Colognian dialect

These dialects are spoken in the area covered by the Archdiocese and former Electorate of Cologne reaching from Neuss in the north to just south of Bonn, west to Düren and east to Olpe in northwest Germany.

Kölsch is one of the variants of the Ripuarian dialects (not part of the Rhinelandic regiolect, rheinisch), which belong to West Middle German family.

It is closely related to the lower Rhineland (niederrheinisch) and Moselle Franconian (moselfränkisch) dialects and combines some features of them, as well employing a variety of words hardly in use elsewhere.

In comparison to most other German dialects, Kölsch is unusually well documented through the work of the Akademie för uns Kölsche Sproch and scholars such as Adam Wrede [de], whose publications include a dictionary, a grammar and a variety of phrase books.

While Kölsch is not commonly taught in schools (although there are often extracurricular offerings) and a lot of young people do not have a proper command of it, many theaters exist that perform exclusively in Kölsch, most notably the Volkstheater Millowitsch, named after the late Willy Millowitsch (1909–1999) and the famous puppet theater, Hänneschen-Theater.

There has also recently been an increase in literature written in this dialect and both traditional music and rock in Kölsch are very popular in and beyond Cologne, especially around Carnival, including bands such as Brings, The piano has been drinking... [de], Bläck Fööss, Höhner and others.

Another noticeable phenomenon is the usage of either a watered-down Kölsch dialect or the Rhinelandic regiolect by German TV personalities, especially comedians such as Gabi Köster [de] and others.

Vill Nut es en der Welt, dröm bedde mer: maach doch, dat keine Minsch mieh muss Hunger ligge.

Nemm vun uns alle Sündeschold, domet och jederein ess jnädich de eije Schöldner.