German dialects

German dialect is dominated by the geographical spread of the High German consonant shift, and the dialect continua that connect German to some neighbouring languages, e.g. the Dutch and Luxembourgish languages.

In German linguistics, German dialects are distinguished from varieties of Standard German.

The variation among the German dialects is considerable with only the neighbouring dialects being mutually intelligible. Low German, most Upper German, High Franconian dialects, and even some Central German dialects when spoken in their purest form, are not intelligible to people who know only Standard German. However, all German dialects belong to the dialect continuum of High German and Low German. In the past (roughly until the end of the Second World War), there was a dialect continuum of all the continental West Germanic languages because nearly any pair of neighbouring dialects were perfectly mutually intelligible.

The German dialect continuum is typically divided into High German and Low German. The terms derive from the geographic characteristics of the terrain where they are spoken rather than from social status accorded to them.

Low German varieties (in Germany usually referred to as "Platt" or "Plattdeutsch") are considered dialects of the German language by some but a separate language by others (then often termed "Low Saxon"). Linguistically Low German (that is, Ingvaeonic) and Low Franconian (that is, Istvaeonic) dialects are grouped together because both did not participate in the High German consonant shift. Low German is further divided into Dutch Low Saxon, West Low German and East Low German.

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