original_query: What are the characteristics of Walser German and Walliser German dialects?
query: What are the characteristics of Walser German and Walliser German dialects?
answer: Walser German and Walliser German are Highest Alemannic dialects with some key differences.  Walser German speakers are descendants of those who migrated from the Upper Valais across the Alps during the Late Middle Ages, while Walliser German refers specifically to dialects from the Upper Rhone valley. Walser German has preserved archaisms from Old High German, and due to geographic isolation, its dialects show significant variation with limited mutual intelligibility.  The dialects are considered endangered due to language shift to French, Italian, and Standard German.