intelligibility across those groups is almost fully seamless, despite some differences in vocabulary. Low Alemannic is only spoken in the northernmost parts of Switzerland, in Basel and around Lake Constance. High Alemannic is spoken in most of the Swiss Plateau, and is divided in an eastern and a western group. Highest Alemannic is spoken in the Alps. Low Alemannic: Basel German in Basel-Stadt (BS), closely related to Alsatian High Alemannic: Western: Bernese German, in the Swiss Plateau parts of Bern (BE) Dialects of Basel-Landschaft (BL) Dialects of Solothurn (SO) Dialects of the western part of Aargau (AG) In a middle position between eastern and western: Dialects in the eastern part of Aargau (AG) Dialects of Lucerne (LU) Dialects of Zug (ZG) Zürich German, in Zürich (ZH) Eastern: Dialects of St. Gallen (SG) Dialects of Appenzell (AR & AI) Dialects of Thurgau (TG) Dialects of Schaffhausen (SH) Dialects in parts of Graubünden (GR) Highest Alemannic: Dialects in parts of Canton of Fribourg (FR) Dialects of the Bernese Oberland (BE) Dialects of Unterwalden (OW & NW) and Uri (UR) Dialects of Schwyz (SZ) Dialects of Glarus (GL) Walliser German in parts of the Valais (VS) Walser German: due to the medieval migration of the Walser, Highest Alemannic spread to pockets of what are now parts of northern Italy (Piedmont), the north-west of Ticino (TI), parts of Graubünden (GR), Liechtenstein and Vorarlberg. One can separate each dialect into numerous local subdialects, sometimes down to a resolution of individual villages. Speaking the dialect is an important part of regional, cantonal and national identities. In the more urban areas of the Swiss plateau, regional differences are fading due to increasing mobility and to a growing population of non-Alemannic background. Despite the varied dialects, the Swiss can still understand one another, but may particularly have trouble understanding Walliser dialects. History Most Swiss German dialects, being High German dialects, have completed the High German consonant shift (synonyms: Second Germanic consonant shift, High German sound shift), that is, they have not only changed t to or and p to or , but also k to or . There are, however, exceptions, namely the idioms of Chur and Basel. Basel German is a Low Alemannic dialect (mostly spoken in Germany near the Swiss border), and Chur German is basically High Alemannic without initial or . Examples: The High German consonant shift happened between the 4th and 9th centuries south