Main-Franconian
Encyclopedia
Main-Franconian is group of Central German
dialects being part of the East Franconian
group. The name is derived from the river Main which meets the river Rhine near Frankfurt
after having crossed the former West Germany
from East to West. The dialect is estimated by Ethnologue as 40% intelligible with Standard German
.
Main-Franconian dialects are spoken in a large stripe along the river Main. Although part of the general continuum of dialects from Scandinavia
to the Alps
, there are pretty sharp borders for many Main-Franconian dialects. In the North and Northeast, these follow Salzbogen and Rennsteig
in the Thuringian Forest
, while others in the East and South coincide with the late medieval borders of the Archdiocese of Bamberg
and the Bishopric of Würzburg
.
Dialects of the Main-Franconian group are spoken mainly in:
Main-Franconian dialects encompass these major groups:
Central German
Central German is a group of High German dialects spoken from the Rhineland in the west to the former eastern territories of Germany.-History:...
dialects being part of the East Franconian
East Franconian German
East Franconian is a dialect which is spoken in northern Bavaria and other areas in Germany around Nuremberg, Bamberg, Coburg, Würzburg, Hof, Bayreuth, Bad Mergentheim, Crailsheim and Suhl...
group. The name is derived from the river Main which meets the river Rhine near Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
after having crossed the former West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
from East to West. The dialect is estimated by Ethnologue as 40% intelligible with Standard German
Standard German
Standard German is the standard variety of the German language used as a written language, in formal contexts, and for communication between different dialect areas...
.
Main-Franconian dialects are spoken in a large stripe along the river Main. Although part of the general continuum of dialects from Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
to the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
, there are pretty sharp borders for many Main-Franconian dialects. In the North and Northeast, these follow Salzbogen and Rennsteig
Rennsteig
The Rennsteig is a ridge walk as well as an historical boundary path in the Thuringian Forest, Thuringian Highland and Franconian Forest in central Germany....
in the Thuringian Forest
Thuringian Forest
The Thuringian Forest running northwest to southeast, forms a continuous stretch of ancient rounded mountains posing ample difficulties in transit routing save through a few navigable passes in the southern reaches of the German state of Thuringia. It is about long and wide...
, while others in the East and South coincide with the late medieval borders of the Archdiocese of Bamberg
Archdiocese of Bamberg
The Archdiocese of Bamberg is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Bavaria and is one of 27 Roman Catholic dioceses in Germany. About a third of the population is Catholic. With 15.6% this diocese has one of higher numbers of worshippers on Sunday in Germany...
and the Bishopric of Würzburg
Bishopric of Würzburg
The Bishopric of Würzburg was a prince-bishopric in the Holy Roman Empire, located in Lower Franconia, around the city of Würzburg, Germany. Würzburg was a diocese from 743. In the 18th century, its bishop was often also Bishop of Bamberg...
.
Dialects of the Main-Franconian group are spoken mainly in:
- the district Main-TauberMain-Tauber (district)Main-Tauber-Kreis is a district in the north-east of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Neighboring districts are Miltenberg, Main-Spessart, Würzburg, Neustadt -Bad Windsheim and Ansbach , and the districts of Schwäbisch Hall, Hohenlohe and Neckar-Odenwald.-History:The district was created in 1973 by...
of federal stateStates of GermanyGermany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
Baden-WürttembergBaden-WürttembergBaden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
, - the three administrative regionRegierungsbezirkIn Germany, a Government District, in German: Regierungsbezirk – is a subdivision of certain federal states .They are above the Kreise, Landkreise, and kreisfreie Städte...
s of FranconiaFranconiaFranconia is a region of Germany comprising the northern parts of the modern state of Bavaria, a small part of southern Thuringia, and a region in northeastern Baden-Württemberg called Tauberfranken...
in the federal state BavariaBavariaBavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, i.e. Lower FranconiaLower FranconiaLower Franconia is one of the three administrative regions of Franconia in Bavaria , Germany ....
, Central Franconia, Upper FranconiaUpper FranconiaUpper Franconia is a Regierungsbezirk of the state of Bavaria, southern Germany. It forms part of the historically significant region of Franconia , all now part of the German Federal State of Bayern .With more than 200 independent breweries which brew...
, - the districts Schmalkalden-MeiningenSchmalkalden-MeiningenSchmalkalden-Meiningen is a Landkreis in the west of Thuringia, Germany. Its neighboring districts are the districts Wartburgkreis, Gotha, Ilm-Kreis, the district-free city Suhl, the district Hildburghausen, the Bavarian district Rhön-Grabfeld, and the district Fulda in Hesse.- History :The...
, HildburghausenHildburghausen (district)Hildburghausen is a district in Thuringia, Germany. It is bounded by the district of Schmalkalden-Meiningen, the city of Suhl, the districts of Ilm-Kreis, Saalfeld-Rudolstadt and Sonneberg, and the state of Bavaria...
, SonnebergSonneberg (district)Sonneberg is a Kreis in the south of Thuringia, Germany. Neighboring districts are the districts Hildburghausen, Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, and the Bavarian districts Kronach and Coburg.-History:...
, and the city of SuhlSuhl- Geography :Suhl sits on the south edge of the Suhler Scholle, an upthrust granite complex that is streaked by numerous dikes. This is part of the Ruhla-Schleusingen Horst that defines the southwest side of the Thuringian Forest...
, all located in the southern part of federal state ThuringiaThuringiaThe Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
.
