Alemannic German

Spoken in

Indo-European

• Upper West German

-

• Gsw ( Swiss German, Alemannic, Alsatian )
• Acc ( other Germanic languages)

• Gsw ( Swiss German, Alemannic, Alsatian )
• Swg ( Schwäbisch )
• Wae ( Walser dialects )
• Gct ( Alemán Coloniero Tovar )

As Alemannic dialects, or more precisely Western Upper German dialects are the basis of common language features diverse in the southwest of the German language area referred dialects spoken in Germanic linguistics. Together with other dialect groups they belong to the Upper German and thus also to the High German.

The term Alemannic ' goes back to the so-called Alemanni, however, the Alemannic dialects can in no way be equated with their language or dialect forms (see section Dialects and language history ). The name of the dialect group as, western Upper German ' is also for this reason makes more sense, but is basically used only in science - commonly known are usually only the problematic expression, Alemannisch ' and its subdivision, Swabian '(see Chapter Outline ).

• 3.1 problem
• 3.2 Individual potential differentiators to neighboring dialects
• 3.3 Individual possible internal classification criteria

• 5.1 Since 2000
• 5.2 1980s and 1990s
• 5.3 Before 1980
• 5.4 language atlases
• 5.5 Historical and other atlases with voice Geography
• 5.6 Magazines
• 5.7 rows
• 5.8 Dictionaries ( Idiotika )

Area of ​​distribution, structure and use

Autochthonous distribution area

The indigenous or traditional distribution area is bordered to the north by the Franconian dialects and on the east by that of Bavarian dialects in the south and west areas close Romance languages ​​( Romansh, Italian and French ) and Roman dialects at. The individual parts of the distribution area by state or country parts, clockwise starting in the north:

• Baden- Württemberg: The southern two- thirds of the country are located in the Alemannic dialect region. The oldest part of the current Alemannic -speaking world (3rd century). In Baden, including Baden -Baden, Rastatt and Pforzheim, after taking into account various Franconian- Alemannic and Franconian- Swabian transitional dialects. In Württemberg Heilbronn, Schwäbisch Hall are (!) And Crailsheim already traditional, Franconian area. In and around Heilbronn as well as in Hall spread recently Swabian dialect features.
• Bavaria: In Bavaria, especially the administrative region of Swabia in the Alemannic dialect region, in addition Dinkelsbühl ( Franconian- Swabian mixed dialect ) and Upper Bavarian territories lying west of Lech, but without the area east of Augsburg. Between Augsburg and Alps is a Swabian- bairisches transition area, west of Lech Swabian dominated, east of the Lech bavarian ( Lechrain ). In the east the Alemannic is partially increasingly overlaid by the Bavarian, and in the north by the Franconian.
• Austria: In addition to Vorarlberg in small parts of Tyrol in the district of Reutte or Außerfern ( Swabian or Swabian- bavarian to Reutte, höchstalemannisch to Steeg, rest bavarian ) and in the district of Landeck (St. Anton am Arlberg, Tyrol ). Partial increasingly superimposed by the Austrian and Bavarian,.
• Liechtenstein: the combined eleven municipalities mini-state is the only state that lies completely in the Alemannic dialect region.

• Switzerland: German-speaking Switzerland (except the south Bavaria Samnaun ). Some areas were comparatively late populated by Alemannic -speaking people, above all the area west of the Aare, the Valais and the territories of Walser (especially Graubünden). The Grisons Romansh or Romansch is in competition with Alemannic dialects or the lingua franca German ( cf. Traditionally rätoromanischsprachiges in Graubünden ) until today. In Graubünden, the setting of official language was at the local level up to the introduction of the new language Act 2007 exclusively within the competence of the municipalities. Since 1 May 2008, subject to official and school languages ​​a cantonal regulation.
• Italy: in the Piedmont region (including in Formazza and Valsesia ) and in the Aosta region (especially Val di Gressoney ). Official and common language is Italian.

• France: especially in the Alsace region. Traditional Franconian territories in Alsace are the areas around White Castle and Castle Loud, and the so-called Krumme Alsace to Sarre- Union. Traditionally, Roman territories of Alsace are mainly the upper Breuschtal, parts of the Weilertals as well as the areas around Ste -Marie -aux -Mines, Lapoutroie and Montreux. Two municipalities in the Lorraine region can be counted for altalemannischen dialect region, namely Baerenthal and Philipp Bourg. Official and working language is French.

A detailed delineation of the articles are border towns of Alemannic dialect area.

