Low Germanic languages (Nederduitse talen, Nedderdüütsche Spraken) are any of a variety of West Germanic languages spoken in northern Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Surinam. It also includes Afrikaans, which is spoken in South Africa, and Plautdietsch, which is spoken by Mennonite communities in North and South America. Middle Low German was the lingua franca of the Hanseatic League. Current distribution of Human Language Families Most languages are known to belong to language families. ... The Indo-European languages comprise a family of several hundred languages and dialects (443 according to the SIL estimate), including most of the major languages of Europe, as well as many in Southwest Asia, Central Asia and Southern Asia. ... West Germanic is the largest branch of the Germanic family of languages, including such languages as German, English and Dutch. ... Low Franconian is any of several West Germanic languages spoken in The Netherlands, northern Belgium, and South Africa. ... Low German (also called Plattdeutsch, Plattdüütsch or Low Saxon, Old Saxon) is a name for the regional language varieties of the Low Germanic languages spoken mainly in northern Germany, and eastern Netherlands. ... West Germanic is the largest branch of the Germanic family of languages, including such languages as German, English and Dutch. ... 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. ... 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 (Re-baptizers) denominations named after and influenced by the teachings and tradition of Menno Simons (1496-1561). ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... 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. ... Carta marina of Baltic Sea (1539). ...

The term Low German is sometimes used instead of Low Germanic languages. However, this leads to the confusion between that group of languages and one of its constituents, Low German. Low German (also called Plattdeutsch, Plattdüütsch or Low Saxon, Old Saxon) is a name for the regional language varieties of the Low Germanic languages spoken mainly in northern Germany, and eastern Netherlands. ...

The Low Germanic languages are distinguished from the High Germanic languages principally in that the latter underwent the High German 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". 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... 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... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

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 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. ...

Family tree

Note that divisions between subfamilies of Germanic are rarely precisely defined; most form continuous clines, with adjacent dialects being mutually intelligible by listeners and more separated ones not. In particular, there is not thought to have been any single "Proto-Low German". The earliest recorded form of the Low German subgroup is known as Old Low Franconian (Old Dutch), a member of the Low Franconian branch. A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος, dialektos) is a variety of a language used by people from a particular geographic area. ... Proto-language may refer to either: a language that preceded a certain set of given languages, or a system of communication during a stage in glottogony that may not yet be properly called a language. ... Old Low Franconian is the language ancestral to the Low Franconian languages, including Dutch. ... Low Franconian is any of several West Germanic languages spoken in the Netherlands, northern Belgium, and South Africa. ...

• 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
  • Limburgish (in the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium) including Limburgs
  • Zuid-Gelders (in Germany and the Netherlands)
  • Afrikaans (in South Africa and Namibia)
  • Surinaams in Surinam (in South-America)
• Low German (sometimes called Low Saxon)
  • West Low German (sometimes called Low Saxon)
    • Westphalian (in Westphalia, in Germany)
    • Northern Low Saxon (in East Frisia / Eastern Friesland and other parts of Germany)
    • Eastphalian language
    • Dutch Low Saxon
      • 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
      • Kollumerlands
  • East Low German
    • Mecklenburgisch-Pommersch (in Mecklenburg)
    • East Pomeranian (in Brazil)
    • Brandenburgisch (in Brandenburg)
    • Low Prussian
    • Plautdietsch

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. ... Capital Middelburg Queens Commissioner drs. ... 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. ... 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. ... 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. ... Sranan (also Sranan Tongo Surinamean tongue, Taki-Taki, Surinaams, Surinamese, Suriname Creole English) is a creole language spoken as a native language by approximatly 120,000 people in Suriname. ... World map showing South America South America is a continent situated in the western hemisphere and, mostly, the southern hemisphere, bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east by the Atlantic Ocean; North America and the Caribbean Sea lie to the northwest. ... Low German (also called Plattdeutsch, Plattdüütsch or Low Saxon, Old Saxon) is a name for the regional language varieties of the Low Germanic languages spoken mainly in northern Germany, and eastern Netherlands. ... West Low German is a group of Low German dialects spoken in Northwest Germany and East Netherlands. ... Westphalian is one of the major dialect groups of West Low German. ... Westphalia (German: Westfalen) is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Dortmund, Gelsenkirchen, Münster, Bielefeld, and Osnabrück and included in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony. ... Northern Low Saxon (in Low Saxon, Nordneddersassisch or Platt) is a Low Saxon dialect. ... 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. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... 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... Flag of Overijssel Overijssel is a province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. ... Capital Assen Queens Commissioner A.L. (Relus) ter Beek Religion (1999) Protestant 35% Catholic 8% Area  â€¢ Land  â€¢ Water   2,642 km² (7th) 38 km² Population (2005)  â€¢ Total  â€¢ Density 483,173 (10th) 183/km² (12th) Inclusion 1796 Anthem Mijn Drenthe Official website www. ... Capital Assen Queens Commissioner A.L. (Relus) ter Beek Religion (1999) Protestant 35% Catholic 8% Area  â€¢ Land  â€¢ Water   2,642 km² (7th) 38 km² Population (2005)  â€¢ Total  â€¢ Density 483,173 (10th) 183/km² (12th) Inclusion 1796 Anthem Mijn Drenthe Official website www. ... The flag of Groningen Groningen is the northeast province of the Netherlands with a typical dialect (Gronings) with regional nuances. ... Capital Leeuwarden Queens Commissioner drs. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Twentsch. ... North Veluws is a Low Saxon dialect from the Dutch province of Gelderland. ... East Low German is a group of Low German dialects spoken in Northeast Germany as well as by minorities in northern Poland. ... Mecklenburgisch-Pommersch is a Low German dialect. ... The coat of arms of Mecklenburg-Western-Pommerania Mecklenburg is a geographical area located in Northern Germany. ... East Pomeranian (Ostpommersch) is a East Low German dialect that is or used to be spoken in Northern Poland. ... Brandenburgisch is a dialect spoken in Germany in the area around Berlin. ... Brandenburg (Lower Sorbian: Bramborska; Upper Sorbian: Braniborska) is one of Germanys sixteen Bundesländer (federal states) and lies in the east of the country. ... Low Prussian (Niederpreußisch) is a dialect of East Low German, which was spoken in formerly German areas, that belong to Poland, Russia and Lithuania. ... Plautdietsch, or Mennonite Low German, is a language spoken by the Mennonites, who are ethnically Dutch, but who adopted an East Low German 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. ...

External links

Dutch (Nederlands) language edition of Wikipedia

Low Saxon (Plattdüütsch) language edition of Wikipedia

Afrikaans language edition of Wikipedia

• 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