| Walliser German | ||
|---|---|---|
| Wallisertiitsch | ||
| Spoken in | upper Valais & Walser colonies | |
| Total speakers | about 80,000 | |
| Language family | Indo-European
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| Language codes | ||
| ISO 639-1 | - | |
| ISO 639-2 | gsw | |
| ISO 639-3 | gsw | |
The Walliser German (Walliserdeutsch in German) is a group of Highest Alemannic dialects spoken in Switzerland, specifically in the German-speaking part of the Canton of Wallis (in French: Valais), in the uppermost Rhône valley. (The lower part of this canton is French-speaking; see Canton Valais.)
The German-speaking immigration to the Wallis started in the 8th century from the canton of Bern. There were presumably two different immigration routes that lead to two main groups of Walliser dialects. In the 12th or 13th century, the Walliser began to settle other parts of the alps. These new settlements are known as Walser migration. In many of these settlements, people still speak Highest Alemannic dialects, known as Walser German.
The Walliser dialects are difficult to understand for other Swiss German people (called Üsserschwyzer 'outer Swiss' by the Walliser). This is because in the isolated valleys of the high mountains, Walliser German has preserved many archaisms. The dialect of the Lötschental, for instance, preserved three distinct classes of weak verbs until the beginning of the 20th century. Walliser German also shows linguistic innovations, such as the plural Tannu - Tannä (fir - firs), also found in the other Highest Alemannic dialects. In addition, the pronunciation of words with 'ch' is extremely rough and sounds as though the throat is constantly being cleared.
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