'High German' Is a Linguistic Term, Not an Ethnic Label: Explaining the Dialect Group

"High German" (Hochdeutsch) refers to a group of dialects, not a people.

A dialect continuum spoken in central and southern Germany, plus Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, and parts of Belgium, France, Italy.
Defined by the High German consonant shift (e.g., Pfeffer vs. Low German Pepper; machen vs. maken).
Includes Standard German (the official written language), which is based on Central/East High German dialects.

Not an ethnic group. People from Bavaria, Austria, or Zurich are Bavarians, Austrians, Swiss—not "High Germans."
Not synonymous with "Standard German" (though Standard German is a High German variety).

Spoken in northern Germany; did not undergo the consonant shift. Distinct language (ISO 639-3: nds).

So: "High German" = linguistic classification. The people are Bavarians, Swabians, Austrians, Swiss, etc.

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