Alsatian language
France > Alsace > Language
Travelling through the province, it's easy to mistake the language being spoken in the shops and streets for German. In fact, it is Elsässisch, or Alsatian, a High German dialect, known to philologists as Alemannic. To confuse matters further, there are two versions, High and Low Alemannic, as well as an obscure Frankish dialect spoken in the Wissembourg region and a Romance one called Welche from the valleys around Orbey. You'll hear a different version spoken in almost every town.In many ways, it's a miracle that the language has survived, since Alsatian was actively discouraged under both French and German rule. During the French Revolution, the language was suppressed in favour of French for nationalistic reasons, only to be ousted by German when the Prussians annexed the region in 1870. On its return to French rule, all things Germanic were disdained, and many Alsatians began to speak French once more … until the Nazi occupation brought in laws that made the speaking of French and even the wearing of berets imprisonable offences. Nowadays, most daily transactions are conducted in French, and Elsässisch has still not made it onto the school curriculum. Yet it remains a living language, with a rich medieval literary legacy, and is still spoken by young and old throughout Alsace – especially in rural areas – and even parts of Lorraine. A renaissance of regional identity has meant that Elsässisch is also beginning to reappear on signs and to be spoken at official level too.
| 