Low German (in Low German, Platt(düütsch) or Nedderdüütsch) is any of a variety of West Germanic languages spoken in northern Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. It also includes Afrikaans, which is spoken in South Africa, and Plautdietsch, which is spoken by Mennonite communities in North America. Low German was the lingua franca of the Hanseatic League. East Low German dialects are spoken in north eastern parts of Germany as well as by minorities in northern Poland. ... Low Franconian is any of several West Germanic languages spoken in the Netherlands, northern Belgium, and South Africa. ... 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. ... West Germanic is the largest branch of the Germanic family of languages, including such languages as English, Dutch, and German. ... Afrikaans is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in South Africa and Namibia. ... Plautdietsch, or Mennonite Low German, is a language spoken by the Russian Mennonites , who are ethnically Dutch, but who adopted a Low Saxon dialect while they were refugees in the Vistula delta area of Royal Prussia (later the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth), beginning in the early-to-mid 1500s. ... The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations based on the teachings and tradition of Menno Simons. ... World map showing location of North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is the third largest continent in area and fourth in population after Asia and Africa in area and population and Europe in population. ... Lingua franca, literally Frankish language in Italian, was originally a mixed language consisting largely of Italian plus a vocabulary drawn from Turkish, Persian, French, Greek and Arabic and used for communication throughout the Middle East. ... The foundations of the Hanseatic League (German: Hanse), an alliance of trading cities that for a time in the later Middle Ages and the Early Modern period maintained a trade monopoly over most of Northern Europe and the Baltic, can be seen as early as the 12th century, with the...

Low German is also sometimes used to refer to any German dialect which differs from the official German language, but this is not linguistic use. It tends to lead to confusion when discussing the German language: many High German dialects are called Low German, a term properly used only for the dialects and languages described here. German (called Deutsch in German; in German the term germanisch is equivalent to English Germanic), is a member of the western group of Germanic languages and is one of the worlds major languages. ... Broadly conceived, linguistics is the study of human language, and a linguist is someone who engages in this study. ... 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...

The term "Low German" is often restricted to Low Saxon, one of its three main branches, or extended to all of West Germanic except for High German. We cut a middle path in this article. The other branches of Low German (besides Low Saxon) are Low Franconian and East Low German. The other branches of West Germanic (besides Low German and High German) are Frisian and English. The northern dialects of Low German (Low Saxon and Dutch) can also be classified together with English and Frisian as the North Sea Germanic or Ingvaeonic languages. 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 Franconian is any of several West Germanic languages spoken in the Netherlands, northern Belgium, and South Africa. ... East Low German dialects are spoken in north eastern parts of Germany as well as by minorities in northern Poland. ... Frisian is a Germanic language, or group of closely related languages, spoken by around half a million members of an ethnic group living on the southern fringes of the North Sea in the Netherlands and Germany. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

Low German is distinguished from High German principally in that the latter underwent a consonant shift in the 700s and 800s. In High German, /k/, /p/, /t/ became /(k)x/ (only in some dialects), /pf/, /ts/ in initial positions and /x/, /f/, /s/ in medial and final positions. In Low German (as well as English and Frisian), the old /k/, /p/, /t/ are still there, as in English "better", Dutch "beter", German "besser". A consonant is a sound in spoken language that is characterized by a closure or stricture sufficient to cause audible turbulence, at one or more points along the vocal tract. ... Centuries: 7th century - 8th century - 9th century Decades: 650s - 660s - 670s - 680s - 690s - 700s - 710s - 720s - 730s - 740s - 750s Years: 700 701 702 703 704 705 706 707 708 709 Events: Categories: 700s ... Centuries: 8th century - 9th century - 10th century Decades: 750s 760s 770s 780s 790s - 800s - 810s 820s 830s 840s 850s Years: 800 801 802 803 804 805 806 807 808 809 Significant Events and Trends Swedish town of Birka founded as a centre of trade on the island of Björk...

Family tree

Note that divisions between subfamilies of Germanic are rarely precisely defined; most form continuous clines, with adjacent dialects being mutually intelligible and more separated ones not. In particular, there is not thought to have been any single "Proto-Low German". The earliest recorded form of Low German is known as Old Saxon, a member of the Low Saxon branch. A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος) is a variety of a language used by people from a particular geographic area. ... Proto-language may either refer to a language that preceded a certain set of given languages, or to system of communication during a stage in glottogony that may not yet be properly called a language. ... Old Saxon, also known as Old Low German, is a Germanic language. ... 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 Franconian
  • Hollandic (in the Netherlands)
  • West Flemish (in West Flanders and nearby areas of Belgium, Zeeland in the Netherlands, and France)
  • East Flemish
  • Brabantic in Belgium and the Netherlands
  • Zuidrijnmaasfrankisch (in the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium) including Limburgs
  • Zuid-Gelders (in Germany and the Netherlands)
  • Afrikaans (in South Africa)

