Bavaria, or Free State of Bavaria, is a state in the southeast of Germany. Bavarians speak a dialect of German that is distinct from standard German. The Bavarian dialect is primarily spoken rather than written, and many Bavarian terms are spelled phonetically. Bavarian is commonly considered a dialect of German, but some classify it as a separate language. The International Organization for Standardization has assigned a unique ISO 639-3 language code (bar) to Bavarian, and UNESCO lists it in the Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
Official Name | Free State of Bavaria |
Location | Southeast of Germany |
Area | 70,550.19 km2 |
Population | Over 13.08 million |
Major Cities | Munich, Nuremberg, Augsburg |
Culture | Catholic heritage, conservative traditions, cuisine, architecture, festivals, Alpine symbolism |
Economy | Second-largest among German states by GDP |
Language | Austro-Bavarian, East Franconian, Swabian |
Flag | Two official flags with white and blue colours |
Coat of Arms | Designed by Eduard Ege in 1946 |
Government | Minister-President of Bavaria, eleven Ministers, six Secretaries of State |
What You'll Learn
- Bavarian is a dialect of German, but some classify it as a separate language
- The International Organization for Standardization has assigned a unique ISO 639-3 language code to Bavarian
- Bavarian is spoken by approximately 12 million people
- Bavarian is primarily spoken rather than written
- The difference between Bavarian and Standard German is larger than the difference between Danish and some varieties of Norwegian
Bavarian is a dialect of German, but some classify it as a separate language
Bavarian, or "Bairisch" in German, is a dialect of German spoken in the southern German state of Bavaria. It is also spoken in Austria, South Tyrol in Italy, and parts of Brazil, the United States, Canada, and Hungary. Bavarian is the largest of all German dialects, with approximately 12-14 million speakers.
Bavarian is considered a dialect of German by many, but some classify it as a separate language. The International Organization for Standardization has given it a unique language code, and UNESCO lists it as an endangered language. However, some scholars of Bavarian criticise its classification as a separate language.
Bavarian differs from Standard German in several ways. Firstly, in terms of pronunciation, Bavarian has a greater number of vowel sounds, with around a dozen distinguishable ones. In some dialects, these vowels can be distinguished by nasality, tenseness, and length. While the consonant sounds are similar to those in Standard German, there are some differences, such as the realisation of /k/ as an affricate [k͡x] in certain positions in some dialects.
Secondly, in terms of grammar, Bavarian has a different way of expressing noun cases. In German, articles and certain noun patterns are declined by case, gender, and number. In Bavarian, nouns are generally not inflected for case, and only the article attached to the noun is inflected. Additionally, Bavarian verbs have a unique mood called the optative, which expresses a speaker's hopes or wishes regarding an action.
Thirdly, Bavarian has a lack of standardisation. While there are grammars, vocabularies, and even a translation of the Bible in Bavarian, there is no common orthographic standard. This means that Bavarian is primarily a spoken language, although it is used in various media, literature, and songs.
Finally, the difference between Bavarian and Standard German is larger than the difference between some other language variants that are considered separate languages, such as Danish and Norwegian, or Czech and Slovak.
Bavaria has a distinct culture within Germany, with its own political party, the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU), and unique traditions such as Oktoberfest, the Schuhplatter stomp dance, and traditional costumes like Lederhosen and Dirndl. While most Bavarians do not want to separate from Germany, many identify as "Bavarians" first.
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The International Organization for Standardization has assigned a unique ISO 639-3 language code to Bavarian
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has assigned a unique ISO 639-3 language code to Bavarian. ISO 639 is a standardised nomenclature used to classify languages. Each language is assigned a two-letter code (set 1) and a three-letter code (sets 2-5). The two-letter codes are defined in part 1 of the standard (ISO 639-1), while the three-letter codes are defined in part 3 (ISO 639-3). The three-letter codes aim to cover all known natural languages and largely supersede the ISO 639-2 standard, which also uses three-letter codes.
The ISO 639-3 code for Bavarian is 'bar'. This code was created in 2007 and is used to represent the Bavarian language in ISO 639-3. While Bavarian is commonly considered a dialect of German, some sources classify it as a separate language. This classification is supported by the ISO 639-3 code assignment and the fact that UNESCO lists Bavarian in the Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger. However, the classification of Bavarian as an individual language has been criticised by some scholars of Bavarian.
Bavarian is a major group of Upper German varieties spoken in the southeast of the German language area, including the German state of Bavaria, most of Austria, and the Italian region of South Tyrol. It is spoken by approximately 12 million people in an area of around 125,000 square kilometres, making it the largest of all German dialects. Bavarian differs significantly from Standard German, and even native speakers of German may find it difficult to adopt the Bavarian dialect.
Bavarian has several dialects, including Northern Bavarian, Central Bavarian, and Southern Bavarian. These dialects can be further divided into subgroups, with noticeable differences between them. For example, the accents of Carinthia, Styria, and Tyrol in Austria are distinct from each other. Additionally, there is a marked difference between eastern and western Central Bavarian, roughly coinciding with the border between Austria and Bavaria.
