Lingva Prismo

German Dialects

German language is very rich in dialects. You may have studied the German language intensely but if you go on a trip to Germany it is possible that when step out of the plane you find yourself lost as you don't understand a thing. While High German is used in government, schools, universities and media, in many German-speaking regions a regional dialect is the language for everyday-speaking. The principal dialects in Germany are the Low German dialects Low Saxon, Mecklenburger, Eastphalian and Westphalian and the High German dialects, such as Upper Saxon, Franconian, Kölsch, Pfälzisch, Allemanic, Swabian and Bavarian.

	In Austria the main dialects are Wienerisch, Tirolerisch und Voralbergisch. Allemanic is the basis for the dialects spoken in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, and in South Tyrol you hear Cimbrian and Mócheno. Luxembourgoise is the German dialect of Luxembourg. Other dialects are Lower Silesia (spoken in Poland), Alsatian (in Alsace, France), Transylvanian Saxon in Transylvania and Pennsylvanian Dutch spoken by the Amish people in the USA.