Editing Standard German (section)

== Continuum between Standard German and German dialects ==
{{More citations needed section|date=January 2022}}

In most regions, the speakers use a continuum of mixtures from more dialectal varieties to more standard varieties according to situation. However, there are two (or three) exceptions:

* In Northern Germany, there is no continuum in the strict sense between the local varieties of [[Low German]] ("Plattdeutsch") on one hand and Standard German on the other. Since the former have not undergone the [[High German consonant shift]], they are too different from the standard for a continuum to emerge. High German and Low German are best seen as separate languages, but because High (Middle and Upper) and Low German form a [[dialect continuum]] and Standard German serves as ''[[Dachsprache]]'' for all forms of German, they are often described as dialects of German. Under a sociolinguistic approach to the problem, even if Low German dialects are ''[[Abstand and ausbau languages|Abstandsprachen]]'' (linguistically quite different), they are perceived as dialects of German because they lack ''[[Abstand and ausbau languages|Ausbau]]''. However, Low German influenced the standard-based vernaculars that are spoken today in Northern Germany by [[language transfer]] in pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and syntax, and it continues to do so to a limited degree. High German that is heavily influenced by Low German has been known as [[Missingsch]], but most contemporary Northern Germans exhibit only an intermediate Low German [[substrata (linguistics)|substratum]] in their speech.
* In German-speaking [[Switzerland]], there is no such continuum between the [[Swiss German]] varieties and [[Swiss Standard German]], and the use of Standard German is almost entirely restricted to the written language. Therefore, the situation has been called a ''medial [[diglossia]]''. Standard German is seldom spoken among native Swiss,{{efn|Though about 10%, or {{formatnum: {{#expr: 8200000*0.101 round -4}}}} Swiss residents speak ''High German'' a.k.a. Standard German at home.}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/01/05/blank/key/sprachen.html |type=official site |title=Sprachen, Religionen – Daten, Indikatoren: Sprachen – Üblicherweise zu Hause gesprochene Sprachen |date=2015 |publisher=Swiss Federal Statistical Office |location=Neuchâtel, Switzerland |language=de, fr, it |quote=Zu Hause oder mit den Angehörigen sprechen 60,1% der betrachteten Bevölkerung hauptsächlich Schweizerdeutsch, 23,4% Französisch, 8,4% Italienisch, 10,1% Hochdeutsch und 4,6% Englisch |access-date=2016-01-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160114180444/http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/01/05/blank/key/sprachen.html |archive-date=2016-01-14 }}</ref> and even then the accent and vocabulary is very much Swiss except, for instance, when speaking with people who do not understand the [[Swiss German]] dialects at all, and it is expected to be used in school. {{Citation needed|date=February 2021}} Standard German has, however, left a clear imprint on the contemporary variants of Swiss German, regional expressions and vocabulary having been replaced with material assimilated from the standard language. Of all German-speaking countries, Switzerland has, however, the most fully retained the use of dialect in everyday situations. Dialect is used to a lesser extent for some everyday situations in southern Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, [[Alsace]], and [[South Tyrol]]. The regular use of dialect in the [[Swiss media]] (radio, internet, and television) contrasts with its much rarer appearance in the media of Austria, Germany, [[East Belgium]], South Tyrol, and Liechtenstein.
* [[Luxembourgish language|Luxembourgish]] was considered a German dialect like many others until about [[World War II]] but then underwent [[Abstand and ausbau languages|ausbau]]. It created its own standard form in vocabulary, grammar and spelling and therefore is seen today as an independent language. Since Luxembourgish has a maximum of some 600,000 native speakers, resources in the language (books, newspapers, magazines, television, internet, etc.) are limited. Since most Luxembourgers also speak Standard German and [[French language|French]], there is strong competition with both, which have very large language resources. Luxembourgers are generally trilingual and use French and Standard German in some areas of life, Luxembourgish in others. Standard German is taught in the schools in Luxembourg, and close to 90% of the population can speak it.<ref>[http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_243_en.pdf Europeans and their Languages] – Eurobarometer, p. 13</ref>