View source for Ripuarian language

{{short description|German dialect group}}
{{redirect|Low Dietsch|the language spoken in Northern Germany|Low German}}
{{Inline citations|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = Ripuarian
| nativename       = 
| states           = [[Germany]], [[Belgium]], [[Netherlands]]
| region           = [[North Rhine-Westphalia]], [[Rhineland-Palatinate]], [[Liège Province]], [[Limburg (Netherlands)|Limburg]]
| speakers         = Kölsch: 250,000
| date             = 1997
| ref              = e25
| familycolor      = Indo-European
| fam2             = [[Germanic languages|Germanic]]
| fam3             = [[West Germanic languages|West Germanic]]
| fam4             = [[Elbe Germanic]]
| fam5             = [[High German]]
| fam6             = [[Central German]]
| fam7             = [[West Central German]]
| ancestor         = [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]]
| ancestor2        = [[Proto-Germanic language|Proto-Germanic]]
| ancestor3        = [[Frankish language|Frankish]]
| ancestor4        = Old High Franconian
| ancestor5        = Old Central Franconian
| agency           = 
| iso3             = none
| lc1              = ksh
| ld1              = [[Colognian dialect|Kölsch]]
| glotto           = ripu1236
| glottorefname    = Ripuarian
| map              = Ripuarisch.png
| mapcaption       = Area where Ripuarian is spoken. Green = sparsely populated forest.
| map2             = Mitteldeutsche Mundarten.png
| mapcaption2      = Central German language area after 1945 and the expulsion of the Germans from the east. 1 = Ripuarian.
| fam8             = [[Central Franconian]]
}}

'''Ripuarian''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|r|ɪ|p|j|u|ˈ|ɛər|i|ə|n}} {{respell|RIP|yoo|AIR|ee|ən}}) or '''Ripuarian Franconian'''{{efn|{{langx|de|Ripuarisch}} {{IPA|de|ʁipuˈ(ʔ)aːʁɪʃ||de-ripuarisch.ogg}}, {{lang|de|ripuarische Mundart}}, {{lang|de|ripuarischer Dialekt}}, {{lang|de|ripuarisch-fränkische Mundart}} or {{lang|de|Ribuarisch}}; {{langx|nl|ripuarisch}} {{IPA|nl|ripyˈʋaːris||Nl-Ripuarisch.ogg}} or {{lang|nl|noordmiddelfrankisch}}.}} is a [[German dialect]] group, part of the [[West Central German]] language group.
Together with the [[Moselle Franconian]] which includes the [[Luxembourgish language]], Ripuarian belongs to the larger [[Central Franconian]] dialect family and also to the linguistic [[dialect continuum|continuum]] with the [[Low Franconian languages]].

It is spoken in the [[Rhineland]] south of the [[Benrath line]] — from northwest of [[Düsseldorf]] and [[Cologne]] to [[Aachen]] in the west and to [[Waldbröl]] in the east.

The language area also comprises the north of the [[German-speaking Community of Belgium]] as well as the southern edge of the [[Limburg (Netherlands)|Limburg]] province of the [[Netherlands]], especially [[Kerkrade]] (''Kirchroa''), where it is perceived as a variety of [[Limburgish language|Limburgish]] and legally treated as such.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}}

The name derives from the [[Ripuarian Franks]] (''Rheinfranken''), who settled in the area from the 4th century onward.

The most well known Ripuarian dialect is ''[[Colognian dialect|Kölsch]]'', the local dialect of [[Cologne]]. Dialects belonging to the Ripuarian group almost always call themselves ''Platt'' (spelled {{lang|nl|plat}} in the Netherlands) like ''Öcher Platt'' (of [[Aachen]]), ''[[Bönnsch]] Platt'' (of [[Bonn]]), ''Eischwiele Platt'' (of [[Eschweiler]]), ''[[Kirchröadsj plat]]'' (of [[Kerkrade]]), or ''[[Bocheser plat]]'' (of [[Bocholtz]]). Most of the more than one hundred Ripuarian dialects are bound to one specific village or municipality. Usually there are small distinctive differences between neighbouring dialects (which are, however, easily noticeable to locals), and increasingly bigger differences between the more distant dialects. These are described by a set of [[isogloss]]es called the [[Rhenish fan]] in linguistics. The way people talk, even if they are not using Ripuarian, often allows them to be traced precisely to a village or city quarter where they learned to speak.