Allochthonous distribution area

All allochthonous dissemination areas are located in areas where no German is the official and lingua franca, and lead and therefore only led a niche existence.

• Romania: In the Banat village Saderlach (Romanian Zădăreni ), which was settled in the 18th century by emigrants from South Baden, has received a hochalemannischer dialect until our time.
• USA: In the state of Indiana there is a bern German (Adams County) and a niederalemannisch - Alsatian language island (Allen County). The speakers are Old Order Amish. The dialect is passed on to children in general. The Bern German with about 6000 speakers is stable, the Alsatian is on the one hand pressed by the Pennsylvania - German the majority of the Amish, on the other hand, from the Bern Germans, the more speakers than the Alsatian with about 3,000 speakers.
• Venezuela: By emigrants who emigrated in 1843 by the South Baden places Endingen chair, Wyhl and Forchheim (Kaiser chair) to Venezuela, the Alemannic -speaking area of Colonia Tovar in which the Alemán Coloniero is spoken formed.

Structure

The Alemannic dialects were classified by the majority of the dialectology of the 19th and 20th centuries in four or five main groups. From the north or north-east to south or south you can go to certain important differ phonetic and other linguistic features Schwäbisch, Niederalemannisch ( Oberrheinalemannisch and Bodenseealemannisch ), High Alemannic and Höchstalemannisch:

• The northeastern Alemannic dialects are grouped under the name Schwäbisch and are mainly spoken in Württemberg and Bavaria. The circulation area roughly corresponds to the territory of the Swabian kingdom circle, apart from its territories on River Rhine. The Swabian is located in the eastern and northern part of Bavarian and East Frankish dialect under pressure characteristics, on the other hand spread Swabian dialect license plate partially to the south, west and north (Lake Constance, Baar, Pforzheim, Heilbronn, Schwäbisch Hall ).
• The northwestern Alemannic dialects collectively known as Oberrheinalemannisch or Niederalemannisch (in the narrow sense). This name comes from the Upper Rhine Plain ago, which includes this regard, the eastern half of the Vosges Mountains and the western half of the Black Forest. They are mainly spoken in Alsace and South Baden. The Upper Rhine Alemannic is in the north in principle under pressure Rhine Franconian dialect of southern and features, the historic Strasbourg city dialect is perceived even as explicit Alemannic - Franconian dialect. In the south, however, penetrate the upper Rhine dialect mark before to the south, the city of Basel dialect is already considered oberrheinalemannisch.
• Certain key areas of the Alemannic dialects spoken space are grouped under the name Bodenseealemannisch or Mittelalemannisch. However, these are not only in Lake Constance basin spreading ( and include that not quite ), but also to the northwest and southeast of the designation Bodenseealemannisch is therefore misleading. The term Mittelalemannisch joins the other hand, in the terminology Niederalemannisch (in the narrow sense), High Alemannic and Höchstalemannisch one. The distribution area of ​​each covered rather small areas in southeastern Baden, in southern Württemberg, in southwest Bavaria, in the northern Vorarlberg and in the north-eastern Switzerland. The Lake Constance Alemannic is under strong pressure of adjacent dialect groups, especially of the Swabian and the high- Alemannic.
• The Upper Rhine and Lake Constance Alemannic dialect marks are also summarized for Low Alemannic ( in the broad sense ). However, it involves a highly heterogeneous group whose division according to the preceding two paragraphs imposes itself.

• The southern Alemannic dialects are grouped together for high- Alemannic and High Alemannic. " High" and " high " refer to the fact that these areas are geographically higher on average than the northern areas of the low- Alemannic and Swabian. The High Alemannic is spoken mainly in Switzerland, in the southern Vorarlberg, in southern Baden and in southern Alsace. It is especially outside of Switzerland under pressure niederalemannischer dialect features, in Switzerland, however, spread high Alemannic characteristics to the south in the highest Alemannic area. The High Alemannic is found mainly in the southern German Switzerland and the Walser resorts in Austria. It is generally under pressure hochalemannischer dialect identifier.

In addition to these linguistic divisions partial names are more common, summarize the dialects of certain territories. For the Alemannic dialect region are to name Alsatian, Swiss German, the Baden and Vorarlbergisch. These are characterized by the fact that they do not like the linguistic main groups summarize related local dialects, but not combine coherent dialect areas in itself. Nevertheless, especially "Swiss German " and " Alsatian " quite justified, as prevail in Alsace and Switzerland very special conditions of the dialect, which led, especially in Switzerland, an independent use of the dialect. In purely linguistic terms so that Swiss German is no special group of Alemannic, but in pragmatic. In principle also apply in other countries for the use of the dialect specific, shaped by socio-cultural developments of the respective state speech conditions, especially in France and Austria (see List of Austrianisms ).