• Low Saxon
  • Westphalian (in Westphalia, in Germany)
  • Northern Low Saxon (in East Frisia / Eastern Friesland and other parts

of Germany) Low Franconian is any of several West Germanic languages spoken in the Netherlands, northern Belgium, and South Africa. ... Hollandic is together with Brabantic the most frequently used dialect of the Dutch language. ... West Flemish (in West Flemish, Vlaemsch) is a group of dialects, spoken in parts of the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. ... West Flanders (Dutch: West-Vlaanderen) is the westernmost province of Flanders and of Belgium. ... For the South Pacific country, named after the province, see New Zealand; (some notes on how New Zealand got its name are underneath). ... East Flemish is a dialect of the Dutch language, which is a Low Franconian language. ... Brabantian is a dialect of the Dutch language spoken in Noord-Brabant and in the Belgian provinces of Antwerpen and Vlaams-Brabant. ... Zuidrijnmaasfrankisch, or Limburgisch-Bergisch is a dialect of Low Franconian varieties, spoken in the Limburg and Rhineland regions, near the common Dutch/Flemish(Belgium)/German border. ... Limburgish, or Limburgian or Limburgic (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. ... 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. ... Afrikaans is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in South Africa and Namibia. ... 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. ... Westphalian is one of the major dialect groups of Low Saxon. ... Westphalia (in German, Westfalen) is a (historic) region in Germany, centred on the cities of Dortmund, Münster, Bielefeld, and Osnabrück and now included in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia (and the (south-)west of Lower Saxony). ... Northern Low Saxon (in Low Saxon, Nordneddersassisch or Platt) is a Low Saxon dialect. ...

• • Eastphalian language
  • Westplatt
    • Gelders-Overijssels en Urks
      • Achterhoeks (in Gelderland, in the Netherlands)
      • Sallands (in central Overijssel, in the Netherlands)
    • Midden-Drents (in Drenthe, in the Netherlands)
    • Zuid-Drents (in Drenthe, in the Netherlands)
    • Gronings (in Groningen, in the Netherlands)
      • Westerwolds (in eastern Groningen, the Netherlands)
    • Stellingwerfs (in Stellingwerven, in Friesland, in the Netherlands)
      • Veenkoloniaals (in eastern Groningen, the Netherlands)
    • Twents (in eastern Overijssel, in the Netherlands)
    • Veluws (in Gelderland, in the Netherlands)
      • North Veluws
      • Oost-Veluws
    • Emslänner Platt
    • Twents-Graafschaps
    • Kollumerlands

• East Low German
  • Mecklenburgisch-Pommersch (in Mecklenburg)
  • East Pomeranian (in Brazil)
  • Brandenburgisch (in Brandenburg)
  • Low Prussian

Eastphalian, or Eastfalian (in German, Ostfälisch), is a Low Saxon dialect spoken in southern parts of Lower Saxony, in Germany, including Hanover, Braunschweig, Hildesheim and Goettingen. ... Westplatt (Saksisch) is a Low Saxon dialect that is spoken in the Northeastern Netherlands. ... Capital Arnhem Queens Commissioner Jan Kamminga Area  - Total  - % water 2nd 5137 km²  ?% Population  - Total (2004)  - Density 4th 1,966,929 379/km² Anthem Ons Gelderland For the historical duchy also called Gelderland, see Guelders Gelderland (English also Guelders) is a province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern... Overijssel is a province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. ... Drenthe is a province of the Netherlands, located in the north-east of the country. ... Drenthe is a province of the Netherlands, located in the north-east of the country. ... Groningen is the northeast province of the Netherlands with a typical dialect (Gronings) with regional nuances. ... This article is about the province Friesland in the Netherlands. ... North Veluws is a Low Saxon dialect from the Dutch province of Gelderland. ... East Low German dialects are spoken in north eastern parts of Germany as well as by minorities in northern Poland. ... Mecklenburgisch-Pommersch is a Low German dialect. ... Mecklenburg, located in Northern Germany, was a duchy within the Holy Roman Empire, then divided, and after 1815 two Grand Duchies, then a state, and now part of the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. ... East Pomeranian (Ostpommersch) is a East Low German dialect that is or used to be spoken in Northern Poland. ... Surrounding but excluding the national capital Berlin, Brandenburg is one of Germanys sixteen Bundesländer (federal states). ... Low Prussian (Niederpreußisch) is a dialect of East Low German, which was spoken in formerly German areas, that belong to Poland, Russia and Lithuania. ...

Wikipedia links

There is also a Wikipedia in Nederlands.

There is also a Wikipedia in Plattdüütsch.

Image:Wikipedia-logo. ... Image:Wikipedia-logo. ...

External links

• Building blocks of Low Saxon — English
• Building Blocks of Low Saxon — with German/English choice
• Welcome to "Plat(t) Online"
• Low Saxon/Low German Language and Culture Far and Wide
• A few words about Low Saxon
• Low Saxon in the Netherlands
• Plattmaster's home page — in Plattdeutsch
• De Plattfööt
• Ethnologue report for Low Saxon-Low Franconian