Frankish language - Definition and Overview

The Frankish language can refer to:

• the language spoken by the Franks, a Germanic people active in the Roman era, often now called Old Frankish
• a West Franconian dialect of modern German spoken in Alsace and Lorraine, regions in France
• the Franconian language family

In the second sense, Frankish (German, Fränkisch) is heavily influenced by French, since it is spoken mainly in France. Though not readily intelligible to speakers of standard German, it is closely related to other nearby Franconian dialects, such as Palatinate German.

Frankish, called in France platt is often confused with the Alsatian language, an unrelated Alemannic German dialect.

See also: Languages of France