This map shows the regions
of the world where High German (standard German) is commonly
spoken today (see red circle). The High German language comprises
a number of dialects, including Rhenish, East Franconian, Bavarian,
Alemannic, and Middle. High German's linguistic development
is divided into Modern High German (1500 CE to present day),
Middle High German (1100-1500 CE), and Old High German (before
1100). Old High German in turn came from the West Germanic sub-branch
of the Germanic branch of Indo-European languages. Modern High
German is most closely related to Low
German dialects and Yiddish.
Yiddish is a recent branch of High German spoken by Europeanized
Jews; it borrows heavily from Hebrew vocabulary.
| Daniel M. Short originally created this
map and the other Indo-European language charts for his website at http://www.danshort.com/.
I reproduce these images here with the author's permission, but they are
copyrighted by Daniel Short as of 2002. These charts should not be reproduced
or reused without Mr. Short's approval. You may contact him at danshort@gte.net
for more information. These images are not public domain. |