Germanic language mutual intelligibility (accepted, people, Germans, work)

[Helsingborgaren]

I feel this is worth posting here as well. Shows how similar some of the North Germanic languages are (the standard variants of the 3 major ones), but also how very different some others are.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxQotL1cTB8

[erka]

Originally Posted by LindavG

German Low Saxon and Dutch Low Saxon are mutually intelligble (for the most part). But Dutch Low Saxon is not mutually intelligible to Standard Dutch. I should know as I grew up in the region where Low Saxon is spoken (eastern Gelderland) and when I say something in Low Saxon to my friends in Limburg (where I live now) the reaction is pretty much ... ... ...

So true, when I hear someone in Achterhoeks or Twents it's so easy for me but when I hear someone in Limburgish it's complete gibberish. For friends from Rotterdam Gronings is also complete abacadabra But as you said, everyone in NL uses standard Dutch too, so it is just a cultural richness to have standard Dutch and dialects everywhere.

German Lower Saxon:



For me, this is 100% understandable without even knowing or studying Plattdeutsch for 1 second. Dialect continuum.

[viribusunitis]

Originally Posted by erka

For me, this is 100% understandable without even knowing or studying Plattdeutsch for 1 second. Dialect continuum.

Wow. Not even remotely understandable. Except some short phrases like "Pass auf jetzt!". Even Swiss German is clearer. Unfortunately, most Germans seem to have dropped their dialect/regional language completely...

[Helsingborgaren]

Originally Posted by viribusunitis

Wow. Not even remotely understandable. Except some short phrases like "Pass auf jetzt!". Even Swiss German is clearer. Unfortunately, most Germans seem to have dropped their dialect/regional language completely...

Aren't at least dialects/regional languages like Bavarian, Swabian and Franconian still widely spoken?

[Helsingborgaren]

This sounds like the type of mutual intelliigibility that exists between distinct Scandinavian dialects. Someone from Härjedalen, Sweden speaking their regional dialect will mostly not be intelligible to other people in Sweden, but people from neighboring Trønderlag (where Trondheim is located) across the Norwegian border will understand them fully. And likewise, people from Trønderlag will not be understood by other Norwegians if they insist on speaking their regional Trøndish dialect.

Of course, Härjedalians can speak Standard Swedish perfectly, and likewise Trønders can speak Bokmål, so there won't be any problem for other people to communicate with them.

[viribusunitis]

Originally Posted by MagnusPetersson

Aren't at least dialects/regional languages like Bavarian, Swabian and Franconian still widely spoken?

Well, it's getting less and less common. Bavarian is pretty much dead in Munich already, even in the Bavarian countryside the younger generation doesn't know how to properly speak the dialect. Same situation in other German cities (Cologne, Hamburg, ...).

Some people speak "Standard German" with a slight regional accent (rolling R in Bavaria, or Eastern German intonation), but that's nothing like the original dialects.

Funnily enough, something similar is noticeable in Austria: Upper Austrians, Lower Austrians, Salzburgians, Styrians and people from Burgenland increasingly use Viennese instead of their regional dialect (e.g. håb instead of hån (eng.: have; ger: habe) in Upper Austria).

[LindavG]

Originally Posted by erka

German Lower Saxon:



For me, this is 100% understandable without even knowing or studying Plattdeutsch for 1 second. Dialect continuum.

I understand most of it as well. It's a bit different than Dutch Lower Saxon but definitely close enough to be mutually intelligible. I can assure you that anyone from the south or west of the Netherlands would have no clue what the guy is rambling about though

Originally Posted by viribusunitis

Wow. Not even remotely understandable. Except some short phrases like "Pass auf jetzt!". Even Swiss German is clearer. Unfortunately, most Germans seem to have dropped their dialect/regional language completely...

That's why I said earlier not to confuse these border dialects with the standard language that the rest of the country speaks because they're almost a different language of their own.

We have the same issue in parts of the Netherlands. In the east where I'm from, hardly anyone under the age of 30 speaks Low Saxon. It's seen as "uncivilized" and not cool. Older people on the other hand speak almost exclusively in dialect.

In Limburg on the other hand, the regional dialect is widely spoken by young and old and people seem proud of it. Even the street names are often in Dutch and Limburgish.

[viribusunitis]

Originally Posted by LindavG

That's why I said earlier not to confuse these border dialects with the standard language that the rest of the country speaks because they're almost a different language of their own.

Actually, I always thought that it's considered a language on its own

[Helsingborgaren]

What seems to be a major difference here is that the standard variants of the 3 major North Germanic languages are way, way more mutually intelligible to eachothers than Standard German and Standard Dutch are to eachothers.

Someone here said he as a German speaker won't be able to read a newspaper article in Dutch. But thats not how it is here, I can read a newspaper article in Danish or Norwegian without a problem, infact there is a couple of Danish tabloids I check daily online. The written standards of the 3 major North Germanic languages are even closer than the spoken standards. But still can't read anything written in Icelandic, maybe recognize a few words here and there and maybe a couple of sentences, but not more.

[overdrive1979]

Originally Posted by erka

But as you said, everyone in NL uses standard Dutch too

Do people from Flemish Belgium use standard Dutch? I mean for instance during a job interview or something like that.