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Encyclopedic overview
The Benrath (maken–machen) and Speyer line (Appel–Apfel), the main isoglosses of the continental West Germanic languages
In German linguistics, the Benrath line (German: Benrather Linie) is the maken–machen isogloss: dialects north of the line have the original /k/ in maken (to make), while those to the south have the innovative /x/ (machen). The line runs from Aachen in the west via Benrath (south of Düsseldorf) to eastern Germany near Frankfurt an der Oder in the area of Berlin and Dessau and through former East Prussia dividing Low Prussian dialect and High Prussian dialect. It is called Benrath line because Benrath is the place where it crosses the Rhine.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Benrath line” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.