Franconian languages are High German languages spoken in Luxembourg, the Saarland, Lorraine, the Eifel area of Germany, and portions of Belgium. Actually, due to the origin of the term Franconian, in linguitics this adjective is widely used and does not refer to a specific Germanic linguistic group not even to a specific area: Franconian refers to Low Germanic languages such as Dutch and Afrikaans as well as High Germanic languages.
Within Franconian German the following groupings are distinguished:
- West Central German
- Middle Franconian
- Ripuarian (North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Belgium)
- Limburgish (Limburg in the Netherlands and Belgium, also extending towards Cologne)
- Moselle Franconian (North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland)
- Luxembourgish (Luxembourg, Belgium and France)
- Ripuarian (North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Belgium)
- Rhine Franconian
- Lorrainian German (France)
- Westpalatine dialects (Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland)
- Pennsylvania German or Pennsylvania Dutch (historical communities in North America, especially Pennsylvania)
- Forepalatine dialects (Rhineland-Palatinate and France)
- Hesse-Nassauisch (Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate)
- Lower Hesse dialects (Hesse, Thuringia)
- Middle Franconian
- transition area between Central German and Upper German
- East Franconian German (Bavaria, Thuringia, Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Saxony and Czech Republic)
- South Franconian German (Baden-Württemberg)
See also
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