ABSTRACT
The Central Franconian (Mittelfränkisch) dialects are spoken in the two main areas of the Cologne Bay and the Rhenish Uplands (Rheinisches Schiefergebirge) (see Map 11). In the north, the territory runs out into the Low Franconian (Niederfränkisch) dialects of the lower Rhine Plain and the Westphalian Low German dialects beyond the chain of the Rothaarge- birge mountains. In the south, it joins the Saar basin to form a transition zone into Rhine Franconian (Rheinfränkisch). Between these points, Central Franconian extends on an east-west axis from the Rhine gorge, east along the River Sieg and west along the Moselle. The Siebengebirge hills south of Bonn, together with the Eifel and the Hunsrück hills and the confluence of the Rhine and Erft rivers south of Neuss, provide the great natural divisions of culture and language in the area. In Luxemburg, a similar division is formed by the Ardennes (Ösling/Éissleck), which separate the territory from the central Gutland/Bon Pays and the southeastern Minett. Central Franconian Area https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781315001777/f04eec16-1363-4607-b1d3-916e619e9bc9/content/fig5_1_B.tif" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/> Source: Diercke, Weltatlas, scale 1:1,500,000.
