Low German language
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. It also includes
Afrikaans, which is spoken in
South Africa, and Plautdietsch, which is spoken by
Mennonite communities in
North America. Low German was the
lingua franca of the
Hanseatic League.
Low German is also sometimes used to refer to any German dialect which differs from the official
German language, but this is not linguistic use. It tends to lead to confusion when discussing the German language: many
High German dialects are called Low German, a term properly used only for the dialects and languages described here.
The term "Low German" is often restricted to Low Saxon, one of its three main branches, or extended to all of West Germanic except for High German.
We cut a middle path in this article. The other branches of Low German (besides Low Saxon) are
Low Franconian and
East Low German. The other branches of West Germanic (besides Low German and High German) are
Frisian and
English.
The northern dialects of Low German (Low Saxon and Dutch) can also be classified together with English and Frisian as the North Sea Germanic or Ingvaeonic languages.
Low German is distinguished from High German principally in that the latter underwent a
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".
| Low German (North Saxon): |
Ik segg et/dat up Nedderdüütsch/Platt(düütsch). |
| Low German (Mennonite Plautdietsch): |
Ekj/Etj saje et op Nadadietsch/Plautdietsch. |
| Standard Dutch: |
Ik zeg het in het Nederduits/Platduits. |
| High (Standard) German: |
Ich sage es auf Niederdeutsch/Platt(deutsch). |
| English: |
I say it in Low German. |
Family tree
Note that divisions between subfamilies of Germanic are rarely precisely defined; most form continuous clines, with adjacent
dialects being mutually intelligible and more separated ones not.
In particular, there is not thought to have been any single "
Proto-Low German". The earliest recorded form of Low German is known as
Old Saxon, a member of the Low Saxon branch.
- Low Saxon
- * Westphalian (in Westphalia, in Germany)
- * Eastern Friesland Low Saxon (in East Frisia / Eastern Friesland, Germany)
- * Several other dialects in Germany
- * Plautdietsch (in Canada and the United States)
- * Achterhoeks (in Gelderland, in the Netherlands)
- * Drents (in Drenthe, in the Netherlands)
- * Gronings (in Groningen, in the Netherlands)
- * Sallands (in central Overijssel, in the Netherlands)
- * Stellingwerfs (in Stellingwerven, in Friesland, in the Netherlands)
- * Twents (in eastern Overijssel, in the Netherlands)
- * Veenkoloniaals (in eastern Groningen, the Netherlands)
- * Veluws (in Gelderland, in the Netherlands)
- * Westerwolds (in eastern Groningen, the Netherlands)
- East Low German
- * Mecklenburgisch (in Mecklenburg)
- * Pommersch (in Pomerania)
- * Brandenburgisch (in Brandenburg)
- * Berlinerisch (in Berlin)
- * West Prussian (nearly extinct)
- * East Prussian (nearly extinct)
External links
Category:Low German languages
Category:Uvular R
cs:Dolnon%C4%9Bm%C4%8Dina
de:Niederdeutsche Sprache
eo:Platgermana lingvo
nds:Plattdüütsch
nl:Nederduits
sv:Plattyska