a people of German origin who settled in Transylvania from the 12th century onwards. ... The Amish, pronounced ä mǐsh, or äm ǐsh, are an Anabaptist Christian denomination and Swiss-German ethnic group found primarily in the United States and Ontario, Canada, that are known for restrictions on the use of modern devices such as automobiles and telephones. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ...

• Moselle Franconian
  • Luxembourgish
  • Mainfränkisch
• Transylvanian Saxon
• Rhine Franconian
  • Limburgisch (partly)
  • Palatinate German
• Ripuarian Franconian
  • Kölsch
• Pennsylvania German (More commonly known as Pennsylvania Dutch)

Luxembourgish or Luxembourgian (in French, Luxembourgeois; in German, Luxemburgisch; in Luxembourgish Lëtzebuergesch) is a West Germanic language spoken in Luxembourg. ... Rhenish Franconian (in German: Rheinfränkisch) is a dialect family of West Central German. ... Limburgish, or Limburgian or Limburgic (Dutch: Limburgs, German: Limburgisch, French: Limbourgeois) is a group of Franconian varieties, spoken in the Limburg and Rhineland regions, near the common Dutch/Belgian/German border. ... Ripuarian, Rhinish, or Middle Franconian is a western Germanic dialect group in Rhineland, eastern Belgium and southern Dutch Limburg from northwest of Düsseldorf and Cologne to Aachen in the west, and Siegen in the east. ... The term Kölsch refers to: the top-fermented Kölsch beer brewed in and around Cologne, Germany the Kölsch dialect, spoken in Cologne, Germany This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Pennsylvania Dutch (more correctly Pennsylvania Deutsch or Pennsylvania German, speakers of the Pennsylvania German language) are a people of various religious affiliations, living mostly in central Pennsylvania, with cultural traditions dating back to the German immigrations to America in the 17th and 18th centuries. ... The Pennsylvania Dutch (perhaps more strictly Pennsylvania Deitsch or Pennsylvanian German) are descendants of German speaking immigrants who came to Pennsylvania in the early 1700s. ...

Transitional High German dialects

High German dialects are spoken in the transition area between Central and Upper German dialects. An estimated 700,000 people speak these dialects, most of them are located in Eastern France (in northern Alsace, in the region of Strasbourg) and South-West Germany. ^[5] Subdivisions Central German Upper German High German (in German, Hochdeutsch) is any of several German dialects spoken in Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Luxembourg (as well as in neighbouring portions of Belgium, France (Alsace), Italy, Poland, and Romania (Transylvania) and in some areas of former colonial settlement, for example in... Subdivisions Central German Upper German High German (in German, Hochdeutsch) is any of several German dialects spoken in Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Luxembourg (as well as in neighbouring portions of Belgium, France (Alsace), Italy, Poland, and Romania (Transylvania) and in some areas of former colonial settlement, for example in... Subdivisions Alemannic language Austro-Bavarian language Upper German is a family of High German languages spoken primarily in southern Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Northern Italy. ... Capital Strasbourg Land area¹ 8,280 km² Regional President Adrien Zeller (UMP) (since 1996) Population  - Jan. ... City flag City coat of arms Coordinates : , Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) Administration Département Bas-Rhin (67) Région Alsace Mayor Fabienne Keller (UMP) (since 2001) Intercommunality Urban Community of Strasbourg City (commune) Characteristics Land Area 78. ...

• South Franconian
• East Franconian

South Franconian (Südfränkisch) is a dialect which is spoken in Baden in Germany around Karlsruhe, Pforzheim and Rastatt. ... East Franconian (Mainfränkisch) is a dialect which is spoken in Bavaria and other areas in Germany around Bamberg, Würzburg and Bayreuth. ...

References

Footnotes

1. ^ The tribal settlement of the Franks between 260 and 537 saw them expand slowly from the border of the Rhine to the south and west. By 480 they occupied lands almost totally unrelated to their original holdings, although by 537 there was again some overlap with the original boundaries of their lands. The driving force for their migrations have not been recorded, however if we apply the principle of uniformitarianism it seems probable that it had something to do with the weather. Accompanying image
2. ^ The total of speakers of all Low Franconian dialects and languages, based on ethnologue gives a number of over 40 million speakers: 22 million Dutch speakers, 16 million Afrikaans speakers and the various dialects of these 2 languages (Flemish for example, has 1 million speakers) creates a number around, and probably over 40 million speakers.
3. ^ Glück, H. (ed.): Metzler Lexikon Sprache, pages 472, 473. Stuttgart, Weimar: Metzler, 2000 (entries Niederdeutsch and Niederfränkisch)
4. ^ When taking all West Central German dialects as listed by ethnologue the number 1,535,000 appears, 2 dialects have no speaker data, however considering the area in which they are spoken and the demographics of the area as well as comparable dialects an estimate of about 400,000 can be made.
5. ^ Very little data is available about these speakers but considering the population of the area (about 1,500,000) a general assumption (as with many German dialects in heavily industrialised post World War II areas) can be made that about half of the population speaks the dialect.

Further reading

• van der Horst, J. M. (2002). Introduction to Old Dutch. University Press, Leuven.
• Munske, Horst Haider and Hinderling, Robert (1996). Bavarian Linguistic Atlas (linguistic atlas of Bavaria-Swabia, linguistic atlas of Middle Franconia, linguistic atlas of Lower Franconia, linguistic atlas of North East Bavaria, linguistic atlas of Lower and Upper Bavaria). University Press, Heidelberg. ISBN 3826018656.
• Munske, Horst Haider and Klepsch, Alfred (2003, updated in 2004). Linguistic atlas of Middle Franconia. University Press, Heidelberg.

See also

• Franconian
• Frankish language
• East Central German