Abstract
In this article five translations of the parable of the prodigal son into Highest Alemannic dialects are compared as regards a set of morphosyntactic features. With the exception of one text (recorded in a dialect of Wallis, in German speaking Switzerland) the other four translations were recorded in two Walser communities in the North of Italy (Formazza and Rimella) and they cover a time span of 160 years. Taking into account diachronic as well as synchronic variation, this article discusses the nature of linguistic change in these minority dialects. In particular, the notions of linguistic isolation, contact and language death are considered in the interpretation of the observed phenomena.