Hessian dialect
Encyclopedia
Hessian is a West Central German
group of dialects of the German language
in the central German state of Hesse
. The dialect most similar to Hessian is Palatinate German
(Ger.: Pfälzisch, pronounced ˈpfɛltsɪʃ) of the Rhine Franconian
sub-family. However, the Hessian dialects have some features which set them somewhat apart from other West-Central German dialects.
Northern Hesse (around the city of Kassel
),
Central Hesse (including the Marburg
and Gießen
area),
Eastern Hesse (around Fulda
)
Southern Hesse (around Darmstadt
which is south of Frankfurt
).
To understand this division one must consider the history of Hesse and the fact that this state is the result of an administrative reform.
Consonants are often softened, as outlined by Carsten Keil in his document "A Quick Guide to the Language of Frankfurt".
West Central German
West Central German belongs to the Central, High German dialect family in the German language. Its dialects are thoroughly Franconian including the following sub-families:* Central Franconian...
group of dialects of the German language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
in the central German state of Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
. The dialect most similar to Hessian is Palatinate German
Palatinate German
Palatine German is a West Franconian dialect of German which is spoken in the Rhine Valley roughly in an area between the cities of Zweibrücken, Kaiserslautern, Alzey, Worms, Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Mannheim, Heidelberg, Speyer, Landau, Wörth am Rhein and the border to the Alsace region in France...
(Ger.: Pfälzisch, pronounced ˈpfɛltsɪʃ) of the Rhine Franconian
Rhine Franconian
Rhine Franconian , or Rhenish Franconian, is a dialect family of West Central German. It comprises the German dialects spoken across the western regions of the states of Saarland, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Hesse in Germany...
sub-family. However, the Hessian dialects have some features which set them somewhat apart from other West-Central German dialects.
Dialects
Hessian can be divided into four main dialects, namely that of,Northern Hesse (around the city of Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
),
Central Hesse (including the Marburg
Marburg
Marburg is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany, on the River Lahn. It is the main town of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district and its population, as of March 2010, was 79,911.- Founding and early history :...
and Gießen
Gießen
Gießen, also spelt Giessen is a town in the German federal state of Hesse, capital of both the district of Gießen and the administrative region of Gießen...
area),
Eastern Hesse (around Fulda
Fulda
Fulda is a city in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district .- Early Middle Ages :...
)
Southern Hesse (around Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
which is south of Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
).
To understand this division one must consider the history of Hesse and the fact that this state is the result of an administrative reform.
Southern Hessian
Changes to ConsonantsConsonants are often softened, as outlined by Carsten Keil in his document "A Quick Guide to the Language of Frankfurt".