This is my first post to the list. I'm a swiss german (Schwytzertütsch) native speaker, not Baseldytsch though. I'm not a linguistic specialist but maybe I can give you a feeling for our language:
*Baseldytsch is one of several swiss-german/Alemanic dialects. *All speakers of swiss-german dialects understand every other dialect without any difficulties. *swiss-german dialects usualy don't have a normalized writting form or spelling rule. *Swiss read and write in German. We don't learn how to write and read in swiss german at school *Baseldytsch is not further from every other swiss-german dialect than Brooklyn-english from Manhattan-english or Paris-french from Bretagne-french.
Am 18.11.2004 um 07:30 schrieb Pablo Saratxaga:
As building an encyclopedia is a *VERY BIG* task, it would be advisable not to divert efforts, imho; so there should only be one Wikipedia per language, not per dialect.
I agree. As speakers of Baseldytsch usualy write and read in German and perfectly understand German there shouldn't be one more Wiki for the same content. As you can see there are only 245 Articles in Alemanic WP so far.
Am 18.11.2004 um 07:30 schrieb Pablo Saratxaga:
Note that some define themselves as different languages while, linguistically, they are not; but they feel as different enough; but that doesn't seem the case here.
That is the case here
Am 18.11.2004 um 00:29 schrieb Stephen Forrest:
According to the requester on [[meta:Request for new language]], "Baseldytsch is like other swiss dialects extremely different from the "language" used on the Alemannic Wikipedia."
Spelling might be slightly different, 99% of the used words are the same.
As long as Wikipedia aims to build an encyclopedia that wants to provide the world with free knowledge, the German WP serves this aim perfectly for all swiss-german/Alemanic dialects.
If WP helps to preserve local and regional dialects and language culture, a Baseldytsch WP should be set up. But also a Wikipedia for Berne-dialect, Zurich-dialect, Grisons-dialect, St.-Gallen-dialect and every other swiss-german dialect.
I hope this gives you an impression 'from the inside'
Cheers Andreas