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
31 core words in East Franconian
Water
Wasser
/vasːə/
Fire
Feier
/faɪɐ/
Sun
Sunn
/sʊn/
Moon
Maa
/maː/
Star
Stern
/ʃtɛrn/
Mother
Mudder
/mʊdɐ/
Father
Vadder
/fadɐ/
I
i
/i/
You
du
/du/
Name
Nama
/ˈnamɐ/
Eye
Aach
/aːx/
Hand
Hand
/hand/
Heart
Herz
/hɛrts/
Love
Liebe
/liːbə/
Tree
Bauma
/baʊmaː/
House
Haus
/haʊs/
Dog
Hund
/hʊnt/
Cat
Katz
/kats/
Eat
esse
/ɛsə/
Drink
trinke
/trɪŋkə/
One
ans
/ans/
Two
zwaa
/tsvaː/
Hello
Grüß Gott
/ɡrʏs ɡɔt/
Thank you
Vergelt's Gott
/fɛɐɡɛlts ɡɔt/
Good
guad
/ɡuə̯d/
Cuckoo
Gutzgauch
/ˈɡʊtsɡaʊx/
Computer
Computer
/kɔmˈpjuːdɐ/
Sushi
Sushi
/ˈsuʃi/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Indo-European (Germanic, West, High German, Upper East Franconian) languages
| Meaning | East Franconian | Swabian | Pennsylvania German | Walser | Bavarian | German (Austrian) | German |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | Wasser /vasːə/ | Wasser /vasə/ | Wasser /vasər/ | Wasser /vasːər/ | Wåssa /vɔsɐ/ | Wasser /vasɐ/ | Wasser /vasɐ/ |
| Fire | Feier /faɪɐ/ | Feuer /foiɐ/ | Feier /faɪər/ | Für /fyːr/ | Feia /fɔɪɐ/ | Feuer /fɔɪɐ/ | Feuer /fɔɪ̯ɐ/ |
| Sun | Sunn /sʊn/ | Sonne /sonə/ | Sunn /sʊn/ | Sunna /sʊnːa/ | Sun /sʊn/ | Sonne /sɔnə/ | Sonne /zɔnə/ |
| Moon | Maa /maː/ | Mond /moːnd/ | Muun /muːn/ | Maa /maː/ | Moo /moː/ | Mond /moːnt/ | Mond /moːnt/ |
| Star | Stern /ʃtɛrn/ | Schtern /ʃtɛrn/ | Schteern /ʃteːrn/ | Stärn /ʃtærn/ | Stern /ʃtɛɐn/ | Stern /ʃtɛʁn/ | Stern /ʃtɛʁn/ |
| Mother | Mudder /mʊdɐ/ | Mädder /mɛdɐ/ | Mudder /mʊdər/ | Müeter /myə̯tər/ | Muada /muɐdɐ/ | Mutter /mʊtɐ/ | Mutter /mʊtɐ/ |
| Father | Vadder /fadɐ/ | Vadder /fadɐ/ | Daadi /daːdi/ | Atti /atːi/ | Voda /foɐdɐ/ | Vater /fɑːtɐ/ | Vater /faːtɐ/ |
| I | i /i/ | i /i/ | ich /ɪç/ | ich /ix/ | i /i/ | ich /ɪç/ | ich /ɪç/ |
| You | du /du/ | du /du/ | du /du/ | du /du/ | du /du/ | du /duː/ | du /duː/ |
| Name | Nama /ˈnamɐ/ | Nama /ˈnamə/ | Naame /ˈnaːmə/ | Name /ˈnamə/ | Nam /nãː/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ |
| Eye | Aach /aːx/ | Aug /aʊɡ/ | Aag /aːk/ | Oug /oʊɡ/ | Aug /aʊɡ/ | Auge /aːɡə/ | Auge /aʊ̯ɡə/ |
| Hand | Hand /hand/ | Hand /hand/ | Hand /hant/ | Hand /hant/ | Hand /hɔnd/ | Hand /hɑnt/ | Hand /hant/ |
