Dialects and languages ​​in North Rhine-Westphalia

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The dialects and languages ​​in North Rhine-Westphalia show a great variety associated with the cultural inhomogeneity of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia . The colloquial and official language predominant in the country today is German ; the Low German language in Westphalia and the Kleverland language spoken on the Lower Rhine were largely displaced. For historical reasons, dialects of Middle German and Lower Franconian are predominantly found in the Rhenish part of the country , while in Westphalia-Lippe , with the exception of the Siegerland Platt and the Wittensteiner Platt, Lower Saxon Westphalian dialects were spoken. Today the former dialects have largely been replaced by Regiolects and Metrolects based on Low German or Franconian , see Ruhrdeutsch , Rheinischer Regiolekt or Familienkölsch .

overview

The area of ​​today's North Rhine-Westphalia never formed a uniform and closed cultural or linguistic area and has only formed a state unit since 1946 - compare the history of North Rhine-Westphalia . One consequence of this are, in some cases, significant differences in the development of the language and dialects in today's North Rhine-Westphalia.

Most noticeable in this regard is the separation of the country into Franconian dialects in the Rhineland, but also in Siegerland and Wittgensteiner Land , which have undergone the second phonetic shift to different degrees , and into Low German-Westphalian dialects in Westphalia-Lippe. The dialect areas in North Rhine-Westphalia were or are mostly designed as a dialect continuum without clear boundaries. As the border between the Rhenish-Franconian dialects and the Westphalian-Low German dialects, the Rhine-IJssel line (also known as the Westphalian or unitary plural line) is generally used. The western part of present-day state of North Rhine-Westphalia (roughly the Rhenish part of the country, including in particular the southern part, and the country and Wittgenstein Siegerland) was with the sound shift early part of the central German language area , while the eastern part (roughly the provincial part of Westphalia and Lippe plus some Lower Rhine Areas and minus the Wittgensteiner Land and the Siegerland) initially remained part of the Low German-speaking area.

Development in Westphalia

Panel with German inscription and (free) Low German translation in the Westphalian Versmold

Low German , which has historically been spoken throughout northern Germany , is characterized by many linguists as an independent language, which in turn breaks down into different dialects. In the area of ​​North Rhine-Westphalia, Low German varieties were particularly widespread: Münsterländisch , Westmünsterländisch and Westphalian dialects , which split up into East Westphalian , South Westphalian and in the transition area to the Rhineland the Borbecksch Platt . According to the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages , Low German is now recognized as a language to be protected by the state government . In terms of grammar and vocabulary, Low German differs significantly from High German.

In North Rhine-Westphalia, as almost everywhere in Northern Germany, Low German was largely replaced by High German in a long process due to a serious language change after the Reformation . Low German native speakers can hardly be found any more. Most Westphalia and Lipper are now no longer able to speak Low German as a second language. Westphalian Low German can hardly be found as a written language. In Westphalia, as in the entire Low German-speaking area, the speakers of Low German oriented themselves primarily towards the written language of Standard German (see Standard German ) when transitioning to Standard German . However, the lasting influence of Low German (Low German substrate ) is still limited . The population of Westphalia-Lippe sometimes allows Low German loanwords , aspects of Low German grammar and echoes of the Westphalian-Low German pronunciation to flow into everyday High German. A Westphalian language coloring is only weakly developed, especially among younger speakers.

At least since the middle of the 20th century. the Westphalian dialects are threatened with extinction, common colloquial language today is a High German Regiolect with Westphalian substrate. The substrate is strongest in the Ruhr area , the local Regiolekt has achieved fame as Ruhr German , in the rest of Westphalia (-Lippe) the substrate is weaker; on the other hand, memories of the former dialects have often already disappeared in the Ruhr area, but are still present in the rest of Westphalia (except perhaps Bielefeld).

