High German

plural High Germans · alternative High-German

1. countableA native or inhabitant of the southern highlands of Germany; a High German speaker.First known use 16th c.
2. countableuncountableAny of a group of West Germanic languages or dialects spoken in the southern highlands of Germany.
3. countableuncountableThe standard variety of High German as spoken and written throughout the German language area.

   We, the students, also were supposed to speak High German, but, like our teachers, we did so with a fairly strong Swabian accent.

   2010, Dankwart Koehler, In Different Worlds: From POW to PhD, page 49

   2 more examples

   There is a widespread reluctance to speak High German in German-speaking Switzerland, and many Swiss prefer to speak even bad French or English to people who do not speak Swiss dialect.

   1989, Alfred Wyler, Dialect and High German in German-speaking Switzerland, page 15

   Many foreigners who learn to speak High German complain that Swiss people only reluctantly reply in High German. Apparently Swiss people generally don't like to speak High German. Why is that so? For the Swiss, High German is a foreign language.

   2016, Nicole Egger, Hoi: Your New Swiss German Survival Guide, page 15

   Synonyms: High Dutch, Standard High German, SHG, Standard German

alternative High-German

1. not comparableFrom or pertaining to the southern region of Germany; speaking High German.First known use 17th c.

   I used to harrangue the mob, in broken English, under pretence of being an High German doctor.

   1751, [Tobias] Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), London: Harrison and Co., […], →OCLC

2. not comparableWritten or spoken in High German; pertaining to High German.First known use 17th c.

   Yiddish is a High German language [...]

   1983, Philip Baldi, An Introduction to the Indo-European Languages, page 128