Walser German
| Walser German | |
|---|---|
| Walscher | |
Distribution of Highest Alemannic dialects
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| Region | upper Valais & Walser, the Alps |
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Native speakers
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(20,000 cited 1978–2004) |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | |
| Glottolog | wals1238 |
The Walser language (German: Walserdeutsch), also known as Walliser German (locally Wallisertiitsch), is a group of Highest Alemannic dialects spoken in parts of Switzerland (Wallis region, Ticino, Graubünden), Italy (Piedmont, Aosta Valley), Liechtenstein, and Austria (Vorarlberg).
The terms Walser and Walliser are geographic; there is no linguistic divide. Specific Walser dialects can be traced to eastern or western dialects of Wallis canton. Conservative Walser dialects are more similar to the respective groups of Wallis dialects than to neighboring Walser dialects.
The German-speaking immigration to the Wallis started in the 8th century from the canton of Bern. There were presumably two different immigration routes that led to two main groups of Walliser dialects. In the twelfth or thirteenth century, the Walliser began to settle other parts of the Alps. These new settlements are known as Walser migration. In many of these settlements, people still speak Walser.
The dialects are difficult to understand for people who speak Swiss German (called Üsserschwyzer 'outer Swiss' by the Walliser), and it is different from Standard German as well. Because the dialect group is quite spread out, there is rarely any contact between the dialects. Therefore, the dialects that compose Walser German are very different from each other as well. Because the people who speak Walser German live in the isolated valleys of the high mountains, Walser German has preserved many archaisms, which makes it nearest to Old High German. The dialect of the Lötschental, for instance, preserved three distinct classes of weak verbs until the beginning of the 20th century. Walser German also shows linguistic innovations, such as the plural Tannu - Tannä (fir - firs), also found in the other Highest Alemannic dialects.
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