Editing Swiss German (section)

==Variation and distribution==
Swiss German is a regional or political [[umbrella term]], not a linguistic unity. For all Swiss-German dialects, there are idioms spoken outside Switzerland that are more closely related to them than to some other Swiss-German dialects. The main linguistic divisions within Swiss German are those of [[Low Alemannic German|Low]], [[High Alemannic German|High]] and [[Highest Alemannic German|Highest]] Alemannic, and mutual intelligibility across those groups is almost fully seamless, despite some differences in vocabulary. Low Alemannic is only spoken in the northernmost parts of Switzerland, in [[Basel]] and around [[Lake Constance]]. High Alemannic is spoken in most of the [[Swiss Plateau]], and is divided into an eastern and a western group. Highest Alemannic is spoken in the [[Swiss Alps|Alps]].

[[File:Swiss languages 1.png|thumb|Language distribution in Switzerland
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{{legend|#c6f|[[Swiss French|French]] ([[Romandy]])}}
{{legend|#ff6|[[Swiss Standard German|German]]}}
{{legend|#8f4|[[Swiss Italian|Italian]]}}
{{legend|#f66|[[Romansh language|Romansh]]}}]]

*[[Low Alemannic German|Low Alemannic]]:
**[[Basel German]] in [[Basel-Stadt]] (BS), closely related to [[Alsatian language|Alsatian]]
*[[High Alemannic]]:
**Western:
***[[Bernese German]], in the [[Swiss Plateau]] parts of [[Canton of Bern|Bern]] (BE)
***Dialects of [[Basel-Landschaft]] (BL)
***Dialects of [[Canton of Solothurn|Solothurn]] (SO)
***Dialects of the western part of [[Aargau]] (AG)
**In a middle position between eastern and western:
***Dialects in the eastern part of [[Aargau]] (AG)
***Dialects of [[Canton of Lucerne|Lucerne]] (LU)
***Dialects of [[Canton of Zug|Zug]] (ZG)
***[[Zürich German]], in [[Canton of Zürich|Zürich]] (ZH)
**Eastern:
***Dialects of [[Canton of St. Gallen|St. Gallen]] (SG)
***Dialects of [[Appenzell]] (AR & AI)
***{{anchor|Thurgovian}}Dialects of [[Thurgau]] (TG)
***Dialects of [[Canton of Schaffhausen|Schaffhausen]] (SH)
***Dialects in parts of [[Graubünden]] (GR)
*[[Highest Alemannic]]:
**Dialects in parts of [[Canton of Fribourg]] (FR)
**Dialects of the [[Bernese Oberland]] (BE)
**Dialects of [[Unterwalden]] (OW & NW) and [[Canton of Uri|Uri]] (UR)
**Dialects of [[Canton of Schwyz|Schwyz]] (SZ)
**Dialects of [[Canton of Glarus|Glarus]] (GL)
**[[Walliser German]] in parts of the [[Canton of Valais|Valais]] (VS)
**[[Walser German]]: due to the medieval migration of the [[Walser]], Highest Alemannic spread to pockets of what are now parts of northern Italy (Piedmont), the north-west of [[Ticino]] (TI), parts of [[Graubünden]] (GR), [[Liechtenstein]] and [[Vorarlberg]].

One can separate each dialect into numerous local subdialects, sometimes down to a resolution of individual villages. Speaking the dialect is an important part of regional, [[cantonal]] and national identities. In the more urban areas of the [[Swiss plateau]], regional differences are fading due to increasing mobility and to a growing population of non-Alemannic background. Despite the varied dialects, the Swiss can still understand one another, but may particularly have trouble understanding [[Walser German|Walliser]] dialects.