Updated on May 31, 2024
All you need to know about German dialect
The infamous German dialects! Rumor has it that Germans from different parts of the country cannot easily understand each other as the dialects are much more than an accent.
There is at least some truth to it. Dialects developed on cultural grounds and according to geographical regions, not taking modern borders and national states into account.
Yet there are common roots that justify the name “German” for all of them. And with notorious exceptions like Bavarian or Low German, most of what is said in a different Mundart will be understood throughout the country.
In the other cases … well, there is always standard German to fall back on.
Dialects are a funny thing: nobody really knows how to define them. Linguists have been arguing for decades about the precise limits between a language and a dialect. Generally speaking though, we can say that a dialect still supposes the ability to communicate amongst different groups.
That being said, as a German, I have plenty of dialects that sound like complete gibberish to me. I speak Hochdeutsch (literally meaning “High German”), which is usually considered as being the “cleanest” German (meaning that everybody who speaks German would be able to understand what I*m saying). It’s the general type of German that you would hear on public television, national radio, in national politics, etc.
Hochdeutsch hasn’t been around for all that long. It only came about in the second half of the twentieth century. While this is the standard German, at least 54 different dialects, also called Mundarten (vernacular), are still spoken all over the country. Not to mention Switzerland and Austria.
So, where do German dialects come from? In general, dialects are unavoidable. Every language in the world has different variations. When people live in different areas, the languages will develop differently. In some respect, a dialect is the early stage of a new language that is developing.
German specifically comes from the Germanic language tree (the Indo-European language tree if you want to go way back). It also has some Dutch, English, Frisian and a lot of Northern European influences. Like any language, it is the product of many Germanic languages mixing together over centuries. Historians pinpoint the birth (or start of evolution) of the German language to around 500 CE.
So what are the main differences in dialects in Germany? Well, they focus mainly on the inconsistent evolution of consonants in the German language. For example: the sound th in the English language comes from a common linguistic “ancestor”, so to speak. It evolved into the German sound for d.
The High German consonant shift, a major phonological evolution in historical linguistics, transformed numerous consonants in the southern realms of the West Germanic language continuum across several phases.
Believed to have commenced between the 3rd and 5th centuries, this shift was largely finalized before the advent of written records in Old High German during the 8th century.
Notably, it delineates Old High German from other West Germanic languages and Old English, which remained unaffected.
The shift involved a core group of nine consonant modifications, primarily affecting voiceless stops, which became fricatives or affricates in certain contexts, and voiced stops, which shifted to voiceless. Additionally, the transformation of /θ/ to /d/ marked another significant phase.
This phenomenon is indicative of a series of waves emanating from the southern mountainous regions, gradually spreading northward. The shift’s impact varied across dialects, yet most changes have integrated into modern Standard German, exemplifying a chain shift akin to its precursor, the first Germanic consonant shift.
This consonant shift played a crucial role in shaping various German dialects, contributing to their distinct phonological features.
For instance, Standard German, which encompasses the central and southern dialects, reflects the full impact of the consonant shift. Similarly, Yiddish, spoken primarily by Ashkenazi Jews, incorporates elements of this consonant shift due to its historical development in German-speaking regions.
On the other hand, dialects like Low German, spoken in northern Germany, and Dutch, spoken in the Netherlands and parts of Belgium, largely remained unaffected by the shift. These dialects preserve older phonetic forms that diverge from Standard German due to their geographical separation and historical development.
Moreover, within the High German dialect group, variations exist based on the degree of the consonant shift’s influence. For example, Alemannic German, spoken in southwestern Germany, Switzerland, and parts of Austria, exhibits some of the most pronounced features of the shift. Bavarian dialects, spoken in southeastern Germany and Austria, also reflect significant consonant alterations, albeit with some regional differences.
Frisian goes back to the Germanic tribes of the Northsea area. There are slight differences between the North Frisian spoken close to the Danish border, the West Frisian that is spoken across the Dutch border and the East Frisian spoken north of Bremen.
Frisian is a good example of how languages develop with no regard to political borders. Did you know that Wetter in Frisian means water, not weather?
Example in Frisian: “Moarn. Hoe giet it mei dy?” (Good morning. How are you?)
