As I was finalizing getting the posts for my 2X great grandparents on my paternal side ready, I was reminded of comments that had been made about how even though they all spoke German, there was High German and Low German and the dialects were different. (As an aside, there was apparently also some discussion during times of frustration about one group being “Danes” and it doesn’t sound like it was a compliment.. grin)
Initially, I had thought that High German was strictly a more formal language. Some research shows that “German dialects are classified as either Low or High, depending on the region in Central Europe from which they derive. Thus, dialects of the north, where the landscape is quite flat, are called Low (Platt- or Niederdeutsch). The further south one travels, flatlands give way to hills and eventually, in Switzerland, the Alps; the varieties spoken in these areas are High German dialects.” Quoted from this website
Based on the map in the link above, the Mauser family connections would have spoken High German, while the Kallsens and Dehnings would have spoken Low German. The Lobner family would also have spoken Low German primarily.
There’s a small bit of trivia for your day. Enjoy
Cory and Nicole Family History 