Development in the Rhineland

Tourist information board in the Cologne dialect in Cologne

Franconian dialects are spoken in the Rhineland . Often these dialects are also inaccurately summarized as "Rhenish" . From south to north they are shaped to a decreasing extent by the second sound shift . In none of the dialects spoken in North Rhine-Westphalia is the second sound shift completely carried out (see Rheinischer Fächer ). The Central German dialects of these regions were able to develop continuously over long periods of time up to the present day without being affected by drastic changes in grammar and vocabulary as in the Low German-speaking area. This is one of the reasons why many of these deeply rooted dialects have been preserved in the Rhineland to this day. The carnival in particular and the associated songs in a local dialect contributed to this, even though the dialects of the major carnival strongholds of Düsseldorf and Cologne displace Franconian dialects in the surrounding area. The Rhenish "Singsang" is typical in some regions of the Rhineland . However, it can also be observed in the Rhineland that, under the influence of factors such as mass media and migration, the dialect is becoming less widespread, especially among the younger population, so that in everyday language one usually only finds Rhenish regiolects , which use the original Franconian dialects in everyday life have replaced.

Ripuarian

The predominant dialect group in the south of North Rhine-Westphalia up to the height of Düsseldorf-Benrath (see Benrath line ) are the Ripuarian dialects , which also include the Kölsch , the Bönnsch and the Oecher Platt . The Ripuarian dialects still have a strong Platt character, but are already included in Central German . From the first phase of the second sound shifts, i. H. the between-vowel or final shift of voiceless plosives to fricatives , only the plosive / k / → / [x:], [x] was shifted. The plosives / p / and / t / remained unchanged in Ripuarian. The second phase of phonetic shifting, i.e. H. the initial shift of the voiceless plosives / p /, / t / and / k / after a doubling or after a liquid (/ l / or / r /) or a nasal (/ m / or (n /) or was completely omitted .

Lower Franconian

The second sound shift had absolutely no effect on the Lower Rhine . This applies to both the Kleverland language spoken on the Lower Rhine and the Ostberg language . The latter, however, is a transition dialect to the Low German Westphalian dialects.

East Limburg (South Lower Franconian)

A transition area between the Lower Franconian dialects and the Ripuarian dialects is East Limburgish (also South Lower Franconian). Here the shift of the voiceless plosive / k / → / [x:], [x] was only shifted between vowels, but not in the final. So z. B. Maken received. This transition area lies between the Benrath Line and the Uerdinger Line . These dialects include B. the Düsseldorfer Platt , the Gladbacher Platt in Mönchengladbach , the Viersener Platt or Krieewelsch in Krefeld.

Southern dialects

In the extreme south of North Rhine-Westphalia there are still Moselle-Franconian and Rhine-Franconian dialects . Both dialect groups, like Ripuarian, belong to Central German.

The Moselle-Franconian dialects are separated from the Ripuarian dialects by the Bad Honnef line (also known as the Eifel barrier). In the Moselle Franconian dialects, in addition to shifting the voiceless plosive / k / in the intervowel environment or in the final to the fricative / [x:], [x], which can already be found in Ripuarian and partly in East Limburg, the voiceless plosive was also partly used / p / moved to the fricative / f / in the intervowel environment or in the final word (e.g. it is already called village here and not as in Ripuarian Dorp ). The Siegerland Platt is one of the Moselle Franconian dialects in North Rhine-Westphalia .

The Wittgensteiner Platt is already in Rhenish Franconia, which is spoken in a small area in the Siegen-Wittgenstein district and in Bad Berleburg in the extreme south-west of North Rhine-Westphalia. In the Rhenish Franconian language, the third voiceless closure sound / t / was finally shifted between vowels and in the final sound to / s /. Rhine-Franconian dialects are differentiated from the Moselle-Franconian dialects by the Bad Goarer line (also known as the Hunsrücker barrier or dat / das line).

The relationship between Westphalian and "Rhenish"

After the state was founded , Westphalian and Rhenish areas were united in one country for the first time. High German-speaking North Rhine-Westphalia from the (formerly) Low German-speaking area tend to be able to understand the dialects of the Rhinelander with a little practice, since these are dialects of High German, whose vocabulary and grammar largely correspond to Standard German. Understanding real Low German-Westphalian dialects, on the other hand, usually causes problems for Rhinelanders, because not only sounds, but also grammar and vocabulary show clear differences to Standard German. Furthermore, the number of Low German speakers is so small that most Rhinelanders are even less able to practice using the Low German language regularly than Westphalia. The Westphalian Regiolekt, on the other hand, is easily understandable for people from the Rhineland. As a result, Standard German became more widespread in national communication and in the official language after 1945. To make matters worse, the most populous areas of Westphalia in the Ruhr area, under the influence of migration and economic interdependence with the west of the Rhenish-Westphalian coal district, abandoned the original Low German Westphalian in favor of regiolects like Ruhrdeutsch . Since North Rhine-Westphalia is not a uniform linguistic area, the local broadcasting group of West German Broadcasting , unlike, for example, North German Broadcasting , can hardly contribute to the preservation of languages ​​and dialects: In order to reach Westphalia, Lipper and Rhinelander alike, West German Broadcasting uses the Standard German in its standard variety. This reinforces the trend that the high German supraregional mass media already exert on the dialect diversity.

