High German (countable and uncountable, plural High Germans) (countable) A native or inhabitant of the southern highlands of Germany; a High German speaker. [from 16th c.] Any of a group of
The main difference between High and Low German is in the sound system, especially in the consonants.
Thus, dialects of the north, where the landscape is quite flat, are called Low (Platt- or Niederdeutsch). The further south one travels, flatlands give way to hills and eventually, in Switzerland, the Alps; the varieties spoken in these areas are High German dialects.
The main difference between Old High German and the West Germanic dialects from which it developed is that the former underwent the Second Sound Shift. The result of the sound change has been that the consonantal system of German is different from all other West Germanic languages, including English and Low German.
High German came to mean the language of the educated; the old South German came to be called Oberdeutsch, 'Upper German'. High German increasingly displaced the regional dialects in the 1600's in writing, and displaced dialects from speech to some extent since the 1800's.
Dutch Low Saxon (Dutch Low Saxon: Nedersaksies, Dutch: Nedersaksisch) is a group of West Low German dialects spoken in the northeastern Netherlands. It is assumed to be the native language of between 1 and 2 million people in the Netherlands.
While High German is most commonly used throughout Germany today, Low German remains prevalent in several northern regions. All in all, High German and Low German might have many key differences, but they are both still considered to be a part of the German language.
The varieties of German are conventionally grouped into Upper German, Central German and Low German; Upper and Central German form the High German subgroup. Standard German is a standardized form of High German, developed in the early modern period based on a combination of Central German and Upper German varieties.
If you are a German speaker, things should get easier with exposure to Swiss German. If you do not speak the language and want to learn, we recommend starting with learning Standard German first, as it is the basis for Swiss German.
As a technical term, the "high" in High German is a geographical reference to the group of dialects that forms "High German" (i.e. "Highland" German), out of which developed Standard German, Yiddish and Luxembourgish.
Although Dutch and German are related, it is very difficult for speakers of the two languages to understand each other.
Low German is most closely related to Frisian and English, with which it forms the North Sea Germanic group of the West Germanic languages.
Swabian German is one of the best-known dialects of the language, and it's also one of the most complicated. Swabian German belongs to the roughly 20 different German dialects, which are local languages that are pronounced and spelled differently from region to region.
The area around Hanover is famous for employing the clearest German in Germany and regarded by many other native speakers as accent-free. Going further South, the regional varieties become stronger and stronger, but Eastern Germany and Friesland also hold their own.
Austrian German, also known as Austrian Standard German (ASG), Austrian High German, Österreichisches Standarddeutsch, or Österreichisches Hochdeutsch, is a form of the German language spoken in Austria. Small changes in vocabulary, grammar, and phrases differentiate Austrian German from Standard German.
Although all Swiss German native speakers can understand High German, they almost always prefer to speak Swiss German. This is, of course, perfectly understandable, because Swiss German is the mother tongue of the majority of people living in the “German-speaking” part of Switzerland.
The speakers speak either Swiss Standard German, or a Swiss German dialect, and they are conscious about this choice. Nevertheless, about 10%, or 828,200, of Swiss residents speak High German (also called Standard German) at home, but mainly due to the presence of German or Austrian immigrants.
Swiss Standard German is fully understandable to all speakers of Standard German, while many people in Germany – especially in the north – do not understand Swiss German. An interview with a Swiss German speaker, when shown on television in Germany, will require subtitles.
In German, Standard German is generally called Hochdeutsch, reflecting the fact that its phonetics are largely those of the High German spoken in the southern uplands and the Alps (including Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and parts of northern Italy as well as southern Germany).
Old High German. noun. a group of West Germanic dialects that eventually developed into modern German; High German up to about 1200: spoken in the Middle Ages on the upper Rhine, in Bavaria, Alsace, and elsewhere, including Alemannic, Bavarian, Langobardic, and Upper Franconian: Abbreviation: OHG.
Hannover is said to have the „purest“ German so you would probably be able to understand the people over there very well.
1. Hallo – “Hello” This is the simplest way to say “hello” in German. It's a friendly, all-purpose greeting that can be used in pretty much any situation, formal or informal.
German people refer to their country as Deutschland. Throughout history, however, it has had many names depending on which part of modern Germany was being discussed. One of Germany's old names was Almany. Another was Prussia, named for a dominant kingdom in the 1800s.
Germany – more than 80 million speakers. Austria – 8 million speakers. Switzerland – 4.6 million speakers. Belgium – 75.000 speakers.