Main-Franconian dialects encompass these major groups:
- Taubergründisch
(spoken in Bavaria in Euerhausen and SonderhofenSonderhofenSonderhofen is a municipality in the district of Würzburg in Bavaria, Germany....
;
in Baden-Württemberg in WeikersheimWeikersheimWeikersheim is a town in the Main-Tauber district, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the river Tauber, 9 km east of Bad Mergentheim, Weikersheim is the location of the famous castle Schloss Weikersheim....
, Bad MergentheimBad MergentheimBad Mergentheim is a town in the Main-Tauber district in the German state of Baden-Württemberg.-History:Mergentheim is mentioned in chronicles as early as 1058, as the residence of the family of the counts of Hohenlohe, who early in the 13th century assigned the greater part of their estates in...
, and TauberbischofsheimTauberbischofsheimTauberbischofsheim is a German town in the north-east of Baden-Württemberg on the river Tauber with a population of about 13,000. It is the capital of the Main-Tauber district....
) - Unterfränkisch
(spoken in Bavaria in WürzburgWürzburgWürzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
and SchweinfurtSchweinfurtSchweinfurt is a city in the Lower Franconia region of Bavaria in Germany on the right bank of the canalized Main, which is here spanned by several bridges, 27 km northeast of Würzburg.- History :...
) - Grabfeldisch
(spoken in Bavaria in Bad KönigshofenBad KönigshofenBad Königshofen im Grabfeld is a small spa town in the Rhön-Grabfeld district, in the north east of Lower Franconia, Bavaria, Germany on the Franconian Saale a few kilometers from the border with Thuringia.Several smaller villages exist within the town limits:...
and MellrichstadtMellrichstadtMellrichstadt is a town in the district Rhön-Grabfeld, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 17 km southwest of Meiningen, and 13 km northeast of Bad Neustadt. It town includes the following villages: Bahra, Eußenhausen, Frickenhausen, Mühlfeld, Sondheim im Grabfeld und Roßrieth....
;
in Thuringia in RömhildRömhildRömhild is a municipality in the district of Hildburghausen, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 14 km west of Hildburghausen, and 21 km southeast of Meiningen.In the Stadtkirche of Römhild is the tomb of Elisabeth and Hermann VIII of Henneberg...
, Frankenheim;
in the federal state of HesseHesseHesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
in GersfeldGersfeldGersfeld is a town in the district of Fulda, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated on the Fulda River, in the Rhön Mountains, southeast of Fulda.-References:...
and HildersHildersHilders is a municipality in the district of Fulda, in Hesse, Germany....
) - Hennebergisch
(spoken in Thuringia in SchmalkaldenSchmalkalden- Notable people :*Christoph Cellarius, scholar, born 22 November 1638, died 4 June 1707 in Halle*Christian Karl August Ludwig von Massenbach, colonel, born 16 April 1758, died 21 November 1827 at Białokosz...
, MeiningenMeiningenMeiningen is a town in Germany - located in the southern part of the state of Thuringia and is the district seat of Schmalkalden-Meiningen. It is situated on the river Werra....
, Zella-MehlisZella-MehlisZella-Mehlis is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated in the Thuringian Forest, 5 km north of Suhl, and 20 km east of Meiningen. The town of Zella-Mehlis is the site of the original Walther arms weapons factory. It remained there until the...
, SuhlSuhl- Geography :Suhl sits on the south edge of the Suhler Scholle, an upthrust granite complex that is streaked by numerous dikes. This is part of the Ruhla-Schleusingen Horst that defines the southwest side of the Thuringian Forest...
, SchleusingenSchleusingenSchleusingen is a town in the district of Hildburghausen, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 10 km north of Hildburghausen, and 12 km southeast of Suhl....
) - Bambergerisch
(spoken in Bavaria in BambergBambergBamberg is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in Upper Franconia on the river Regnitz, close to its confluence with the river Main. Bamberg is one of the few cities in Germany that was not destroyed by World War II bombings because of a nearby Artillery Factory that prevented planes from...
, ForchheimForchheimForchheim may refer to the following places in Germany:*Forchheim, capital of the district of Forchheim, Bavaria*Forchheim am Kaiserstuhl, a municipality in Baden-Württemberg*Forchheim , part of Rheinstetten, Baden-Württemberg...
, and ErlangenErlangenErlangen is a Middle Franconian city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located at the confluence of the river Regnitz and its large tributary, the Untere Schwabach.Erlangen has more than 100,000 inhabitants....
) - Itzgründisch
(spoken in Bavaria in CoburgCoburgCoburg is a town located on the Itz River in Bavaria, Germany. Its 2005 population was 42,015. Long one of the Thuringian states of the Wettin line, it joined with Bavaria by popular vote in 1920...
, NeustadtNeustadt bei CoburgNeustadt bei Coburg is a town in the district of Coburg in northern Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 15 km northeast of Coburg, as its name indicates.-Local sudivisions:...
, Bad StaffelsteinBad StaffelsteinBad Staffelstein is a small town in the Bavarian Administrative Region of Upper Franconia in Germany. It is known for the beautiful landscape that surrounds it, which has been given the name "Gottesgarten am Obermain"...
;
in Thuringia in SonnebergSonnebergSonneberg is a town in Thuringia, Germany, which is seat of the district Sonneberg.It has long been a centre of toy making and is still well known for this...
and HildburghausenHildburghausenHildburghausen is a town in Thuringia in central Germany, capital of the district Hildburghausen. It is situated on the river Werra, 20 km south of Suhl, and 25 km northwest of Coburg....
)