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Bavarian is spoken by approximately 12 million people
Bavarian, or Austro-Bavarian, is a dialect of German spoken by approximately 12 million people. It is the largest of all German dialects and is spoken in the south-east of the German language area, including the German state of Bavaria, most of Austria, and the Italian region of South Tyrol. Before 1945, it was also prevalent in parts of the southern Sudetenland and western Hungary.
Bavarian is considered a dialect of German due to several reasons, including the perception of its speakers, the lack of standardization, and the traditional use of Standard German as a roofing language. However, some sources classify Bavarian as a separate language. For example, the International Organization for Standardization has assigned it a unique ISO 639-3 language code (bar), and UNESCO lists Bavarian in the Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger.
Bavarian has several dialects, including Northern Bavarian, Central Bavarian, and Southern Bavarian. It differs noticeably from Standard German and is difficult for native Bavarian speakers to adopt the standard pronunciation. However, educated Bavarians and Austrians can usually read, write, and understand Standard German.
Bavaria, officially known as the Free State of Bavaria, is a German state with a distinct culture and identity. While it is believed to be 'typically German', many of the traditions often used to depict Germany, such as the consumption of beer and sausage and the performance of the Schuhplatter stomp dance, actually originate from Bavaria.
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Bavarian is primarily spoken rather than written
Bavarian, or Austro-Bavarian, is a dialect of German spoken in the south-east of the German language area, including the German state of Bavaria, most of Austria, and the Italian region of South Tyrol. It is the largest of all German dialects, with approximately 12 million speakers. Bavarian is primarily spoken rather than written. Most individuals who speak Bavarian in everyday life would write in Hochdeutsch (standard German). Bavarian German doesn't have a written form, which may be due to the lack of Bavarian dialect education in schools.
Bavarian is commonly considered to be a dialect of German, but some sources classify it as a separate language. The International Organization for Standardization has assigned a unique ISO 639-3 language code (bar) to Bavarian, and UNESCO lists it in the Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger. However, the classification of Bavarian as an individual language has been criticized by some scholars.
Bavarian differs significantly from standard German, and even native German speakers may have difficulty understanding it. The difference between Bavarian and standard German is larger than the difference between Danish and some varieties of Norwegian or between Czech and Slovak. Bavarian has its own alphabet, which includes additional vowel sounds that are not heard in standard German. This gives the Bavarian dialect a unique sound that differentiates it from standard German pronunciation.
Bavaria has a distinct culture, largely due to its Catholic heritage and conservative traditions. The state has its own political culture and is the only state in Germany with its own party within the German government, the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU). Many Bavarians identify as "`Bavarians` first and `Germans` second", and the state has a strong sense of unity and belonging.
In addition to its unique language and culture, Bavaria also has a rich history that sets it apart from the rest of Germany. It was settled by Iron Age Celtic tribes and later conquered by the Roman Empire in the 1st century BC. It became the Duchy of Bavaria in the 6th century AD and was later incorporated into the Holy Roman Empire. Bavaria became an independent kingdom in 1806 and joined the Prussian-led German Empire in 1871. After World War I, the Bavarian monarchy was abolished, and the state became a republic known as the Free State of Bavaria.
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The difference between Bavarian and Standard German is larger than the difference between Danish and some varieties of Norwegian
Bavarian, or "Bairisch", is a dialect of German spoken in the south-east of the German language area, including the German state of Bavaria, most of Austria, and the Italian region of South Tyrol. It is considered a dialect of German, but some classify it as a separate language. Bavarian is spoken by approximately 12 million people, making it the largest of all German dialects.
Standard German, on the other hand, is the primary medium of education in Bavaria and Austria. While Bavarians can read and write Standard German, they may have little opportunity to speak it, especially in rural areas. In these regions, Standard German is often referred to as "written German" and is restricted to use in writing and the media.
Norwegian and Swedish still preserve the old pairs of short and long vowels, as suggested by their writing systems, while Danish has a tendency to differentiate, leading to a qualitative overlap in the pronunciation of certain vowels. Danish pronunciation is typically described as 'softer', referring to the frequent approximants corresponding to Norwegian and Swedish plosives in some positions in the word. Additionally, the Danish 'r' is often vocalized or dropped, while Norwegian and Swedish feature alveolar trills or uvular trills/fricatives.
While the difference between Bavarian and Standard German is quite significant, the comparison between Danish and Norwegian is more nuanced. Urban East Norwegian is closer to 16th-century Danish than contemporary Danish due to its close influence by the written Danish language, which modern spoken Danish has diverged from. However, due to this reason, contemporary Danish speakers generally do not understand spoken Norwegian as well as the extremely similar written norms would lead one to expect.
To summarize, the differences between Bavarian and Standard German are more pronounced than the differences between Danish and some varieties of Norwegian. While Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish share a common ancestor and are largely mutually intelligible, there are notable variations in pronunciation and vocabulary that set them apart.
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Frequently asked questions
The word for Bavaria in the Bavarian dialect is "Bairisch".
Bavarian is a dialect of German, but it sounds like an entirely different language to native German speakers. The difference between the two is larger than the difference between Danish and some varieties of Norwegian or between Czech and Slovak.
No, Bavarian is also spoken in most of Austria and the Italian region of South Tyrol.