Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Which dialects contributed to Old High German?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
West Germanic languages
Distribution of the Germanic languages in Europe.
Old High German was not a single standardized language but a collection of dialects spoken in the highlands of southern Germany, Switzerland, and Austria until the end of the 11th century. These dialects were primarily categorized into two main groups:12
- Upper German: This group included the Alemannic (Swiss German) and Bavarian dialects.12
- Franconian (Frankish): This group included several dialects spoken north of the Upper German area, such as East Franconian, Rhenish Franconian, and Central Franconian dialects, which were spoken along the Rhine and Moselle rivers.1
These dialects emerged from the South Germanic branch of the West Germanic languages following the High German consonant shift, a sound change that distinguished High German from other Germanic varieties. While these dialects lacked a unified literary standard, they were documented in various monastery-based writings and translations.13