*** Welcome to piglix ***

Alemannic dialects

Alemannic
Alemannisch
Pronunciation [alɛˈman(ː)ɪʃ]
Native to Switzerland: entire German-speaking part.
Germany: most of Baden-Württemberg and Bavarian Swabia.
Austria: Vorarlberg and some parts of Tyrol.
Liechtenstein: entire country.
France: most of Alsace.
Italy: some parts of Aosta Valley and northern Piedmont
Venezuela: Alemán Coloniero
Native speakers
7,162,000 (2004–2012)
Latin
Language codes
ISO 639-2
ISO 639-3 Variously:
gct – Colonia Tovar
gsw – Swiss German and Alsatian
swg – Swabian
wae – Walser
Glottolog alem1243
Alemannic-Dialects-Map-English.png
The traditional distribution area of Western Upper German (=Alemannic) dialect features in the nineteenth and twentieth century
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters.

Alemannic (German: About this sound Alemannisch ) is a group of dialects of the Upper German branch of the Germanic language family. The name derives from the ancient Germanic alliance of tribes known as the Alemanni ("all men").

Alemannic dialects are spoken by approximately ten million people in eight countries:

Alemannic comprises a dialect continuum, from the Highest Alemannic spoken in the mountainous south to Swabian in the relatively flat north, with more of the characteristics of standard German the farther north one goes.

Some linguists and organisations that differentiate between languages and dialects primarily on the grounds of mutual intelligibility, such as SIL International and UNESCO, describe Alemannic as one of several independent languages. ISO 639-3 distinguishes four languages: gsw (Swiss German), swg (Swabian German), wae (Walser German) and gct (Alemán Coloniero, spoken since 1843 in Venezuela).


...
Wikipedia

...