==Number of speakers==
About a million people speak a variation of Ripuarian dialect, which constitutes about one quarter of the inhabitants of the area. Penetration of Ripuarian in everyday communication varies considerably, as does the percentage of Ripuarian speakers from one place to another. In some places there may only be a few elderly speakers left, while elsewhere Ripuarian usage is common in everyday life. Both in the genuine Ripuarian area and far around it, the number of people passively understanding Ripuarian to some extent exceeds the number of active speakers by far.

==Geographic significance==
Speakers are centred on the German city of [[Köln]] ([[Cologne]]). The language's distribution starts from the important geographic transition into the flat-lands coming down from the [[Middle Rhine]]. The Ripuarian varieties are related to the [[Moselle Franconian]] languages spoken in the southern Rhineland ([[Rhineland-Palatinate]] and [[Saarland]]) in Germany, to the [[Luxembourgish language]] in [[Luxembourg]], and to the Low Franconian [[Limburgish]] language in the Dutch province of [[Limburg (Netherlands)|Limburg]]. Most of the historic roots of Ripuarian languages are in [[Central German|Middle German]], but there were other influences too, such as [[Latin]], [[Low German]], [[Dutch language|Dutch]], [[French language|French]] and [[Southern Meuse-Rhenish]] ([[Limburgish]]). Several elements of grammar are unique to Ripuarian and do not exist in the other [[languages of Germany]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}

The [[French Community of Belgium]] as well as the Netherlands officially recognise some Ripuarian dialects as [[minority language]]s, and the [[European Union]] likewise follows.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}}

==Varieties==
Varieties are or include:<ref>Jürgen Erich Schmidt, Robert Möller, ''Historisches Westdeutsch/Rheinisch (Moselfränkisch, Ripuarisch, Südniederfränkisch)'', sub-chapter ''Das Ripuarische''; in: ''Sprache und Raum: Ein internationales Handbuch der Sprachvariation. Band 4: Deutsch. Herausgegeben von Joachim Herrgen, Jürgen Erich Schmidt. Unter Mitarbeit von Hanna Fischer und Birgitte Ganswindt'', volume 30.4 of ''Handbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft <small>(Handbooks of Linguistics and Communication Science / Manuels de linguistique et des sciences de communication)</small>'' (HSK), Berlin/Boston, 2019, p. 529f.</ref>
* West Ripuarian ({{lang|de|Westripuarisch}}), around Aachen and a small area in East Belgium and the Netherlands
* Central Ripuarian ({{lang|de|Zentralripuarisch}})
** City Colognian ({{lang|de|Stadtkölnisch}})
** Country Colognian ({{lang|de|Landkölnisch}})

== Grammar ==

=== Numerals ===
The transcription from Münch,<ref name="GdrfM">''Grammatik der ripuarisch-fränkischen Mundart von Ferdinand Münch.'' Bonn, 1904, p. 8ff. & p. 159f.<br /> Some symbols with their IPA equivalent are:
* [[ę]] - [ɛ]
* [[š]] - [⁠ʃ⁠]
* [[R rotunda|ꝛ]] - ⁠[ʁ⁠]
* [[Chi (letter)|χ]] - [ç]
* [[x]] - [⁠x⁠]
</ref> in which the [[grave accent]] (`) and [[macron (diacritic)|macron]] (¯) represent, respectively, accent 1 and 2 in the Central/Low Franconian [[pitch accent]].

The rest of the letters match their [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]/ [[German orthography|German alphabet]] pronunciation, with a few exceptions:

* [[ę]] - [ɛ]
* [[š]] - [⁠ʃ⁠]
* [[R rotunda|ꝛ]] - ⁠[ʁ⁠]
* [[Chi (letter)|χ]] - [ç]
* [[x]] - [⁠x⁠]