High and Höchstalemannisch were partly grouped under südalemannisch, niederalemannisch and Swabian rarely nordalemannisch.

Often exist between the distribution areas of linguistic main groups listed above as well as the Frankish and Bavarian dialects transitional dialects occupy the smaller or larger areas. In addition, the dialects can be anywhere in regional and local dialects continue to differentiate ( German Bern, Basel German, Straßburgisch, Augsburgian, Ostschwäbisch etc.). In addition to this purely spatial can be in the partitioning among other quite well as temporal- historical, and sociological components use (eg Honoratiorenschwäbisch ).

The terms " Swabian " / " the Swabians " / "Schwaben" are or were in Alsace and Switzerland, sometimes called " German " as synonyms for / " German " / " Germany " used. This probably has less to do with language historical events, but with the political history of the Western Upper German area (see Swabian kingdom circle Swabian War and history of Alsace ).

The total term " Alemannic " is often used in a narrow sense and says only low -, high - and höchstalemannisch. Not infrequently he is further narrowed to specific regions applied (especially South Baden ). In Switzerland, Alsace and in Swabia it is often little or no art.

The ratio of the major dialect groups among themselves, there is a wide dynamic range, which ensures that certain dialect features grow spatially or be displaced and even disappear. The expanding in this respect and thus more powerful dialect groups include the high- Alemannic, the Swabian and Upper Rhine Alemannic, a contrary role is occupied by Lake Constance Alemannic especially. So spread in Switzerland, the dialects of the urban areas in the surrounding areas of, causing, for example, in the southern Bern region to a retreat höchstalemannischer features. Swabian features dominate the total Alemannic region of Baden-Württemberg and seep down in Alemannic, especially Lake Constance Alemannic, but also the Upper Rhine Alemannic and Frankish territory. In Baden and France but the Upper Rhine Alemannic its part, has developed a displacing force against the local Hochalemannismen the Sundgau and im Breisgau.

Use

In the current and historical indigenous habitat of Alemannic dialects in the southwest of the German-speaking live about 10 million people. If they speak at all influenced by the dialect or dialect, the expression is very different: They range from slightly colored with colloquial speech ends up to not the standard German power. In Switzerland today exists an informal and rather strong separation, on which occasions dialect ( Swiss German ) or high-level language ( Swiss High German ) will be used.

Dialect and language history

As the first tangible language barriers in today's Western Upper German area, the various Roman imperial borders could be construed, separated the Romanized Celts of Romanized Celts or not later Germanic tribes. The Germans had formed as a separate culture during the 2nd millennium BC in the Baltic Sea from a superposition of the Indo-European Corded Ware culture with the non- Indo-European Funnel Beaker culture. These Germans formed from 600 BC in northern Germany the Jastorf Culture and moved later in front to the south, where they displaced the Celts and reached the Roman frontier. In the 3rd century exceeded to be assimilated portions of these Germanic groups, including the Alemanni, between the Rhine and Danube for the first time and permanently without the Roman Empire, the imperial frontier. After the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century, the not yet sedentary living Germans populated spread to most other regions of present-day Western Upper German dialect space they then also dominated grand. From 5 / 6 Century can therefore be assumed that a predominant linguistic continuity in later Alemannic dialect area. Remaining Gallo-Roman groups were gradually assimilated.

Already in the 4th century, the ongoing until the 7th century Second Sound Shift (2nd LV) used in Germanic -speaking countries, the ( altniederfränkisch and Old Saxon ) caused idioms for the separation in Old High German and altniederdeutsche. The language features of the second LV had their origin in the southeast of the former Germanic language area, spread out in the sequence on the south and the center and there changed the language back to the Old High German forms. The Old High German forms are the later languages ​​. In the north, these new forms of language translated or only to a small extent through, it remained with the altniederdeutschen idioms. The word " German " did not exist at that time, however. The word elements - down - and -tall- stem geographical perspective ( low = north, south = high ). So the second LV cared for two major dialects, two groups of speakers. The Old High German idioms said now water, make zit (time) and slafen ( sleep ) while the altniederdeutschen forms in water, maken, tid and slapen remained ( cf. English water, make, tide, sleep). From the High German dialects today's Standard German, Low German dialects from certain ( altniederfränkisch ) developed the modern Dutch.

