Zipser German


Zipser German is a Germanic dialect which developed in the Upper Zips region of what is now Slovakia among people who settled there from central Germany beginning in the 13th century. The Lower Zips was inhabited by other Central Germans who spoke a similar dialect called "Gründlerisch" which is considered to be the same language. Beginning in at least the 18th century, many Zipsers migrated to northern Romania, including to southern Bukovina, where several other Germanic dialects were also spoken. Over time, the speech of the Zipsers in Romania was heavily influenced by that of people from Upper Austria who settled among them and were ultimately assimilated into the Zipser ethnic community. During and after the Second World War, most Zipsers evacuated or were expelled to Germany, but a community of speakers remains in Hopgarten; their distinctive dialect is called "Outzäpsersch".

Dialectal differences

The dialect spoken in Bukovina, Gründlerisch in origin, was characterized by the shift of original /v/ to /b/ and of original /b/ to /p/. The dialect of Hopgarten distinctively shifts Middle High German /l/, in all positions, to 'u'.