Developments in the course of migration

The largest minority language is primarily Turkish , which came into the country with the Turkish migrants. Due to the influx of ethnic repatriates , many North Rhine-Westphalia are also native Russian speakers . Some immigrants from the former Soviet areas also brought Plautdietsch , a Low German variant, to North Rhine-Westphalia.

Dutch is still widely used in the German-Dutch border area. Historically, Central Dutch dialects were widespread on the Lower Rhine, especially before the Prussian accession to power in the Rhineland. Before it was incorporated into the Prussian Rhine Province , Dutch was occasionally used in schools and preaching in places near the border.

  • The cabaret program of Konrad Beikircher , who actually comes from South Tyrol, focuses primarily on the nature of the Rhinelander and the Rhenish dialects

  • The small artist Rüdiger Hoffmann from Paderborn has developed his East Westphalian accent into a characteristic of his lectures. However, like most Westphalians, he does not speak real Low German Platt.

  • The comedian Jürgen von Manger was one of the first to make Ruhr German known throughout Germany.

Structure and distribution

languages

The main languages ​​in the country are:

language distribution
Standard German Official and colloquial language.
Low German Hardly any native speakers, including Plautdietsch- speaking migrants of German origin ( including Germans from Russia ).
Organized language maintenance mostly limited to popular groups but protected by the land.
Once widespread in Westphalia-Lippe (except Wittgensteiner Land and Siegerland ) and on the Lower Rhine.
Largely displaced by German.
Turkish 540,000 Turkish citizens make up the largest group of foreigners in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Turkish is sometimes also spoken as the mother tongue of the partially naturalized descendants of the first generation of migrants.
Russian Mother tongue of many migrants from the former USSR, including those of German origin (including Russian Germans ).
Dutch Middle Dutch also originated on the Lower Rhine, Dutch was later widely spoken by Dutch migrants, represented
in large parts of the Lower Rhine
Romani Mother tongue of many Sinti and Roma , one of the largest ethnic minorities in North Rhine-Westphalia.

German dialects

In linguistics , numerous “ German ” (or continental West Germanic ) dialects are differentiated in the area of ​​North Rhine-Westphalia. Depending on the concepts used, different criteria are sometimes used to determine the dialect boundaries. Different models therefore name different dialects (or alternative names), demarcate the dialects significantly differently, or do not differentiate between language, dialect, dialect and regiolect in the same way. In particular, the allocation of the Lower Franconian, partly also the Middle Franconian dialects in the Rhenish subject to the Low German, High German or Dutch dialect area is inconsistent. A generally valid concept for the delimitation of the dialects does not naturally exist and, as shown above, is subject to a natural change due to the changing actual use of the dialects. Almost every identified dialect area is therefore to be understood as a continuum and usually has no clear boundaries.

Subdivision according to the language atlas of the Rhineland Regional Council

This article or section needs to be revised: The 2nd source (National Atlas / Bausch) is no evidence of the classification, rather a counter-evidence (and the 1st source is dead ... - possibly identical with [1] , which is this section does not seem to prove?)
Please help to improve it and then remove this marking.

The dialect groups in North Rhine-Westphalia according to a division of the Rhineland Regional Association and the National Atlas of the Federal Republic of Germany

According to a linguistic atlas published by the Rhineland Regional Association, the following dialect groups can be found in North Rhine-Westphalia based on isoglosses :

Subdivision according to the language atlas according to the Research Center of the German Language Atlas

This article or section needs to be revised: The references given are MUCH too imprecise ...
Please help to improve it and then remove this marking.