From the literary and archaeological evidence three language groups can be derived in large parts of Central Europe for the period of the 7th and 8th century Old High German idioms ( Alemannia and Bavaria in the south, east and Rhine Franks in the middle), altniederfränkische idioms in the North West and Old Saxon idioms in the north. For the individual Germanic dialects big names of Germanic groups of the Franks, Alemanni, Saxons and Bavarians, a circumstance which led to the erroneous equation of language and settlement area in the future were to be relevant. The Alemanni and Franks were already present in ancient sources, the Bavarians appear as a label only by 500 to ( political community from Alemanni, other Germans, Slavs and novels ). The Alemanni and Bavarians are assigned to a unit from archaeological findings elbgermanischen out, the Franks, however, a Rhine- Weser Germanic circle. The oldest Alemannic Old Bavarian texts and language certificates hardly differ from each other - so you can expect a certain linguistic unity of Alemannia and Bavaria.

The dialect landscape of the 8th century was more divided from south to north than from west to east. The major dialects appear to be relatively homogeneous in itself, the small scale and the distinctness of an " Alemannic " dialect, for example, the " Bavarian " dialect arose only in the following centuries. Generally speaking, there can be many different reasons that have facilitated and hindered such speech movements. Mention may be made of possible factors:

• Participation or non-participation of certain groups on inter-regional traffic
• Missing on regional writing language (Latin )
• Existent or missing writing skills
• Political and ecclesiastical forms of organization ( fragmented or relatively uniform territories course political and ecclesiastical boundaries )
• Natural spatial structure (natural boundaries and links, diverse or relatively uniform natural areas )

Arising in modern Bavarian space and emanating from it new forms were either small-scale or spread out, so was just in the Alemannic region a varied dialect landscape, depending on how much new life-forms survived. One result of this process taking place in the Middle Ages and Early Modern processes are the so-called later, also in itself richly structured Alemannic / Western Upper German dialects and their territory. For example, the Swabian characterized by a particularly large number of new forms, the High Alemannic, however, is an area in which the new forms penetrated hardly or not. More uniform dialect regions as the Alemannic found, for example, east of the Elbe, where territories and natural areas were large-scale and people from different backgrounds settled.

The distinct dialect boundary, for example, between the Swabian and Bavarian, at the lower Lech is no reverberation any Germanic cultural groups ( " tribes " ), but the result of this medieval speech movements. These speech movements by which penetrated the new ( Bavarian ) forms in areas of relatively older ( Alemannic ) forms, were at the lower Lech to a halt. Between the 6th and 7th century, there were between settlements left and right of the lower Lech hardly linguistic or archaeological differences. Later, the lower Lech was a strong, over 1000 years effective, stable political border between the Duchy of Bavaria and the territories of the Swabian kingdom circle, and also the natural conditions ( floodplains of Lech) promoted the fact that the linguistic exchange between the villages to a standstill came. The new approach migrating from the east forms of speech stopped at the lower Lech. The differences between the Swabian and Bavarian has emerged so relatively late, due to the membership of various communication and transport areas, not because of belonging to culturally or ethnically diverse populations.

Between the 15th and 18th century, the New High German language forms emerged; a significant role, albeit a lower than generally believed, played the Bible translation by Martin Luther. In the Alemannic region were in the 16th and early 17th century, the Alemannic forms of writing - such as exist in the Swiss illustrated chronicles or the earliest editions of the NRSV - abandoned in favor of the New High German forms of writing. The result is a juxtaposition of Alemannic dialect basic and standard language. While still in the 19th century was similar to the ratio between these linguistic forms throughout the Alemannic region, different situations have developed in the 20th century. In Germany that arose in the 19th century standard pronunciation in writing has won an increasing impact, with mass media and internal migration have played an important role. Thus, the importance of basic dialects has decreased and it has developed a smooth transition from a more or less standard dialectal or colloquial language between basic dialect and standard language. In Switzerland, however, the dialects have become almost exclusively colloquial language, which is in stark contrast to the mainly used in written standard language (medial diglossia ). Even in those Alemannic areas where not standard German is the official and lingua franca, there is this significant break between dialect and colloquial and standard language ( in France / Alsace, Italy, caused in Switzerland). In the Alemannic / Western Upper German language areas with Standard German as the default language to use certain languages ​​are dialects develop into the future, in Alsace and Switzerland, there is a greater role for the basic dialects due to the stronger decoupling from the standard German. Whether then we can speak of a Western Upper German / Alemannic dialect group remains to be seen.