Low German, also known as the Low Saxon dialect, is quite close to Frisian but goes back to the continental tribes. Platt means flat and nieder low or, in other words, nether. Both hint at the geographical characteristics of the region as does the word Netherlands – the lowlands, which speak Dutch, in which we recognize the resemblance to the word Deutsch. Even the writing system of Low German dialects was highly influenced by Dutch.
Middle Low German and Middle Dutch developed in tandem within a linguistic continuum spanning the northern regions of Germany and the southern areas of the Netherlands and Belgium.
Niederdeutsch is spoken from the Dutch border eastwards and includes variations like Northern Lower Saxon, Westphalian or Brandenburgian. Water is a prominent feature here, and is called Water instead of Wasser. The relation to the English word is clear, but the pronunciation is that of the German Wasser with t instead of s.
In the Low German-speaking area, particularly in the northern parts of Germany such as the states of Westphalia and Lower Saxony, variations in the dialects of Low German speakers are common.
Low German features certain vowel sounds that are uncommon in many other languages, making them potentially challenging to master. Here are examples of short vowels:
Example in modern Low German: “Moin. Wo geiht dat di?” (Hello. What are you up to?)
No surprise here: Middle German is spoken in the middle of Germany. But not only here. Again, political borders don’t stop languages. Lëtzebuergisch is the middle German dialect spoken in Luxembourg.
The Swabian dialect encompasses various sub-dialects, each with its own distinct characteristics. These sub-dialects are often differentiated by their formation of the past participle of ‘sein’ (to be) into either ‘gwäa’ or ‘gsei’. The ‘gsei’ group, closer to other Alemannic dialects like Swiss German, includes South-East Swabian, West Swabian, and Central Swabian.
Danube Swabians from regions such as Hungary, Romania, and former Yugoslavia speak several Swabian dialects, known locally as Schwowisch, with some resembling the original Swabian dialect while others exhibit influences from Bavarian, Palatine, and Hessian mixed dialects.
Example sentence in Swabian: “D’Hausle isch so hübsch mit dem Blüemle im Gärtle.” (The house is so pretty with the little flowers in the garden.)
Surprise! The Saxon did not live in Saxon, and saxish is not what is spoken in the Bundesland Sachsen today. The Saxon tribe were, in fact, West Germanic tribes in the Northwest of today’s Germany and the East of the Netherlands.
Migrations and political reasons transferred the name to Sachsen but not the language. This would be Upper Saxon, but alas, it’s gone extinct! The least beloved German dialect from former East Germany with its dark, throaty sounds is actually just a local variety of standard German, for which it indeed formed the historical basis.
Upper Saxon, like many other dialects, undergoes vowel sound changes from Middle High German, resulting in unrounding (/ø/, /øː/, /y/, /yː/, and /yə̯/ to /e/, /eː/, /i/, and /iː/). This alteration leads to words like “bäse” for “böse” (wicked) and “Biehne” for “Bühne” (stage).
Consonants are weakened, yielding forms like “Kardoffeln” for “Kartoffeln” (potatoes) and “Babba” for “Papa” (dad). Also, /ë/ reduces to /a/, as in “Schwaster” for “Schwester” (sister). Notably, Upper Saxon pronounces o and u as centralized vowels ([ɞ] and [ɵ], respectively), often perceived by native speakers of other dialects as ö [øː] and ü [yː], with front rounded vowels pronounced as non-rounded.
Example sentence is Upper Saxon: “Guten Tach. Wie isset?” (Good day. How are you?)
Ik instead of ich, “j” instead of “g” and a confusion about the dative and accusative cases. The city dialect of Berlin seems to get lost with the last few native Berliners being outnumbered by all those attracted to the buzzing capital of Germany.
In Berlinerisch, prevalent linguistic tendencies involve changing “s” to “t” (e.g., “was” becomes “wat,” “das” becomes “det,” “alles” becomes “allet”) and replacing “g” with “j” (e.g., “gut” becomes “jut,” “gehen” becomes “jehen,” “genau” becomes “jenau”).
Another distinctive feature of this dialect is its informal register, often seen in eliding letters within different words or omitting final syllables. These linguistic traits are influenced by the Berliner Schnauze, embodying the characteristic attitude and speech of Berliners.
Example sencence in the Berliner dialect: Du Alta! Eyh, jeh ma nich uff’n Keks! (Lass mich in Ruhe!) = Hey you! Don’t annoy me, leave me alone!
