Austrians' Accent Absence: Why Do They Sound So Neutral?

Austrian German, or simply Austrian, is the variety of Standard German written and spoken in Austria and South Tyrol. It has distinct accents and dialects, and its vocabulary differs from German in several ways. For example, in Austria, tomatoes are called Paradeiser, while they are called Tomate in much of Germany. Austrians also have a unique accent and cadence when speaking Standard German, which Bavarians do not have. The Bavarian and Austrian accents are distinct enough to be easily distinguished by native speakers.

Austrians have a distinct accent and vocabulary when speaking German

In less formal situations, Austrians use Bavarian and Alemannic dialects, which are commonly spoken in Austria but rarely written. In formal situations, they use Austrian Standard German, which is the variation used in the media and for other formal situations. Austrian Standard German has the highest sociolinguistic prestige locally.

The Austrian accent is described as "bouncy" and "more Swedish" than the German accent. The vowels are long and broad, and the cadence is more like Swedish than German. The Bavarian accent and Austrian accent are distinct enough to be easily distinguished.

Some examples of different vocabulary used in Austrian German and German are:

• "Grüß Gott" (Austrian) vs. "Guten Tag" (German)
• "Semmel" (Austrian) vs. "Brötchen" (German)
• "Erdapfel" (Austrian) vs. "Kartoffeln" (German)
• "Paradeiser" (Austrian) vs. "Tomate" (German)
• "Mahlzeit" (Austrian) vs. "Guten Appetit" (German)
• "Spital" (Austrian) vs. "Krankenhaus" (German)
• "Sackerl" (Austrian) vs. "Tüte" (German)

Austrian German is influenced by the Bavarian and Alemannic dialects

Austrian German, or simply "Austrian", is the variety of Standard German written and spoken in Austria and South Tyrol. It is largely similar to Standard German, but there are some noticeable differences. In less formal situations, Austrians use Bavarian and Alemannic dialects, which are traditionally spoken but rarely written in Austria.

The standardisation of Austrian German goes back to the 18th century. When mandatory school attendance was introduced in 1774, the government created administrative language standards. Over the years, written German in Austria was influenced by Bavarian and Alemannic dialects. These variations to the language give the dialect its unique characteristics.

Bavarian speakers tend to soften, drop, or swallow final consonants. Tight vowel sounds often get broader in Bavarian. Unlike Standard German, Bavarian dialects use double negatives. Spoken by about 10 million people, the Alemannic dialects are found in the Reutte District and Vorarlberg. These areas lie to the west, where Austria borders Liechtenstein and Switzerland. Like Bavarian, Alemannic dialects are a variation of Hochdeutsch (High German).

In Alemannic, the standard German "gut" (good) becomes "guat", and "bisschen" (a little bit) becomes "bitzle". In Standard German, the common syllable "ei" is pronounced like the English word "eye". It sounds more like "owe-uh" in the west of Austria.

Most Austrians speak a Bavarian dialect. This dialect family, part of the High German group of dialects, counts about 12 million total speakers worldwide. Alemannic dialects are also a variation of High German.

Austrians or Bavarians can usually understand each other when speaking their respective dialects. However, native Austrians report that it is difficult to understand Austrian dialects from other regions. For example, people from Vienna might struggle to understand Tyroleans, who live on the other side of the country.

The Austrian accent is particularly noticeable to non-native speakers

Austrian German is recognised by the EU as a pluricentric language, meaning it has several standard, official variations. It is also recognised in Northern Italy, particularly in South Tyrol, which was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until 1918.

The Austrian accent is distinct from the German accent, and even from other German dialects. The Bavarian dialect, for example, is far more similar to Austrian German than the northern German dialect. The Austrian accent is described as having long and broad vowels, and a cadence that sounds more Swedish than German. The accent is so distinctive that even when Austrians speak English with a heavy Austrian accent, non-natives can identify their origin.

In addition to the standard Austrian German, most Austrians speak one of several Upper German dialects in everyday life. These dialects are so varied that even other Austrians may struggle to understand each other. For example, the dialects of the deeper valleys of Tyrol are often unintelligible to other Tyroleans.

Austrians also have distinct vocabulary, which differs from German and other German dialects. For example, in Austria, tomatoes are called "Paradeiser," while in Germany, they are "Tomaten." Potatoes are another food item with different names in the two languages: "Erdapfel" in Austria and "Kartoffeln" in Germany.

The Austrian accent and vocabulary differ depending on the region

In addition to the standard variety, in everyday life, most Austrians speak one of several Upper German dialects. While strong forms of the various dialects are not fully mutually intelligible to northern Germans, communication is much easier in Bavaria, especially in rural areas, where the Bavarian dialect still predominates as the mother tongue. The Central Austro-Bavarian dialects are more intelligible to speakers of Standard German than the Southern Austro-Bavarian dialects of Tyrol.

In Germany, the words "stehen" (to stand) and "gestehen" (to confess) are identical in the present perfect: "habe gestanden". The Austrian variant avoids that potential ambiguity with "bin gestanden" from "stehen", and "habe gestanden" from "gestehen".

In addition, the preterite (simple past) is very rarely used in Austria, especially in spoken language, with the exception of some modal verbs (ich sollte, ich wollte).

There are many official terms that differ in Austrian German from their usage in most parts of Germany. For example, "Jänner" (January) is used instead of "Januar", "Feber" (February) instead of "Februar", "heuer" (this year) instead of "dieses Jahr", and "Stiege" (stairs) instead of "Treppen".

Even when speaking Standard German, Austrians have a unique accent and cadence that Bavarians don't have. The Bavarian accent and Austrian one are distinct enough to be easily distinguished.

Austrian German is recognised as a separate language by some linguists

Austrian German, or simply Austrian, is the variety of Standard German written and spoken in Austria and South Tyrol. It is the official language of Austria and is used in the media, in schools, and for formal announcements. Austrian German has its roots in the mid-18th century, when Empress Maria Theresa and her son Joseph II introduced compulsory schooling and several administrative reforms in their multilingual Habsburg Empire. The written standard at the time was heavily influenced by the Bavarian and Alemannic dialects of Austria. However, instead of creating a new standard based on these dialects, the Empress and her son adopted the already-standardized chancellery language of Saxony.

Since 1951, the standardized form of Austrian German used in official and educational contexts has been defined by the Österreichisches Wörterbuch ("Austrian Dictionary"). This dictionary prescribes spelling rules that define the official language. Austrian German has distinct vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar rules that set it apart from Standard German. For example, Austrian German uses the "sharp s" (ß), which is not used in Swiss German. Additionally, Austrian German has unique terms for certain concepts, such as "Jänner" for January and "Erdapfel" for potato.

The distinction between Austrian German and Standard German is not just a matter of accent or dialect but has been described as being on the level of a separate language. Some linguists classify Austrian German as a separate language due to its significant differences from Standard German. Austrian German serves as a roofing language for the various Germanic language variants spoken in Austria, allowing speakers of different dialects to communicate with each other. While most Austrians are able to speak Austrian German, they also use Bavarian and Alemannic dialects in less formal situations.

In summary, Austrian German is recognised by some linguists as a separate language due to its distinct vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar rules. It serves as the official language of Austria and is used in formal contexts, while Bavarian and Alemannic dialects are used in everyday conversation.

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