Features and delimitation of the Alemannic / Western Upper German

Problem

Terms such as " Alemannic ", " Frankish " or " bavarian " So suggest a continuity, a connection between today's dialect forms and territories and languages ​​and settlement areas of historical populations. However, this is incorrect; the names of the dialect groups are misleading in this respect (see chapter "dialect and language history "). The same is true with the establishment of boundaries between these dialect groups. Large-scale dialect boundaries be made ​​on the basis of scientific abstraction where to bundle different individual limits ( isoglosses ). Those divisions are arbitrary definitions that ignore the presence of transition regions / transitional dialects. In the eyes of many here is also "definitely" who was Alemanne, Schwabe, Franke or ( voice ) Baier. In linguistic atlases a possibly existing in this respect self-perception of the speaker is not queried. Many people are interested in these questions because they want to know, " to which group of origin of the people [ ... ] they belong, where their roots are ." These issues are the only reason addressed to the dialectology, because their language names permitting of identification, Germanic population groups are based.

Against this background, the attraction of dialect features to the outer boundary and inner structure of the Alemannic / Western Upper German can be seen. These differentiators create a boundary line of the distribution ( isogloss ) in individual cases. In the synopsis of all isoglosses however, there are usually no fixed and definite line boundaries. Rather, the sum of the different linguistic marks usually yields more or less broad transition areas that connect more or less homogeneous language areas together. Whether certain parts of a transition region can be rather assign one or the other area ( cf. border towns of Alemannic dialect area ), could not be answered only linguistically, but also based on feelings of belonging or similar perceptions of the individual speakers.

One possible classification criteria to neighboring dialects

Reflexes of Middle High German diphthongs [ iə ] [ uə ] [ yə ] or the Middle High German monophthongs [i ː ] [u ː ] [y ː ]:

Word initial lenition:

Some possible internal classification criteria

Between low and High Alemannic is the most significant difference is the pronunciation of the sound -ch after the vowels -e, -i, -a, - ö -,- ü and consonants is in the low- Alemannic ( and neighboring Schwäbisch ) this sound pronounced as in standard German ( " cup " ), in the high- Alemannic as -ch in Bach.

The diminutive ( diminutive ) is used in all Alemannic dialects often large. In the northern and eastern dialects, it is the suffix- le ( sing. ) and la ( pl. ), expressed in the southern dialects by the suffix -li (eg Heisle / Heisla - Hüüsli for " house " Kendle / Kendla - Chindli for " child " )

In the Höflichtskeitsform is in the high and very high Alemannic, such as in Bern Germans, in the Valais German, in central Switzerland and in the Appenzell region, but also in the old Swabian, often the second person plural "you " is used: For " Do you want another piece? " so it is called Far - he no nes piece? / Welltid - he no as stick? / Wend he no es Stuck? In the old Basel German 3rd person singular is often used as a polite form; instead of " It may be well off? " says dr Stygt Mr. AU U.S.? ( "The Lord rises also from ").

Dialect or language?

A course of Alemannic for other dialect speakers or high- standard German is more or less difficult depending on the severity. According to the criterion of mutual intelligibility, the Alemannic behaves to the more distant dialect areas such as another language.

The Alemannic dialect as part of a continuum changes seamlessly into other varieties. His course is a subjective factor that can vary greatly depending on age, location, education level and a personal touch of the persons interviewed, also depends on how mutual intelligibility is defined at all. Furthermore, one could distinguish several independent Alemannic languages ​​as equal, since the mutual intelligibility is not always guaranteed even under the Alemannic dialect speakers. In this respect, often the Swabian and Alemannic maximum - is also in the Alemannic Switzerland not understood by everyone - listed separately.

Since in the high and low German-speaking countries usually only those who apply under linguistically related varieties as separate languages ​​that meet the criterion as a development language (default language), the Alemannic is predominantly viewed as a regional variety of the Upper German -speaking area. As the spokesman of Alemannic dialects, at least in West Germany and German-speaking Switzerland, the high German standard language use as an umbrella language ( written language ), there are only slight tendencies towards common development language. At least within Switzerland itself undergoes a development that - albeit slowly - the Alemannic dialects assigns the rank of cultural dialects.

In France, the Alsace has the status of a regional language, and with Orthal there since 2003 to try to standardize the Alsatian dialects and thus the tendency to expand language.