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| High Alemannic | |
|---|---|
| Hochalemannisch | |
| Native to | Switzerland Germany:Baden-Württemberg Austria:Vorarlberg Liechtenstein France:Haut-Rhin |
| Latin (German alphabet) | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog | high1290 |
 Geographical spread of High Alemannic dialects; marked in red is the Brünig-Napf-Reuss line | |
High Alemannic is a branch ofAlemannic German spoken in the westernmostAustrian state ofVorarlberg and inSwitzerland andLiechtenstein. Intelligibility of these dialects to non-Alemannic speakers tends to be limited.
The High Alemannic dialects are spoken inLiechtenstein and in most of German-speakingSwitzerland (Swiss Plateau), except for theHighest Alemannic dialects in theSwiss Alps and for theLow Alemannic (Basel German) dialect in the North West.
Therefore, High Alemannic must not be confused with the term "Swiss German", which refers to all Alemannic dialects of Switzerland as opposed toSwiss variant ofStandard German, the literary language ofdiglossic German-speaking Switzerland.
InGermany, High Alemannic dialects are spoken in SouthernBaden-Württemberg, i.e. theMarkgräflerland and in the adjacent area south ofFreiburg im Breisgau up to theBlack Forest (Schönau). It is also spoken in the southernSundgau region beyond theUpper Rhine, which is part ofAlsace,France. InVorarlberg in WesternAustria, a form of High Alemannic is spoken around theRheintal as well.
High Alemannic is traditionally subdivided in an Eastern and Western language area (Sprachraum), marked by theBrünig-Napf-Reuss line across thecantons ofAargau andLucerne (Luzern).
Eastern High Alemannic includesZurich German, Lucerne German, and the dialects ofEastern Switzerland.
Western High Alemannic includesBernese German, the German dialects of Solothurn and Fribourg, as well as most dialects of Aargau and the northern parts of the canton of Lucerne.
The distinctive feature of the High Alemannic dialects is the completion of theHigh German consonant shift, for instancechalt[xalt] 'cold' vs. Low Alemannic and standard German 'kalt'[kʰalt].
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