Central German

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The Central German dialects

High German subdivides into Upper German (green) and Central German (blue), and is distinguished from Low German (yellow). The main isoglosses, the Benrath and Speyer lines are marked in black.

Central German (in German: Mitteldeutsch, or rarely Zentraldeutsch) is a group of High German dialects spread from the Rhineland to Thuringia, south of Low German and Low Franconian and north of Upper German. In older books, Central German is sometimes called Middle German.

Central German divides into two subgroups, West Central German (Franconian) and East Central German. Central German is distinguished by having experienced only the first and fourth phases of the High German consonant shift.

[edit] Classification

• Franconian (Westmitteldeutsch)
  • Rhine Franconian (Rheinfränkisch)
  • Central Franconian (Mittelfränkisch)
• East Central German (Ostmitteldeutsch)
  • Thuringian (Thüringisch)
  • Upper Saxon (Obersächsisch)
  • Silesian (Schlesisch)
  • High Prussian (Hochpreußisch)

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