| Heart | Herz /hɛrts/ | Herz /hɛɐts/ | Hatz /hats/ | Hërz /hɛrts/ | Heaz /hɛɐts/ | Herz /hɛɐts/ | Herz /hɛʁts/ |
| Love | Liebe /liːbə/ | Liab /liə̯b/ | liewe /liːvə/ | Liebi /liə̯bi/ | Liab /liɐb/ | Liebe /liːbə/ | Liebe /liːbə/ |
| Tree | Bauma /baʊmaː/ | Baum /baum/ | Baam /baːm/ | Boum /boʊm/ | Bam /bãm/ | Baum /baːm/ | Baum /baʊ̯m/ |
| House | Haus /haʊs/ | Hous /haus/ | Haus /haʊs/ | Hus /huːs/ | Haus /haʊs/ | Haus /haʊs/ | Haus /haʊ̯s/ |
| Dog | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hond /hond/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnd/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ |
| Cat | Katz /kats/ | Katz /kats/ | Katz /kats/ | Chatz /xats/ | Katz /kʰats/ | Katze /kɑtsə/ | Katze /katsə/ |
| Eat | esse /ɛsə/ | essa /ɛsə/ | esse /ɛsə/ | ässe /æsə/ | essn /ɛsn̩/ | essen /ɛsn̩/ | essen /ɛsn̩/ |
| Drink | trinke /trɪŋkə/ | drengga /dɾɛŋɡə/ | drinke /dɾɪŋkə/ | trinke /trɪŋkə/ | dringa /dɾɪŋɡɐ/ | trinken /tʁɪŋkŋ/ | trinken /tʁɪŋkn̩/ |
| One | ans /ans/ | oine /ɔinə/ | eens /eːns/ | eins /æɪ̯ns/ | oans /oɐns/ | oans /ɑːns/ | eins /aɪ̯ns/ |
| Two | zwaa /tsvaː/ | zwoi /tsvoɪ̯/ | zwee /tsveː/ | zwei /tsʋei/ | zwoa /tsvoɐ/ | zwei /tsvai/ | zwei /tsvaɪ/ |
| Hello | Grüß Gott /ɡrʏs ɡɔt/ | Grüß Gott /ɡryːs ɡɔt/ | Hallo /haloː/ | Grüössi /ɡryə̯sːi/ | Servus /sɛɐvʊs/ | Servus /zɛɐvʊs/ | Hallo /haloː/ |
| Thank you | Vergelt's Gott /fɛɐɡɛlts ɡɔt/ | Danggschee /daŋkʃeː/ | Denki /dɛŋki/ | Vergelts Gott /fɛrɡɛlts ɡɔt/ | Vagelts Gott /fɐɡɛlts ɡɔt/ | Danke /daŋkə/ | danke /daŋkə/ |
| Good | guad /ɡuə̯d/ | guad /ɡuə̯d/ | gut /ɡuːt/ | guet /ɡuə̯t/ | guad /ɡuɐd/ | gut /ɡuːt/ | gut /ɡuːt/ |
| Cuckoo | Gutzgauch /ˈɡʊtsɡaʊx/ | Guckguck /ˈɡʊkɡʊk/ | — | Gugger /ˈɡʊɡər/ | Kuckuck /ˈkʊkʊk/ | Kuckuck /ˈkʊkʊk/ | Kuckuck /ˈkʊkʊk/ |
| Computer | Computer /kɔmˈpjuːdɐ/ | — | Computer /ˈkɔmpjuːtɐ/ | Computer /komˈpjuːtər/ | Rechna /ˈrɛçnɐ/ | Computer /kɔmˈpjuːtɐ/ | Computer /kɔmˈpjuːtɐ/ |
| Sushi | Sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | — | — | Sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | Suschi /ˈsuʃi/ | Sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | Sushi /ˈzuːʃi/ |
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