Editing German language (section)

===High German===
{{Main|High German languages}}
[[File:Mitteldeutsche Mundarten.png|thumb|upright=0.81|The [[Central German]] dialects]]
[[File:Fränkisches Sprachgebiet.png|thumb|upright=0.81|The [[Franconian (linguistics)|Franconian]] dialects<br>(The [[Rhenish fan]])<br>
1. [[Low Franconian]]
{{legend|FFFF00|Northern Low Franconian}}
''[[Uerdingen line|ik–ich line]]''
{{legend|F0E68C|Southern Low Franconian}}
''[[Benrath line|maken–machen line]]''<br>
2. Middle Franconian
{{legend|ADFF2F|[[Ripuarian language|Ripuarian]]}}
''Dorp–Dorf line''
{{legend|9ACD32|[[Moselle Franconian]]*}}
{{legend|006400|[[Moselle Franconian|Moselle]]: [[Luxembourgish]]*}}
''[[Sankt Goar line|dat–das line]]''
{{legend|228B22|[[Rhenish Franconian|Rhenish]]: [[Hessian dialects|Hessian]]}}
{{legend|008000|[[Rhenish Franconian|Rhenish]]: [[Palatine German language|Palatine]]*}}
''[[Speyer line|Appel–Apfel line]]''<br>
3. [[High Franconian]]
{{legend|00008B|[[East Franconian]]}}
{{legend|1E90FF|[[South Franconian]]**
<br>*[[Lorraine Franconian]] in France<br>**[[Alsatian dialect|Alsatian]] in France}}]]
The High German dialects consist of the [[Central German]], [[High Franconian German|High Franconian]] and [[Upper German]] dialects. The High Franconian dialects are transitional dialects between Central and Upper German. The High German varieties spoken by the [[Ashkenazi Jew]]s have several unique features and are considered as a separate language, [[Yiddish]], written with the [[Hebrew alphabet]].

====Central German====
The [[Central German]] dialects are spoken in Central Germany, from [[Aachen]] in the west to [[Görlitz]] in the east. Modern Standard German is mostly based on Central German dialects.

=====West Central German=====
The West Central German dialects are the [[Central Franconian dialects]] ([[Ripuarian language|Ripuarian]] and [[Moselle Franconian dialects|Moselle Franconian]]) and the [[Rhenish Franconian dialects]] ([[Hessian dialects|Hessian]] and [[Palatine German language|Palatine]]). These dialects are considered as
* German in Germany and Belgium
* [[Luxembourgish]] in Luxembourg
* [[Lorraine Franconian]] in [[Moselle (department)|Moselle]], France
* [[Alsatian dialect|Alsatian]] (in a [[Rhenish Franconian]] variant) in [[Alsace bossue]], France
* [[Limburgish language|Limburgish]] or [[Kerkrade dialect]] in the Netherlands.
* [[Transylvanian Saxon dialect|Transylvanian Saxon]] in [[Transylvania]], Romania (considered a variant of German)
* [[Banat Swabian dialect|Banat Swabian]] in [[Banat]], Romania (considered a variant of German)
Luxembourgish as well as Transylvanian Saxon and Banat Swabian are based on [[Moselle Franconian]] dialects.

* Cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants in the area: [[Cologne]], [[Frankfurt am Main]], [[Bonn]], [[Mannheim]], [[Wiesbaden]], [[Aachen]], [[Mainz]], [[Kassel]], [[Saarbrücken]], [[Ludwigshafen am Rhein]], [[Leverkusen]], [[Heidelberg]], [[Darmstadt]], [[Offenbach am Main]], [[Luxembourg City]], [[Koblenz]], [[Bergisch Gladbach]], [[Trier]], [[Siegen]], [[Hanau]], [[Kaiserslautern]], the south of [[Düsseldorf]], and in Romania: [[Cluj-Napoca]] (German: Klausenburg),{{efn|moribund}} [[Timișoara]] (Temeschburg),{{efn|moribund}} [[Brașov]] (Kronstadt),{{efn|moribund}} [[Oradea]] (Großwardein),{{efn|moribund}} [[Arad, Romania|Arad]],{{efn|moribund}} [[Sibiu]] (Hermannstadt){{efn|moribund}} and [[Târgu Mureș]] (Neumarkt am Mieresch).{{efn|moribund}}

