Eupen dialect

Dialect spoken in Eupen, Belgium
Eupen dialect
Öüpener Platt[1]
RegionEupen-Malmedy, Belgium
Language family
Indo-European
  • Germanic
    • West Germanic
      • Low Franconian[2]
        • South Low Franconian[3][4]
          • East Limburgish – Ripuarian transitional area[4]
            • Eupen dialect
Writing system
Latin
Language codes
ISO 639-3–
GlottologNone

Eupen dialect (Öüpener Platt, German: Eupener Platt) is the dialect spoken in the city Eupen.[5][6]

Classification

The Eupener dialect is part of a dialect continuum between Limburgish and Ripuarian. Klaus-Jürgen Fiacre considers it to be a Low Franconian variety, and therefore closer to the former.[2]

Geographic distribution

Today, it is used less than other similar dialects in adjacent municipalities, like the dialects of Welkenraedt, Gemmenich or Montzen east of Eupen. The younger residents of Eupen tend to speak Standard German instead.[7] West of Eupen, Wallonian dialects of French are spoken.[5]

Status

As the Eupen dialect is used by the German minority in Belgium, it is considered to be a dialect of German just like Ripuarian in Germany.[5]

Linguistic features

One of the characteristics of the Eupen dialect is diphthongization to [ai, au, ou]; compare Eupen Haint, Aindere, Maunt and lowpe with Dutch Limburgish hand, andere, moond and lòpe.

Nouns are always capitalized, following German conventions.

References

  1. ^ Comp. "EUPEN – Stadtmuseum". ostbelgienkulturerbe.be (in German).
  2. ^ a b Klaus-Jürgen Fiacre, Historische Lautlehre des Dialektes von Bévercé (Kanton Malmedy, Belgien) (series: Romania occidentalis, vol. I), 1979, p. 23
  3. ^ LVR-Institut für Landeskunde und Regionalgeschichte (ed.). "Südniederfränkisch/ Zuidnederfrankisch". Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  4. ^ a b Jan Goossens, Die Gliederung des Südniederfränkischen, in: Rheinische Vierteljahrsblätter. Jahrgang 30  1965, Ludwig Röhrscheid Verlag, Bonn, 1965, p. 79-94, esp. Karte 2 [calling the area ostlimburgisch-ribuarisches Übergangsgebiet]
  5. ^ a b c Conraads, Daniel (27 August 2007). "Obelit au secours du patois". Le Soir en ligne (in French). Bruxelles. Archived from the original on 27 August 2007. [stating that the Eupen dialect belongs to francique carolingien, lit. Carolingian Franconian]
  6. ^ Leclerc, Jacques. "Les variétés du francique". L'aménagement linguistique dans le monde (in French). [stating that the Eupen dialect belongs to francique carolingien, lit. Carolingian Franconian]
  7. ^ Theissen, Siegfried (23 December 2019). "Von Batze bis Schokkelaates – Eigenheiten im Eupener Deutsch" [From Batze to Schokkelaats - Idiosyncracies of Eupen's German]. BRF Nachrichten (in German). Belgischer Rundfunk. Retrieved 22 December 2022.

Bibliography

  • Theissen, Siegfried (2013). Neues Wörterbuch der Eupener Mundart. GEV, Grenz-Echo Verlag. ISBN 978-3-86712-078-4.
  • Theissen, Siegfried (2015). Neues Wörterbuch der Eupener Mundart : Nachfolgeband. self publishing. ISBN 978-3-86712-078-4.
  • Tonnar, August; Evers, Wilhelm; Altenburg, Wilhelm (1970) [1899]. Wörterbuch der Eupener Sprache (reprint ed.). Wiesbaden: M. Sändig Reprint Verlag.


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