The second Germanic sound shift (zweite germanische Lautverschiebung in German), which took place during the 7th and 8th centuries, separated High German from Low German. Although the sound shift affected mainly consonants, it is frequently referred to as a vowel shift in English. Under the influence of the sound shift, the unvoiced plosives p, t and k were transformed to pf or f, ts or s, and ch, respectively. Thus, the German word Straße corresponds to the English word street and the Dutch word straat. High and Low German are separated by the Benrath line. In other words, Straße is one of the High German words that formed during the time when the second Germanic sound shift took place while the forms street and straat are still examples of the Low German languages of which Anglo-Saxon, later Old English, and Old Dutch were part. Subdivisions Middle German Upper German High German (in German, Hochdeutsch; please note that Hochdeutsch is also used to refer to todays standard German) is any of several West Germanic languages spoken in Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Luxembourg (as well as in neighbouring portions of Belgium, France (Alsace), Italy... Subdivisions East Low German Low Franconian Low Saxon Low German (in Low German, Platt(düütsch) or Nedderdüütsch) is any of a variety of West Germanic languages spoken in northern Germany and the Netherlands. ... A vowel shift is a systematic change in the pronunciation of the vowel sounds of a language. ... A stop or plosive or occlusive is a consonant sound produced by stopping the airflow in the vocal tract. ... The Benrath line is an isogloss, or bundle of isoglosses, that divides High German (which is subject to the second Germanic sound shift) and Low German (which is not). ...