Native to Germany | Glottolog hess1239 | |
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Language family Indo-European
Germanic
West Germanic
High German
West Central German
Rhenisch Franconian
Hessen | ||
Hessen (Ger.: Hessisch) is a West Central German group of dialects of the German language in the central German state of Hessen. The dialect most similar to Hessen is Palatinate German (Ger.: Pfälzisch, pronounced [ˈp͡fɛlt͡sɪʃ]) of the Rhine Franconian sub-family. However, the Hessen dialects have some features which set them somewhat apart from other West-Central German dialects.
Contents
Dialects
Hessian can be divided into four main dialects, namely those of:
Northern Hesse (around the city of Kassel),
Central Hesse (including the Marburg and Gießen areas),
Eastern Hesse (around Fulda),
Southern Hesse (around Darmstadt).
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
Consonants are often softened, as outlined by Carsten Keil in his document "A Quick Guide to the Language of Frankfurt". For instance the German "Äpfel" (apples) becomes "Ebbel" in Hessian.