Rhine Franconian dialects

Rhine Franconian, also called Rhenish Franconian, is a group of German dialects spoken in several places. It is found in western Germany, mainly in the states of Saarland, Rhineland-Palatinate, northwest Baden-Württemberg, and Hesse. People also speak it in northeast France, especially in the Moselle area of Lorraine and in the northwest part of Bas-Rhin in Alsace.

This dialect chain is part of West Central German. It has special borders that help us know where it is spoken. To the north, it ends at the Sankt Goar line, also called the das–dat line, which separates it from Moselle Franconian. To the south, it stops at the Main line or Speyer line, which marks the start of the Upper German dialects. These lines show how the dialect changes as you move from place to place.

Subgroups

Rhine Franconian has a few main types. One type is called Hessian, also known as Hessian. Another type is called Palatine-Lorraine, which has two smaller types: Palatine German, or Palatine German, and Lorraine Franconian, or Lorraine Franconian.