Rhenish Franconian or Rhine Franconian (German: Rheinfränkisch [ˈʁaɪnfʁɛnkɪʃ] ⓘ) is a dialect chain of West Central German. It comprises the varieties of German spoken across the western regions of the states of Saarland, Rhineland-Palatinate, northwest Baden-Württemberg, and Hesse in Germany. It is also spoken in northeast France, in the eastern part of the département of Moselle in the Lorraine region, and in the north-west part of Bas-Rhin in Alsace. To the north, it is bounded by the Sankt Goar line (or das–dat line) which separates it from Moselle Franconian; to the south, it is bounded by the Main line which is also referred to as the Speyer line which separates it from the Upper German dialects.
| Rhenish Franconian | |
|---|---|
| Rhenish-Franconian, Rhine Franconian, Rhine-Franconian | |
| Geographic distribution | Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Hesse, Lorraine, Alsace |
| Linguistic classification | Indo-European
|
| Glottolog | rhin1244 |
 Rhenish Franconian among the Franconian languages. Hessian Palatine German & Lorraine Franconian | |
 East Franconian is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
Subgroups
- Hessisch or Hessian
- Pfälzisch-Lothringisch
- Pfälzisch or Palatine German
- Lothringisch or Lorraine Franconian
See also
- Saarland (section Local dialect)
- Moselle Franconian (adjacent language area)
Bibliography
- Hughes, Stephanie. 2005. Bilingualism in North-East France with specific reference to Rhenish Franconian spoken by Moselle Cross-border (or frontier) workers. In Preisler, Bent, et al., eds. The Consequences of Mobility: Linguistic and Sociocultural Contact Zones. Roskilde, Denmark: Roskilde Universitetscenter: Institut for Sprog og Kultur. ISBN 87-7349-651-0.