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Northern Low German (Standard High German:nördliches Niederdeutsch) is a variety ofLow German in Germany, distinguished fromSouthern Low German.[1]
From a structural point of view, a division into Northern and Southern Low German at the border of kept and lostMiddle Low German-e would be conceivable.[2]
The concept ofEast Low German is refuted.[3]
The varieties of Northern Low German (in today's Germany) are:[1]
| Northern Low German variety | Included dialects | Area (roughly) | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westniederdeutsch (lit.West Low German) | Westmünsterländisch, Münsterländisch, partly Emsländisch and the dialects of the Grafschaft Bentheim und the Landkreise Cloppenburg und Vechta | South-westernLower Saxony, north-westernNorth Rhine-Westphalia |
|
| Nordniederdeutsch (lit.North Low German) | Schleswig-Holstein,Hamburg,Bremen, northernLower Saxony | Roughly corresponding toNorthern Low Saxon but not with entireEmsländisch | |
| Nordostniederdeutsch (lit. North-East Low German) | Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch andCentral Pomeranian | Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and north-easternBrandenburg | |
| Brandenburgisch | northern part ofBrandenburg without the north-east |
In Germany, it borders toLow Franconian,High German andSouthern Low German (südliches Niederdeutsch, i.e.Westphalian andEastphalian).[1]
It is spoken in several states of Germany. In Germany, it is spoken about until theRuhr area.Nowadays, most people in the area of Northern Low German do not speak this variety.In television in Germany, various varieties of Northern Low German are used.There are items in Northern Low German in daily newspapers.
There was a transitional area of Eastphalian and Brandenburgisch aroundMagdeburg.[4]A transitional dialect of Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch and Central Pomeranian was spoken aroundNeubrandenburg.[4]There was a Low German speaking transitional area betweenNorth Upper Saxon/South Markish andBrandenburgisch aroundStorkow, Brandenburg.[4]Another, however High German speaking transitional area between North Upper Saxon/South Markish andBrandenburgisch aroundFrankfurt (Oder) used to exist.[4]There is or used to exist a minor transitional area of Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch and Brandenburgisch.[4]A transitional dialect area of Northern Low Saxon and Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch includes or used to include parts ofLübeck.[4]A transitional dialect area of Brandenburgisch and Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch includes or used to includeDannenberg (Elbe).[4]A transitional dialect area of Northern Low Saxon and Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch includes or used to includeLüneburg.[4]There is or used to be a dialect area transitional to Eastphalian includingWunstorf.[4]There is or used to be an area of transition to Eastphalian North ofCelle.[4]A transitional dialect area of Eastphalian and Brandenburgisch is or used to be North ofWolfsburg.[4]Another transitional dialect area of Central Pomeranian and East Pomeranian roughly fromWolin (town) andSzczecin to about the border of the formerProvince of Posen used to exist.[4]A transitional dialect area of Central Pomeranian and Brandenburgisch includingSchwedt used to exist.[4]