While the Bavarian dialect is a softer version of high German, the actual Bayrisch dialect is much more than that. This dialect takes differences to an extreme and is hardly understood by outsiders, even if they are native Germans.
The reason lies in the geographical seclusion of the mountainous area, a characteristic, the home of the Oktoberfest shares with Austria and Switzerland. This is because the old Bavarian dialects have developed as a mixture of old romanic and new Germanic words.
The Bavarian accent within Standard German is recognized for various traits, one of which is the pronunciation of the “r” sound, often articulated as a guttural sound similar to the French “r”.
Example sentence in Bavarian: “Servus. Via ged’s eana?” (Hello. How are you?)
The high German of Austria and Switzerland is very similar to the one used in Germany. If you know German, you can easily read an Austrian newspaper or watch Swiss news. You might not, however, be able to communicate on the streets.
The spoken language is a dialect that is closer to Bayrisch than high German, and Schwiitzerdütsch shows its characteristic difference already in its name.
You can learn more about the key differences between the German spoken in Austria, Switzerland and Germany in this article.
Example sentence in Austrian: “Servus, grüß dich, wie geht’s dir? (“Hey, hello, how are you?”)
Example sentence in Swiss: “Wie gaats Dir?” -“How are you doing?”; “Mir gaats guet, danke. Und dir?,” – “I’m doing well, thank you. And you?,”
These days, it seems as though the divergence of the German language dialects is slowing down, as it is for many other languages, especially in developed countries. This is due in large part to urbanization, modern communication like radio, TV and the internet, and more standardized educational systems.
Languages are moving more and more towards uniformity amongst each individual branch. Is this going to put a hold in the evolution of languages as a whole? Of course not. But maybe it’ll help my great-great-grandchildren go to Switzerland without needing a “German to Swiitzerdütsch” dictionary.
The list above only scratches the surface of the various types of German out there. But the good news is, if you’re focusing on Standard German (Standarddeutsch), you’re on the right track. Most speakers of non-standard dialects also know the standard form, so you’ll still be able to communicate effectively.
You’ll notice that a lot of German media primarily use Standard German. This means you can use these resources to enhance your learning experience.
Understanding accents that are pronounced differently, even for a native speaker, can be challenging. However, it’s crucial not to let misconceptions about dialects discourage you from learning.
It’s important to let go of any notion that one dialect is superior or inferior to another. Everyone speaks differently, plain and simple. Some dialects are mutually intelligible, while others – not so much. Even if you primarily study the standard form, over time, you may find yourself grasping the intricacies of other dialects as well.
So, start by learning how to ask basic questions and answering conversation starters such as “How are you doing?”, and your willingness to communicate in German with locals in any region is sure to break the ice and help you make friends anywhere.
In this section, let’s explore some of the questions about the various dialects spoken in Germany
There are numerous dialects of German, with estimates ranging from 50 to over 250, depending on classification criteria.
The three main languages spoken in Germany are Standard German, Low German, and various regional dialects such as Bavarian, Swabian, and Saxon.
The hardest German dialect to understand varies depending on individual familiarity and exposure, but the Swabian and Bavarian dialect, as well as local dialects in the mountainous areas, are often cited as challenging due to their distinct phonological features.
The Low German accents from western Germany are said to be the easiest to understand, as they show a certain level of uniformity. Eastern dialects are often harder to understand, and they often contain more High German words or general influence.
Standard German, also known as Hochdeutsch, is considered the most prestigious German dialect due to its status as the official language, the standard form taught in schools, and its widespread use in media and formal settings.
High German refers to the collective group of dialects spoken primarily in the central and southern regions of Germany, which form the basis of the standard written and spoken language.
Old High German is so named because it is the older form of the High German language dialects, spoken between the 5th and 11th centuries. It served as the written language for medieval German texts.
The main differences between Old High German and modern language lie in phonology, vocabulary, and grammar. Old High German had different phonetic features, a smaller vocabulary, and distinct grammar compared to modern German. However, they share common words and are both classified under language codes such as ISO 639-1 (de) for German.
The various German accents and dialects add colorful flavors to how people speak across the country.
While High German words are used in official writing and spoken language across Germany, dialects have a significant influence on everyday conversations. They give each region its own special way of speaking, making communication richer and more colorful.
So, whether you’re reading a book in Standard German or chatting with locals in Bavarian or Swabian, embracing the diversity of German dialects can make your language experience even more enjoyable and interesting.
