Table of Contents
Which Germanic languages have cases?
Case inflections have all but disappeared in most Germanic languages, with the exception of German, and Icelandic that have retained four cases: nominative, accusative, dative and genitive. All Germanic languages have strong (irregular) and weak (regular) nouns.
What dialect is Standard German based on?
East Middle German dialects
Although Standard German is clearly based on the East Middle German dialects, it is not identical with any one of them; it has accepted and standardized many forms from other areas, notably the Upper German sound pf (Pfund, Apfel) and also large numbers of individual words…
How many dialects are spoken in Germany?
250 dialects
How Many Dialects are There in Germany? Some linguists say there are as many as 250 dialects of German.
Are all German dialects mutually intelligible?
Are German dialects mutually intelligible? The short answer is “No”. Had people from different German-speaking regions not all learnt a common standard German, they would have a hard time understanding each other.
What major characteristics distinguish Germanic languages from other Indo-European languages?
Linguistic characteristics of the protolanguage The special characteristics of the Germanic languages that distinguish them from other Indo-European languages result from numerous phonological and grammatical changes.
What type of German is Standard German?
Modern Standard German is a West Germanic language in the Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages. The Germanic languages are traditionally subdivided into three branches, North Germanic, East Germanic, and West Germanic.
Is Standard German High German?
So Standard German is a variant of High German, a lingua franca and a Dachsprache in the southern and eastern parts of the West Germanic dialect continuum (Dutch being the Dachsprache in the remaining north-western part that is the Netherlands), while High German is a number of Southern and Central German dialect …
Is standard German High German?
Are English and German languages related?
English is a Germanic language Indeed, both the German and English languages are considered to be members of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family, meaning they are still closely related today. Furthermore, the modern languages have both loaned words from Latin, Greek and French.
Which German dialects are unintelligible to non-Germans?
Low German, most Upper German, High Franconian dialects and even some Central German dialects when they are spoken in their purest form are unintelligible to those versed only in Standard German. However, all German dialects belong to the dialect continuum of High German and Low German.
What is the High German dialect?
If you’re learning German, it’s more than likely that you’re learning the High German dialect. Nearly all German speakers are capable of understanding High German. High German is referred to as such because of its geography: it’s spoken in the highlands of Germany. In contrast, the Low German dialect is spoken on lower, flatter lands.
Are there any North German expressions that are used in southern Germany?
There are also some North German expressions that are in use even in Standard High German but are seldom heard in Southern Germany, such as “plietsch” for “intelligent”. High German is divided into Central German, High Franconian and Upper German .
What is the Standard German language?
Historically and linguistically, standard German is a mixture of Middle German and High German (i.e. most Austrian dialects). It did not develop out of one regional dialect but was artificially created by poets, philosophers and scholars. At all our of recommended language schools, you will be taught standard German.