Low Alemannic German


Low Alemannic German is a branch of Alemannic German, which is part of Upper German. Its varieties are only partly intelligible to non-Alemannic speakers.

Subdivisions

Features

The feature that distinguishes Low Alemannic from High Alemannic is the retention of Germanic /k/, for instance kalt 'cold' vs. High Alemannic chalt.
The feature that distinguishes Low Alemannic from Swabian is the retention of the Middle High German monophthongs, for instance Huus 'house' vs. Swabian Hous or Ziit 'time' vs. Swabian Zejt.

Phonology

Consonants

Voiced obstruents do not occur, as is typical for Upper German dialects.
labialalveolarpostalveolarpalatalvelaruvularglottal
mnŋ
b̥ ³d̥ ³g̊ kʰ
fsʃ¹x¹²h
p͡ft͡s
ʋr²j

¹/x/ is palatalized as after front vowels in the northern varieties but kept as in southern varieties. Diverging from Standard German /x/ is not palatalized after /r/, a feature shared with other alemannic varieties.
²/r/ is most commonly pronounced as .
³ /pʰ/ and /tʰ/ don't occur in autochthonous vocabulary but are used by speakers in differing frequency when using words from Standard German or speaking in more formal registers.

Orthography

There exists no official orthography and authors use different kinds of orthographies for their work.
Vowels:
Consonants:
Are as in Standard German, with the following notes:
  • kh is an aspirated
  • ng is a velar nasal
  • ngg is a velar nasal followed by a velar plosive
  • ph is an aspirated
  • th is an aspirated
  • s is always voiceless or
  • b, d and g are voiceless, and .

Articles

Definite Article
CaseMasculineFeminineNeuter
Nom/Acc Sgder Mand Fraus Kind
Dat Sgim Man der Frauim Kind
Nom/Acc Pld Maned Fraued Kinder
Dat Pl der Mane der Fraue der Kinder

Indefinite Article
CaseMasculineFeminineNeuter
Nom/Acc Sge Mane Fraue Kind
Dat Sgim e Manin ere Frauim e Kind

Substantives

Plurals
  • Class I: Plural = Singular
  • Class II: Plural = Singular + Umlaut
  • Class IIIa: Plural = Singular + -e
  • Class IIIb: Plural = Singular + -̈e
  • Class IVa: Plural = Singular + -er
  • Class IVb: Plural = Singular + -̈er
  • Class V: No Plural
  • Class VI: No Singular
Diminutives
  • Standard ending is -li
  • If the word ends in -l, then the ending is -eli
  • If the word ends in -el, then the ending is -i
  • If the word ends in -e, remove the -e and add -li
  • The rules for this can be quite complex and depend on the region. Sometimes diminutives require umlaut, other times not.

Adjectives

Weak Declension
CaseMasculineFeminineNeuter
Nom/Acc Sgder groos Mandi göed Fraus klai Kind
Dat Sgim groose Manin der / in ere göede Frauim klaine Kind
Nom/Acc Pldi groose Manedi göede Frauedi klaine Kinder
Dat Plin der groose Manein der göede Frauein der klaine Kinder

Strong Declension
CaseMasculineFeminineNeuter
Nom/Acc Sggöede Mangöedi Fraugöed Brood
Dat Sggöedem Mangöeder Fraugöedem Brood
Nom/Acc Plgroosi Manegroosi Fraueklaini Kinder
Dat Plin groose Manein groose Frauein klaine Kinder

Comparative
  • Standard ending -er
Superlative
  • Standard ending -schd
Irregular
PositiveComparativeSuperlative
vyylmeemaischd
göedbeserbeschd

Pronouns

Personal Pronouns
EnglishHochdeutschAlemmanisch NomDativeAccusative
Iichich, ii, imiir, mir, mermii, mi
youduduu, du, dediir, dir, derdii, di
heeräär, är, eriim, im, emiin, in, en, e
shesiesii, siiire, ire, eresii, si
itesääs, äs, es, siim, im, emääs, äs, es, s
wewirmiir, mir, merùns, isùns, is
youihriir, ir, erèich, ichèich, ich
theysiesii, siiine, ine, enesii, si

Verbs

1. Infinitive
Infinitive ends in -e
  • Some monosyllabic verbs do not have this ending
2. Participle
2.1 Prefix
  • The prefix for g- or ge-
  • Before b, d, g, bf, dsch, and z is merged into the word and not visible
2.2 Suffix
  • Strong Verbs end in -e
  • Weak Verbs end in -d or -ed
2.3 Types
2.3.1 Infinitive and Present Sg y/èi/ai - Participle i

2.3.1.1 y > i

2.3.1.2 èi > i

2.3.1.3 ai > i

2.3.2 Infinitive and Present Sg ie/u/au/èi/i - Participle o/öu/öe

2.3.2.1 ie > o

2.3.2.2 u > o

2.3.2.3 au > o

2.3.2.4 èi > öu

2.3.2.5 ie > öe

2.3.2.5 i > o

2.3.3 Infinitive and Present Sg i - Participle ù

2.3.3.1 i > u

2.3.4 Infinitive ä/e - Present i - Participle o/u

2.3.4.1 ä - i - o

2.3.4.2 ä - i - u

2.3.4.3 e/è - i - o

2.3.4.4 e - i - ù

2.3.5 Infinitive ä/i - Present i - Participle ä

2.3.5.1 ä - i - ä

2.3.5.2 i - i - ä

2.3.6 Infinitive Vowel is the same as the Participle

2.3.5.1



3. Conjugation

3.1 Present Tense
3.1.1 Regular Verb
PersonEndingExample
1st Sg-Øich mach
2nd Sg-schduu machsch
3rd Sg-där machd
Plural-emir mache

Numbers

CardinalOrdinalMultiplicative IMultiplicative II
1aisèèrschdaifachaimool
2zwaizwaidzwaifachzwaimool
3drèidriddrèifachdrèimool
4viervierdvierfachviermool
5fimffimfdfimffachfimfmool
6segssegsdsegsfachsegsmool
7siibesibdsiibefachsiibemool
8aachdaachdaachdfachaachdmool
9nyynnyyndnyynfachnyynmool
10zeezeendzeefachzeemool
11elfelfdelffachelfmool
12zwelfzwelfdzwelffachzwelfmool
13dryzeedryzeenddryzeefachdryzeemool
14vierzeevierzeendvierzeefachvierzeemool
15fùfzeefùfzeendfùfzeefachfùfzeemool
16sächzeesächzeendsächzeefachsächzeemool
17sibzeesibzeendsibzeefachsibzeemool
18aachdzeeaachdzeendaachdzeefachaachdzeemool
19nyynzeenyynzeendnyynzeefachnyynzeemool
20zwanzgzwanzigschdzwanzgfachzwanzgmool
21ainezwanzgainezwanzigschdainezwanzgfachainezwanzgmool