{| class="wikitable"
!  !! Cardinals !! Ordinals
|-
| 1 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|ēn}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dę ìəštə}}
|-
| 2 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|tswęī}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dę tswę̀itə}}
|-
| 3 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dreī}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dę drę̀itə}}
|-
| 4 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|fiəꝛ}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dę fiətə}}
|-
| 5 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|fønəf}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dę fønəftə}}
|-
| 6 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|zęks}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dę zękstə}}
|-
| 7 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|zevə}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dę zevəntə}}
|-
| 8 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|āx}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dę āxtə}}
|-
| 9 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|nøŋ̀}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dę nøŋ̄tə}}
|-
| 10 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|tsèn}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dę tsèntə}}
|-
| 11 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|eləf}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dę eləftə}}
|-
| 12 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|tsweləf}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dę tsweləftə}}
|-
| 13 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|drøksēn}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dę drøksēntə}}
|-
| 14 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|fiətsēn}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dę fiətsēntə}}
|-
| 15 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|fuftsēn}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dę fuftsēntə}}
|-
| 16 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|zęksēn}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dę zęksēntə}}
|-
| 17 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|zevətsēn}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dę zevetsēntə}}
|-
| 18 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|āxtsēn}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dę āxtsēntə}}
|-
| 19 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|nøŋ̄sēn}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dę nøŋ̄tsēntə}}
|-
| 20 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|tswantsiχ|italic=yes}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dę tswantsiχstə|italic=yes}}
|-
| 21 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|enəntswantsiχ|italic=yes}} ||
|-
| 22 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|tswęiəntswantsiχ|italic=yes}} ||
|-
| 23 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dreiəntswantsiχ|italic=yes}} ||
|-
| 24 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|fiəꝛentswantsiχ|italic=yes}} ||
|-
| 25 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|fønəvəntswantsiχ|italic=yes}} ||
|-
| 26 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|zękzəntswantsiχ|italic=yes}} ||
|-
| 27 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|zevənəntswantsiχ|italic=yes}} ||
|-
| 28 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|āxəntswantsiχ|italic=yes}} ||
|-
| 29 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|nøŋəntswantsiχ|italic=yes}} ||
|-
| 30 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dresiχ|italic=yes}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dę dresiχstə|italic=yes}}
|-
| 40 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|fiətsiχ|italic=yes}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dę fiətsiχstə|italic=yes}}
|-
| 50 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|fuftsiχ|italic=yes}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dę fuftsiχstə|italic=yes}}
|-
| 60 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|zęksiχ|italic=yes}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dę zęksiχstə|italic=yes}}
|-
| 70 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|zevəntsiχ|italic=yes}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dę zevətsiχstə|italic=yes}}
|-
| 80 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|āxtsiχ|italic=yes}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dę āxtsiχstə|italic=yes}}
|-
| 90 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|nøŋ̄siχ|italic=yes}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dę nøŋ̄tsiχstə|italic=yes}}
|-
| 100 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|hondəꝛt|italic=yes}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dę hondəꝛtstə|italic=yes}}
|-
| 200 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|tsweīhondəꝛt|italic=yes}} || 
|-
| 1000 || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dùzənt|italic=yes}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|dę dùzəntstə|italic=yes}}
|}

=== Pronouns ===
Ripuarian (excluding City-[[Colognian dialect|Colognian]]) emphasised personal pronouns:<ref name="GdrfM" />
{| class="wikitable"
!  !! 1st person !! 2nd person !! colspan="3" | 3rd person<br /> m. / f. / n. !! reflexive<br /> pronoun<br /> (of the 3rd person)
|-
!  !! colspan="6" | Singular
|-
! [[Nominative|Nom.]]
| {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|italic=no|iχ}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|italic=no|du}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|italic=no|hę̄}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|italic=no|zeī}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|italic=no|ət}} || 
|-
! [[Genitive|Gen.]]
| – || – || – || – || – || 
|-
! [[Dative|Dat.]]
| {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|italic=no|mīꝛ}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|italic=no|dīꝛ}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|italic=no|em̀}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|italic=no|ìꝛ}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|italic=no|em̀}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|italic=no|ziχ}}
|-
! [[Accusative|Acc.]]
| {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|italic=no|miχ}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|italic=no|diχ}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|italic=no|en}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|italic=no|zeī}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|italic=no|ət}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|italic=no|ziχ}}
|-
!  !! colspan="6" | Plural
|-
! Nom.
| {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|italic=no|mīꝛ}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|italic=no|īꝛ}} || colspan="3" | {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|italic=no|zē}}
|-
! Gen.
| – || – || colspan="3" | – || 
|-
! Dat.
| {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|italic=no|os}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|italic=no|yχ}} || colspan="3" | {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|italic=no|eǹə}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|italic=no|ziχ}}
|-
! Acc.
| {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|italic=no|os}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|italic=no|yχ}} || colspan="3" | {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|italic=no|zē}} || {{lang|mis-x-ripuar|italic=no|ziχ}}
|}

