Sometimes it is difficult to draw a boundary line between a dialect and language. Based on this principle, any information about Deutsche and German? Do political reasons have any roles in making these distinctions?
Tough threshold to determine in some cases. What do local respondents indicate (say)? What do non-native speakers who have learned the languages and are linguists have to say? Also, what does the government recognize (could be important in many cases)?
Dear, David, you have raised reasonable questions. Also further questions could be added: which variety is used to represent the standard language and which variety is used to refer to the official language?