=====East Central German=====
Further east, the non-[[Franconian (linguistics)|Franconian]], East Central German dialects are spoken ([[Thuringian dialect|Thuringian]], [[Upper Saxon German|Upper Saxon]], [[Erzgebirgisch]] (dialect of the [[Ore Mountains]]) and [[East Central German#Nordobersächsisch-Südmärkisch|North Upper Saxon–South Markish]], and earlier, in the then German-speaking parts of [[Silesia]] also [[Silesian German|Silesian]], and in then German southern [[East Prussia]] also [[High Prussian dialect|High Prussian]]).

* Cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants in the area: [[Berlin]],{{efn|historically Low German}} [[Leipzig]], [[Dresden]], [[Halle (Saale)]],{{efn|historically Low German}} [[Magdeburg]],{{efn|historically Low German}} [[Erfurt]], [[Potsdam]],{{efn|historically Low German}} [[Chemnitz]] and [[Jena]].

====High Franconian====
[[File:Oberdeutsche Mundarten.png|thumb|upright=0.81|The [[Upper German]] and [[High Franconian German|High Franconian]] (transitional between Central and Upper German)]]
The [[High Franconian German|High Franconian dialects]] are transitional dialects between Central and Upper German. They consist of the [[East Franconian German|East]] and [[South Franconian German|South Franconian]] dialects.

=====East Franconian=====
The [[East Franconian]] dialects are spoken in the region of [[Franconia]]. Franconia consists of the [[Bavaria]]n districts of [[Upper Franconia|Upper]], [[Middle Franconia|Middle]], and [[Lower Franconia]], the region of [[South Thuringia]] (those parts of [[Thuringia]] south of the [[Thuringian Forest]]), and the eastern parts of the region of [[Heilbronn-Franken]] ([[Tauber Franconia]] and Hohenlohe) in northeastern [[Baden-Württemberg]]. East Franconian is also spoken in most parts of [[Saxony|Saxon]] [[Vogtland]] (in the [[Vogtland District]] around [[Plauen]], [[Reichenbach im Vogtland]], [[Auerbach/Vogtl.]], [[Oelsnitz/Vogtl.]] and [[Klingenthal]]). East Franconian is colloquially referred to as "Fränkisch" ([[East Franconian|Franconian]]) in Franconia (including Bavarian Vogtland), and as "Vogtländisch" ([[Vogtlandian]]) in Saxon Vogtland.

* Cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants in the area: [[Nuremberg]], [[Fürth]], [[Würzburg]] and [[Erlangen]].

=====South Franconian=====
[[South Franconian]] is spoken in northern [[Baden-Württemberg]] and in the northeasternmost tip of [[Alsace]] (around [[Wissembourg]]) in France. In Baden-Württemberg, they are considered dialects of German, and in Alsace a South Franconian variant of [[Alsatian dialect|Alsatian]].

* Cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants in the area: [[Karlsruhe]] and [[Heilbronn]].

====Upper German====
The [[Upper German]] dialects are the [[Alemannic German|Alemannic]] and [[Swabian German|Swabian]] dialects in the west and the [[Austro-Bavarian]] dialects in the east.