==See also==
{{InterWiki|code=ksh}}
* [[Bergish dialects]]
* [[Eifelplatt]]
* [[Lex Ripuaria]]
* [[Rheinische Dokumenta]]
* [[Rhinelandic regiolect]]
* [[Ripuarian Franks]]
* [[Meuse-Rhenish]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Literature==
* Hans Bruchhausen und Heinz Feldhoff: Us Platt kalle un verstonn - Mundartwörterbuch Lützenkirchen-Quettingen. Bergisch Gladbach 2005. {{ISBN|3-87314-410-7}}
* Leo Lammert und Paul Schmidt: Neunkirchen-Seelscheider Sprachschatz, herausgegeben vom Heimat- und Geschichtsverein Neunkirchen-Seelscheid 2006. (ca. 7300 Wörter)
* Manfred Konrads: Wörter und Sachen im Wildenburger Ländchen, Rheinland-Verlag, Köln, 1981
* Maria Louise Denst: Olper Platt - Bergisches Mundart-Wörterbuch für Kürten-Olpe und Umgebung. Schriftenreihe des Bergischen Geschichtsvereins Abt. Rhein-Berg e. V. Band 29. Bergisch Gladbach 1999. {{ISBN|3-932326-29-6}}
* Theodor Branscheid (Hrsg): "Oberbergische Sprachproben. Mundartliches aus Eckenhagen und Nachbarschaft." Band 1, Eckenhagen, 1927.
* Heinrichs, Werner: Bergisch Platt - Versuch einer Bestandsaufnahme, Selbstverlag, Burscheid, 1978
* [[Georg Wenker]]: ''Das rheinische Platt''. 1877.
** Georg Wenker: ''Das rheinische Platt'', (Sammlung deutsche Dialektgeographie Heft 8), Marburg, 1915.
* Georg Cornelissen, [[Peter Honnen]], Fritz Langensiepen (editor): ''Das rheinische Platt''. Eine Bestandsaufnahme. Handbuch der rheinischen Mundarten Teil 1: Texte. Rheinland-Verlag, Köln. 1989. {{ISBN|3-7927-0689-X}}
* Helmut Fischer: 'Wörterbuch der unteren Sieg. Rheinische Mundarten. Beiträge zur Volkssprache aus den rheinischen Landschaften Band 4. Rheinland Verlag, Köln, 1985. {{ISBN|3-7927-0783-7}}
* Ludewig Rovenhagen: Wörterbuch der Aachener Mundart, Aachen, 1912.
* Prof. Dr. Will Herrmanns, Rudolf Lantin (editor): Aachener Sprachschatz. Wörterbuch der Aachener Mundart. Beiträge zur Kultur- und Wirtschaftsgeschichte Aachens und Seiner Umgebung, Band 1. Im Auftrag des Vereins „Öcher Platt“ für den Druck überarbeitet und herausgegeben von Dr. Rudolf Lantin. 2 Bände. Verlag J. A. Mayer, 1970. {{ISBN|3-87519-011-4}}
* Adolf Steins: Grammatik des Aachener Dialekts. Herausgegeben von Klaus-Peter Lange. Rheinisches Archiv Band 141. Böhlau-Verlag, Kölle, Weimar, Wien, 1998. {{ISBN|3-412-07698-8}}
* Dr. Karl Allgeier, Jutta Baumschulte, Meinolf Baumschulte, Richard Wolfgarten: Aachener Dialekt - Wortschatz, Öcher Platt - Hochdeutsch und Hochdeutsch - Öcher Platt. Öcher Platt e.V. Aachen, 2000.

{{Languages of the Benelux}}
{{Languages of Germany}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ripuarian language| ]]
[[Category:West Germanic languages]]
[[Category:Central German languages]]
[[Category:German dialects]]
[[Category:Languages of Germany]]
[[Category:Languages of Belgium]]
[[Category:Languages of the Netherlands]]
[[Category:North Rhine-Westphalia]]
[[Category:Subject–object–verb languages]]
[[Category:Verb-second languages]]