East Franconian, known in German as Ostfrankisch, is a dialect spoken across Franconia, the northern part of the German state of Bavaria, and in neighboring areas of Thuringia, Saxony, Baden-Wurttemberg, and Hesse, centered on cities including Nuremberg, Bamberg, Wurzburg, Bayreuth, and Coburg; it was also once spoken in Bohemia before the postwar expulsion of German speakers from that region. As of 2006 it had about 4.9 million native speakers, one of the larger totals among German dialects. It belongs to the Upper German group within High German, occupying a transitional position that blends elements of Central German and Upper German between the neighboring Rhine Franconian dialects and the Austro-Bavarian varieties. Scholars divide it into three main subgroups, Lower East Franconian, Upper East Franconian, and South East Franconian, though the exact boundaries between them remain debated. UNESCO's Atlas of Languages in Danger classifies East Franconian as vulnerable, reflecting its declining use among younger generations.
Facts
RegionEast Franconian German is spoken in Franconia, the northern part of Bavaria, and surrounding areas including Nuremberg, Bamberg, Coburg, Erlangen, Wurzburg, Hof, Bayreuth, Meiningen, Bad Mergentheim and Crailsheim. 1 Speaker CommunityEast Franconian German had an estimated 4.9 million native speakers as of 2006. 1 Distinguishing FeaturesEast Franconian German lies in the transitional zone between Rhine Franconian to the northwest and the Austro-Bavarian dialects to the southeast, combining features of Central German and Upper German. 1 Classification
Variety Kind Sources
1. Wikipedia: East Franconian German
Wikimedia FoundationMain body, dialect-transition sentence
In the transitional area between Rhine Franconian in the northwest and the Austro-Bavarian dialects in the southeast, East Franconian has elements of Central German and Upper German.
Main body, region-list sentence
is a dialect spoken in Franconia, the northern part of the federal state of Bavaria and other areas in Germany around Nuremberg, Bamberg, Coburg, Erlangen, Wurzburg, Hof, Bayreuth, Meiningen, Bad Mergentheim, and Crailsheim.
Infobox, native speakers field
Native speakers: 4,900,000 (2006)
Variety kind, East Franconian German entity page
East Franconian, known in German as Ostfrankisch, is a dialect spoken across Franconia, the northern part of the German state of Bavaria, and in neighboring areas of Thuringia, Saxony, Baden-Wurttemberg, and Hesse, centered on cities including Nuremberg, Bamberg, Wurzburg, Bayreuth, and Coburg; it was also once spoken in Bohemia before the postwar expulsion of German speakers from that region.
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