Editing Dialect (section)

=== German ===
{{See also|German dialects}}
When talking about the German language, the term [[German dialects]] is only used for the traditional regional varieties. That allows them to be distinguished from the regional varieties of modern standard German. The German dialects show a wide spectrum of variation. Some of them are not mutually intelligible. [[German dialectology]] traditionally names the major dialect groups after [[Germanic peoples|Germanic tribes]] from which they were assumed to have descended.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cutewriters.com/german-language-dialect-variations/|title=From dialect to variation space|last=Danvas|first=Kegesa|date=2016|website=Cutewriters|publisher=Cutewriters Inc.|access-date=July 29, 2016}}</ref>

The extent to which the dialects are spoken varies according to a number of factors: In Northern Germany, dialects are less common than in the South. In cities, dialects are less common than in the countryside. In a public environment, dialects are less common than in a familiar environment.

The situation in [[Switzerland]] and [[Liechtenstein]] is different from the rest of the German-speaking countries. The [[Swiss German]] dialects are the default everyday language in virtually every situation, whereas standard German is only spoken in education, partially in media, and with foreigners not possessing knowledge of Swiss German. Most Swiss German speakers perceive standard German to be a foreign language.

The [[Low German]] and [[Low Franconian languages|Low Franconian]] varieties spoken in Germany are often counted among the German dialects. This reflects the modern situation where they are [[Dachsprache|roofed]] by standard German. This is different from the situation in the [[Middle Ages]] when Low German had strong tendencies towards an [[ausbau language]].

The [[Frisian languages]] spoken in Germany and the Netherlands are excluded from the German dialects.