Overview
Transylvanian Saxon is a West Germanic language that arose after German, Flemish, and Walloon migrants settled in Transylvania. They formed about 250 communities, each with its own version of the language. It was mainly used in casual settings, with standard German being used as an official language in Transylvanian Saxon communities. Following the Romanian revolution in 1989, many Transylvanian Saxon speakers left Romania, and the number of speakers in Romania and overall has dwindled.
Transylvanian is closely related to standard German and even more closely related to Luxembourgish, though speakers tend to think of it as a dialect of German. It is similar to other Germanic languages in terms of vocabulary and grammar. Over the years, it experienced continued influence from standard German and Romanian.