Low Alemannic German Explained

Low Alemannic German
Nativename:Niederalemannisch
States:Germany[1]
Speakers:?
Familycolor:Indo-European
Fam2:Germanic
Fam3:West Germanic
Fam4:Elbe Germanic
Fam5:Upper German
Fam6:Alemannic
Script:Latin (German alphabet)
Map:Alemannic-Dialects-Map-English.svg
Mapcaption:Areas where Alemannic German dialects are spoken
Isoexception:dialect
Glotto:lowa1241
Glottorefname:Low Alemannic

Low Alemannic German (German: Niederalemannisch) is a branch of Alemannic German, which is part of Upper German. Its varieties are only partly intelligible to non-Alemannic speakers.

Subdivisions

Features

The feature that distinguishes Low Alemannic from High Alemannic is the retention of Germanic /k/, for instance kalt 'cold' vs. High Alemannic chalt.

The feature that distinguishes Low Alemannic from Swabian is the retention of the Middle High German monophthongs, for instance Huus 'house' vs. Swabian Hous or Ziit 'time' vs. Swabian Zejt.

Orthography

(All of the below is specific to the dialects spoken near Freiburg im Breisgau)

Vowels:

ShortLong
OrthographyPronunciationOrthographyPronunciation
apronounced as /[a]/aapronounced as /[aː]/
äpronounced as /[æ]/ääpronounced as /[æː]/
èpronounced as /[ɛ]/èèpronounced as /[ɛː]/
epronounced as /[e, ə]/eepronounced as /[eː]/
ipronounced as /[ɪ]/iipronounced as /[iː]/
opronounced as /[o]/oopronounced as /[oː]/
ùpronounced as /[ʊ]/ùùpronounced as /[ʊː]/
upronounced as /[y]/uupronounced as /[yː]/
ypronounced as /[i, y]/yypronounced as /[uː]/

Consonants:

Are as in Standard German, with the following notes:

Articles

Definite Article

CaseMasculineFeminineNeuter
Nom/Acc Sgder Mand Fraus Kind
Dat Sgim Man(in) der Frauim Kind
Nom/Acc Pld Maned Fraued Kinder
Dat Pl(in) der Mane(in) der Fraue(in) der Kinder

Indefinite Article

CaseMasculineFeminineNeuter
Nom/Acc Sge Mane Fraue Kind
Dat Sgim e Manin ere Frauim e Kind

Substantives

Plurals

Diminutives

Adjectives

Weak Declension

CaseMasculineFeminineNeuter
Nom/Acc Sgder groos Mandi göed Fraus klai Kind
Dat Sgim (e) groose Manin der / in ere göede Frauim (e) klaine Kind
Nom/Acc Pldi groose Manedi göede Frauedi klaine Kinder
Dat Plin der groose Manein der göede Frauein der klaine Kinder

Strong Declension

CaseMasculineFeminineNeuter
Nom/Acc Sggöede Mangöedi Fraugöed Brood
Dat Sggöedem Mangöeder Fraugöedem Brood
Nom/Acc Plgroosi Manegroosi Fraueklaini Kinder
Dat Plin groose Manein groose Frauein klaine Kinder

Comparative

Superlative

Irregular

PositiveComparativeSuperlative
vyylmeemaischd
göedbeserbeschd

Pronouns

Personal Pronouns

EnglishHochdeutschAlemmanisch NomDativeAccusative
Iichich, ii, imiir, mir, mermii, mi
youduduu, du, dediir, dir, derdii, di
heeräär, är, eriim, im, emiin, in, en, e
shesiesii, siiire, ire, eresii, si
itesääs, äs, es, siim, im, emääs, äs, es, s
wewirmiir, mir, merùns, isùns, is
youihriir, ir, erèich, ichèich, ich
theysiesii, siiine, ine, enesii, si

Verbs

1. Infinitive

Infinitive ends in -e

2. Participle

2.1 Prefix

2.2 Suffix

2.3 Types

2.3.1 Infinitive and Present Sg y/èi/ai - Participle i
2.3.1.1 y > i (e.g. abwyyse > abgwiise)
2.3.1.2 èi > i (e.g. verzèie > verziie)
2.3.1.3 ai > i (e.g. schaide > gschiide)
2.3.2 Infinitive and Present Sg ie/u/au/èi/i - Participle o/öu/öe
2.3.2.1 ie > o (e.g. biede > bode)
2.3.2.2 u > o (e.g. sufe > gsofe)
2.3.2.3 au > o (e.g. laufe > glofe)
2.3.2.4 èi > öu (e.g. rèie > gröue)
2.3.2.5 ie > öe (e.g. riefe > gröefe)
2.3.2.5 i > o (e.g. wiige > gwooge)
2.3.3 Infinitive and Present Sg i - Participle ù
2.3.3.1 i > u (e.g. binde > bùnde)
2.3.4 Infinitive ä/e - Present i - Participle o/u
2.3.4.1 ä - i - o (e.g. bräche > broche)
2.3.4.2 ä - i - u (e.g. hälfe > ghùlfe)
2.3.4.3 e/è - i - o (e.g. verdèèrbe > verdoorbe)
2.3.4.4 e - i - ù (e.g. schmelze > gschmùlze)
2.3.5 Infinitive ä/i - Present i - Participle ä
2.3.5.1 ä - i - ä (e.g. äse > gäse)
2.3.5.2 i - i - ä (e.g. bide > bäde)
2.3.6 Infinitive Vowel is the same as the Participle
2.3.5.1 (e.g. bache > bache; fale > gfale)

3. Conjugation
3.1 Present Tense3.1.1 Regular Verb

PersonEndingExample
1st Sgich mach
2nd Sg-schduu machsch
3rd Sg-där machd
Plural-emir mache

Numbers

CardinalOrdinalMultiplicative IMultiplicative II
1aisèèrschdaifachaimool
2zwaizwaidzwaifachzwaimool
3drèidriddrèifachdrèimool
4viervierdvierfachviermool
5fimffimfdfimffachfimfmool
6segssegsdsegsfachsegsmool
7siibesibdsiibefachsiibemool
8aachdaachdaachdfachaachdmool
9nyynnyyndnyynfachnyynmool
10zeezeendzeefachzeemool
11elfelfdelffachelfmool
12zwelfzwelfdzwelffachzwelfmool
13dryzeedryzeenddryzeefachdryzeemool
14vierzeevierzeendvierzeefachvierzeemool
15fùfzeefùfzeendfùfzeefachfùfzeemool
16sächzeesächzeendsächzeefachsächzeemool
17sibzeesibzeendsibzeefachsibzeemool
18aachdzeeaachdzeendaachdzeefachaachdzeemool
19nyynzeenyynzeendnyynzeefachnyynzeemool
20zwanzgzwanzigschdzwanzgfachzwanzgmool
21ainezwanzgainezwanzigschdainezwanzgfachainezwanzgmool

Notes and References

  1. http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=swg Ethnologue entry: Swabian (swg)
  2. Noble, Cecil A. M. (1983). Modern German dialects New York [u.a.], Lang, p. 67/68