=====Alemannic and Swabian=====
[[File:Andermatt - Schwiizerdütsch (15922347261).jpg|thumb|upright=0.81|[[Swiss German]] restaurant sign in [[Andermatt]]: "Chuchichäschtli", in Standard German "Küchenkästlein"]]
[[Alemannic German|Alemannic]] dialects are spoken in [[Switzerland]] ([[High Alemannic German|High Alemannic]] in the densely populated [[Swiss Plateau]] including [[Zürich]] and [[Bern]], in the south also [[Highest Alemannic German|Highest Alemannic]], and [[Low Alemannic German|Low Alemannic]] in [[Basel]]), Baden-Württemberg ([[Swabian German|Swabian]] and Low Alemannic, in the southwest also High Alemannic), [[Swabia (Bavaria)|Bavarian Swabia]] (Swabian, in the southwesternmost part also Low Alemannic), [[Vorarlberg]]/Austria (Low, High, and Highest Alemannic), [[Alsace]]/France (Low Alemannic, in the southernmost part also High Alemannic), [[Liechtenstein]] (High and Highest Alemannic), and in the [[Reutte District|district of Reutte]] in [[Tyrol (state)|Tyrol]], Austria (Swabian). The Alemannic dialects are considered
* German in [[Baden-Württemberg]] and [[Bavarian Swabia]], Germany
* Vorarlbergerisch in [[Vorarlberg]], Austria (considered dialects of German)
* [[Swiss German]] in Switzerland and Liechtenstein
* [[Alsatian dialect|Alsatian]] in [[Alsace]], France
In Germany, the Alemannic dialects are often referred to as Swabian in [[Bavarian Swabia]] and in the historical region of [[Württemberg]], and as Badian in the historical region of [[Baden]].

The southernmost German-speaking municipality is in the Alemannic region: [[Zermatt]] in the [[Canton of Valais]], Switzerland, as is the capital of [[Liechtenstein]]: [[Vaduz]].
* Cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants in the area: [[Stuttgart]], [[Zürich]], [[Augsburg]], [[Strasbourg]] ([[Alsatian dialect|Alsatian]]: Strossburi),{{efn|in danger of extinction due to the Francization of Alsace}} [[Freiburg im Breisgau]], [[Basel]], [[Bern]], [[Ulm]], [[Pforzheim]], [[Reutlingen]], [[Winterthur]] and [[Mulhouse]] (Alsatian: Mìlhüsa).{{efn|in danger of extinction due to the Francization of Alsace}}

=====Austro-Bavarian=====
[[File:Austro Bavarian Languages-01.png|thumb|upright=0.81|The [[Austro-Bavarian]] dialects]]
The [[Austro-Bavarian]] dialects are spoken in [[Austria]] ([[Vienna]], [[Lower Austria|Lower]] and [[Upper Austria]], [[Styria]], [[Carinthia]], [[Salzburg (state)|Salzburg]], [[Burgenland]], and in most parts of [[Tyrol (state)|Tyrol]]), southern and eastern [[Bavaria]] ([[Upper Bavaria|Upper]] and [[Lower Bavaria]] as well as [[Upper Palatinate]]), and [[South Tyrol]]. Austro-Bavarian is also spoken in southwesternmost [[Saxony]]: in the southernmost tip of [[Vogtland]] (in the [[Vogtland District]] around [[Adorf]], [[Bad Brambach]], [[Bad Elster]] and [[Markneukirchen]]), where it is referred to as Vogtländisch ([[Vogtlandian]]), just like the [[East Franconian]] variant that dominates in Vogtland. There is also one single Austro-Bavarian village in Switzerland: [[Samnaun]] in the [[Canton of the Grisons]].

The northernmost Austro-Bavarian village is Breitenfeld (municipality of [[Markneukirchen]], Saxony), the southernmost village is [[Salorno sulla Strada del Vino]] (German: Salurn an der Weinstraße), South Tyrol.
* Cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants in the area: [[Vienna]], [[Munich]], [[Graz]], [[Linz]], [[Regensburg]], [[Salzburg]], [[Ingolstadt]], [[Innsbruck]], [[Bolzano]] (German: Bozen) and [[Klagenfurt am Wörthersee]].