The concept of the Research Center Deutscher Sprachatlas at the University of Marburg and the linguists involved breaks down the dialects in North Rhine-Westphalia as follows:

Concept of dialects taking into account the vernaculars

This article or the following section is not adequately provided with supporting documents ( e.g. individual evidence ). Information without sufficient evidence could be removed soon. Please help Wikipedia by researching the information and including good evidence.
German dialects and vernaculars after 1945

An alternative concept (see adjacent map) shows the following dialects and dialects in the area of ​​North Rhine-Westphalia after 1945, which are separated from the dialects in the model (dialects are shown in italics in the list ):

Regiolect

In addition, local regiolects or several dialect areas (also sociolects ) have formed. Examples are:

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Law on the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages ​​of the Council of Europe of 5 November 1992 of 9 July 1998 . In: Federal Ministry of Justice (Ed.): Federal Law Gazette . Year 1998 Part II, No. 25 . Bonn July 16, 1998 ( zfn-ratzeburg.de [PDF] Note: Part II and individual provisions of Part III of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages are applied to the regional language Low German in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia ).
  2. ^ Andreas Fasel: North Rhine-Westphalia. Dialect research fights against time and oblivion. In: Welt.de. Axel Springer SE, December 17, 2015, accessed on February 14, 2018 .
  3. ↑ a b Reiner Burger: Interview with dialect researcher. Dialects no longer worked at the furnace. In: FAZ.NET. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , June 11, 2015, accessed on February 14, 2018 (interview with Georg Cornelissen ).
  4. ↑ "The official language is German", cf. Administrative Procedure Act for the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (VwVfG NRW). Announcement of the new version of November 12, 1999. § 23. Official language. Ministry of the Interior and Municipalities of North Rhine-Westphalia, November 12, 1999, archived from the original on November 11, 2013 ; Retrieved November 14, 2012 .
  5. ^ Foreign population in North Rhine-Westphalia on December 31, 2012. (PDF) Information and technology North Rhine-Westphalia, accessed on December 23, 2015 .
  6. ↑ Werner König: dtv-Atlas German language. Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, Munich 2007, 16th edition p. 102.
  7. ↑ a b language cards. (No longer available online.) Landschaftsverband Rheinland , formerly in the original ; Retrieved February 5, 2008 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.arl.lvr.de
  8. ^ A b Karl-Heinz Bausch: The German language - a dialect landscape. (PDF) In: nationalatlas.de - Portal for atlases and atlas cartography. Leibniz Institute for Ethnology, archived from the original on July 19, 2011 ; Retrieved on February 14, 2018 (Volume 6.).
  9. ^ Research Center for the German Language Atlas. Research Center Deutscher Sprachatlas (DSA), Philipps University Marburg , accessed on February 14, 2018 .
  10. ^ Regionalssprache.de (REDE). Research Center Deutscher Sprachatlas (DSA), Philipps University Marburg , Academy of Sciences and Literature (Mainz), accessed on February 14, 2018 .
  11. ^ Hans Friebertshäuser : Small Hessian Dictionary . CH Beck, 1990, ISBN 3-406-34192-6 , pp. 20 .
  12. ↑ Jürgen Erich Schmidt (Ed.): Journal for Dialectology and Linguistics . tape 59 . Franz Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart 1992 ( excerpt from Google Books , table of contents of the volume on the website of the Institute for German Language [accessed on April 29, 2011]).

Web links

  • Dialect Atlas of Central West Germany (DMW). Helmut Spiekermann, Doris Tophinke, Petra Vogel, Claudia Wich-Reif, University of Siegen , 2016, accessed on February 20, 2011 .
  • Language in the Rhineland. LVR Institute for Regional Studies and Regional History, accessed on June 21, 2019 .
  • Hans Taubken: Low German language - Westphalian dialects. Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe, accessed on February 20, 2011 (in particular the illustration of Low German dialects in Westphalia , modified from: Geographical-regional studies atlas of Westphalia and E. Nörrenberg (1953/54). Detailed sources for the illustration are available there.). , especially also C. Schroer, Hans Taubken: Dialect regions of Westphalia. (PDF; 1.2 MB) In: Geographical and regional history atlas of Westphalia. Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe, Geographical Commission for Westphalia, accessed on February 20, 2011 .
  • The Lower Rhine and South Schleswig: Two border regions and their relationship to their neighbors and minorities, minority languages.wordpress.com accessed on March 7, 2016