Mainfränkisch
East Franconian
Indo-European (Germanic, West, High German, Upper East Franconian)
East Franconian (Ostfränkisch / Mainfränkisch) is a High German dialect cluster of north-central Bavaria (Franconia) and adjoining Thuringia/Hesse/northern Baden-Württemberg. Distinct from both Bavarian (de_by, Upper German) and Central German (e.g., Hessian) — sits at the Franconian-Bavarian linguistic boundary along the Speyer/Germersheim line. Distinguished by Mainfränkisch features like the apocope (loss of final -e: "Hund" not "Hunde"), retention of final -er endings, and the characteristic "fränkisch lifestyle" cultural identity tied to wine-growing in the Main valley.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in East Franconian
Water
Wasser
/vasːə/
Fire
Feier
/faɪɐ/
Sun
Sunn
/sʊn/
Moon
Maa
/maː/
Mother
Mudder
/mʊdɐ/
Father
Vadder
/fadɐ/
Eat
esse
/ɛsə/
Drink
trinke
/trɪŋkə/
Love
Liebe
/liːbə/
Heart
Herz
/hɛrts/
Tree
Bauma
/baʊmaː/
House
Haus
/haʊs/
Dog
Hund
/hʊnt/
Cat
Katz
/kats/
Hand
Hand
/hand/
Eye
Aach
/aːx/
Hello
Grüß Gott
/ɡrʏs ɡɔt/
Thank you
Vergelt's Gott
/fɛɐɡɛlts ɡɔt/
One
ans
/ans/
Good
guad
/ɡuə̯d/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Indo-European (Germanic, West, High German, Upper East Franconian) languages
| Meaning | East Franconian | Pennsylvania German | Bavarian | Swabian | Walser | Swiss German | German (Austrian) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | Wasser /vasːə/ | Wasser /vasər/ | Wåssa /vɔsɐ/ | Wasser /vasə/ | Wasser /vasːər/ | Wasser /vasːər/ | Wasser /vasɐ/ |
| Fire | Feier /faɪɐ/ | Feier /faɪər/ | Feia /fɔɪɐ/ | Feuer /foiɐ/ | Für /fyːr/ | Füür /fyːr/ | Feuer /fɔɪɐ/ |
| Sun | Sunn /sʊn/ | Sunn /sʊn/ | Sun /sʊn/ | Sonne /sonə/ | Sunna /sʊnːa/ | Sunne /sʊnə/ | Sonne /sɔnə/ |
| Moon | Maa /maː/ | Mund /mʊnt/ | Moo /moː/ | Mond /moːnd/ | Maa /maː/ | Mond /moːnd/ | Mond /moːnt/ |
| Mother | Mudder /mʊdɐ/ | Mudder /mʊdər/ | Muada /muɐdɐ/ | Mädder /mɛdɐ/ | Müeter /myə̯tər/ | Mueter /muə̯tər/ | Mutter /mʊtɐ/ |
| Father | Vadder /fadɐ/ | Daadi /daːdi/ | Voda /foɐdɐ/ | Vadder /fadɐ/ | Atti /atːi/ | Vatter /fatər/ | Vater /fɑːtɐ/ |
| Eat | esse /ɛsə/ | esse /ɛsə/ | essn /ɛsn̩/ | essa /ɛsə/ | ässe /æsə/ | ässe /æsə/ | essen /ɛsn̩/ |
| Drink | trinke /trɪŋkə/ | drinke /dɾɪŋkə/ | dringa /dɾɪŋɡɐ/ | drengga /dɾɛŋɡə/ | trinke /trɪŋkə/ | trinke /trɪŋkə/ | trinken /tʁɪŋkŋ/ |
| Love | Liebe /liːbə/ | liewe /liːvə/ | Liab /liɐb/ | Liab /liə̯b/ | Liebi /liə̯bi/ | Liebi /liə̯bi/ | Liebe /liːbə/ |
| Heart | Herz /hɛrts/ | Hatz /hats/ | Heaz /hɛɐts/ | Herz /hɛɐts/ | Hërz /hɛrts/ | Härz /hærts/ | Herz /hɛɐt͡s/ |
| Tree | Bauma /baʊmaː/ | Baam /baːm/ | Bam /bãm/ | Baum /baum/ | Boum /boʊm/ | Baum /baʊ̯m/ | Baum /baːm/ |
| House | Haus /haʊs/ | Haus /haʊs/ | Haus /haʊs/ | Hous /haus/ | Hus /huːs/ | Huus /huːs/ | Haus /haʊs/ |
| Dog | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnd/ | Hond /hond/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnd/ | Hund /hʊnt/ |
| Cat | Katz /kats/ | Katz /kats/ | Katz /kʰats/ | Katz /kats/ | Chatz /xats/ | Chatz /xats/ | Katze /kɑt͡sə/ |
| Hand | Hand /hand/ | Hand /hant/ | Hand /hɔnd/ | Hand /hand/ | Hand /hant/ | Hand /hand/ | Hand /hɑnt/ |
| Eye | Aach /aːx/ | Aag /aːk/ | Aug /aʊɡ/ | Aug /aʊɡ/ | Oug /oʊɡ/ | Aug /aʊ̯ɡ/ | Auge /aːɡə/ |
| Hello | Grüß Gott /ɡrʏs ɡɔt/ | Hallo /haloː/ | Servus /sɛɐvʊs/ | Grüß Gott /ɡryːs ɡɔt/ | Grüössi /ɡryə̯sːi/ | Grüezi /ɡryə̯tsi/ | Servus /zɛɐvʊs/ |
| Thank you | Vergelt's Gott /fɛɐɡɛlts ɡɔt/ | Denki /dɛŋki/ | Vagelts Gott /fɐɡɛlts ɡɔt/ | Danggschee /daŋkʃeː/ | Vergelts Gott /fɛrɡɛlts ɡɔt/ | Merci /mɛrsi/ | Danke /daŋkə/ |
| One | ans /ans/ | eens /eːns/ | oans /oɐns/ | oine /ɔinə/ | eins /æɪ̯ns/ | eis /æɪ̯s/ | oans /ɑːns/ |
| Good | guad /ɡuə̯d/ | gut /ɡuːt/ | guad /ɡuɐd/ | guad /ɡuə̯d/ | guet /ɡuə̯t/ | guet /ɡuə̯t/ | gut /ɡuːt/ |
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