Editing Swiss German (section)

==History==
Most Swiss German dialects have completed the [[High German consonant shift]]; exceptions are all ''Highest Alemanic'' dialects. Unlike [[Standard German]], which has only shifted ''t'' to {{IPA|[t͡s]}} or {{IPA|[s]}} and ''p'' to {{IPA|[p͡f]}} or {{IPA|[f]}}, they have also shifted ''k'' to {{IPA|[k͡x]}} or {{IPA|[x]}}; the dialects of [[Chur]] and [[Basel]] are exceptions to this particular difference. Basel German is a ''Low Alemannic'' dialect (mostly spoken in Germany near the Swiss border), and Chur German is basically ''High Alemannic'' without initial {{IPA|[x]}} or {{IPA|[k͡x]}}.

Examples:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! High Alemannic
! Low Alemannic
! Standard German
! Spelling
! Translation
|-
| {{IPA|/ˈxaʃtə/}}
| {{IPA|/ˈkʰaʃtə/}}
| {{IPA|/ˈkʰastn̩/}}
| 'Kasten'
| 'box'
|-
| {{IPA|/k͡xaˈri(ː)b̥ik͡x/}}
| {{IPA|/kʰaˈriːbikʰ/}}
| {{IPA|/kʰaˈʁiːbɪk/}}
| 'Karibik'
| 'Caribbean'
|}

The High German consonant shift occurred between the 4th and 9th centuries south of the [[Benrath line]], separating High German from Low German (where ''high'' refers to areas of greater altitude). It combines [[Upper German]] and [[Central German]] varieties - also referring to their geographical locations.

The [[Walser]] migration, which took place in the 12th and 13th centuries, spread varieties from upper [[Valais]] to the east and south, into [[Grisons]] and to modern western Austria and northern Italy. Informally, a distinction is made between the German-speaking people living in Valais, the ''Walliser'', and those who have migrated, the ''[[Walser]]s''. The latter can mainly be found in Grisons and [[Ticino]] in Switzerland, [[Vorarlberg]] in Austria, south of the [[Monte Rosa]] mountain chain in Italy (e.g. in [[Issime]] in [[Aosta Valley|Valle d'Aosta]]), [[South Tyrol]] in northern Italy, and the [[Allgäu]] in Bavaria).

Generally, the Walser communities were situated on higher alpine regions, so were able to stay independent of the ruling forces of those days, who did not or were not able to oversee them all the time in these hostile environments. Hence the Walsers were pioneers of the liberation from [[serfdom]] and [[feudalism]]. In addition, Walser villages are easily distinguishable from Grisonian ones, as Walser houses are made of wood rather than stone.