Austrian Language: Distinct Or German Dialect?

Austria is a separate country from Germany, but most Austrians speak a dialect that is distinct from standard German, though it is related to the dialect of neighbouring Bavaria. The official language of Austria is Austrian German, which is influenced by Austro-Bavarian, the unofficial native language of Austria. Austrian German is mutually intelligible with Standard German, with some differences in accent and vocabulary. German is the main second language of Austria, and is used in education, media, and administrative communications.

Austrian German is the official language of Austria

Austrian German, or Österreichisches Deutsch, is the official language of Austria. It is a variety of Standard German that is written and spoken in Austria and South Tyrol. Austrian German is distinct from the German spoken in Germany and Switzerland, with differences in vocabulary and grammar. It is influenced by the Austro-Bavarian dialect, which is the main dialect outside Vorarlberg.

Austrian German has its origins in the mid-18th century, when Empress Maria Theresa and her son Joseph II introduced compulsory schooling and administrative reforms in their multilingual Habsburg Empire. The written standard at the time was Oberdeutsche Schreibsprache (Upper German written language), which was influenced by the Bavarian and Alemannic dialects of Austria. However, Empress Maria Theresa and Joseph II decided to adopt the already-standardised chancellery language of Saxony, which was based on the administrative language of Meißen and Dresden.

Austrian German has been standardised since 1951 with the publication of the Österreichisches Wörterbuch ("Austrian Dictionary"). This official dictionary prescribes the spelling rules that define the language. Austrian German is used in formal situations, such as in the media, education, and administrative communications. In less formal settings, Austrians use Bavarian and Alemannic dialects, which are traditionally spoken but rarely written.

Alemannic, or Swiss German, is the main dialect in Vorarlberg and is spoken by about 300,000 people. It is very difficult for most German speakers to understand. Austro-Bavarian, on the other hand, is the main native language of Austria outside Vorarlberg, with approximately 8.3 million speakers. It differs significantly from Standard German, making it challenging for German speakers from other regions to understand.

While there is no language called "Austrian," Austrian German is the official language of Austria and is influenced by the country's unique history and cultural diversity.

Austrian German is influenced by Austro-Bavarian

Austrian German is the official language of Austria, used in education, media, and administrative communications. It is a variety of Standard German, with some differences in vocabulary and accent.

Austro-Bavarian differs significantly from Standard German, making it challenging for German speakers from other regions to understand. It has no official written form, but literary efforts, especially in poems, help depict the pronunciation in the spelling. Certain phrases and words are unique to specific regions of Austria and Bavaria and are rarely used in Standard German. For example, "Griaß God" ("greet God") is a greeting in Austro-Bavarian, while "Servus/Servas" ("at your service") is another common greeting phrase.

The variety of German dialects in Austria, including Austro-Bavarian, should not be confused with Standard Austrian German, which is the standard variety spoken by most Austrians. While Austrian German is influenced by Austro-Bavarian, they are distinct varieties, and Austrian German has its own standardized form defined by the "Österreichisches Wörterbuch" ("Austrian Dictionary").

Austro-Bavarian is the main dialect outside Vorarlberg

Austro-Bavarian is the main dialect spoken in Austria outside of the western state of Vorarlberg, where Alemannic is the main dialect. Austro-Bavarian is a collection of dialects native to the region, with distinct branches spoken in the northern and southern parts of the country. It is also used to refer to the dialect group that includes the Austro-Bavarian dialect, as well as the Cimbrian, Hutterite German, and Mócheno dialects of Germany.

Austro-Bavarian is the unofficial native language of Austria and is considered a dialect of German. However, some sources classify it as a separate language. The International Organization for Standardization has assigned it a unique language code, and UNESCO lists it in the Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger.

Austro-Bavarian differs greatly from Standard German, making it difficult for German speakers from other regions to understand native Austro-Bavarian speakers. It has no official orthography, but literary efforts, especially in poems, have been made to depict the sound of the pronunciation in the spelling.

Austro-Bavarian is one of the Upper German dialects spoken in Switzerland, Austria, and southern Germany. It is a High German language, like Standard German, but they are not the same language. However, Austro-Bavarian and Standard German have influenced each other, and most Austro-Bavarian speakers also speak Standard German.

Alemannic is the main dialect in Vorarlberg

Austrian German is the official language of Austria and is used in education, media, and administrative communications. However, there are several dialects and minority languages spoken throughout the country.

Alemannic, a group of Upper German dialects, is the main dialect in the western state of Vorarlberg. It is spoken by about 300,000 people and has more German Swiss influences. Vorarlberg uses a High Alemannic dialect, which is also spoken in Northern Switzerland (outside Basel) and parts of southern Alsace in France.

The Alemannic dialect in Vorarlberg is quite distinct from the Austro-Bavarian dialect spoken in most other parts of Austria. In fact, the Alemannic dialect has more in common culturally with the Alemannic-speaking regions of German-speaking Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Baden-Württemberg, Bavarian Swabia, and Alsace.

The Alemannic dialect in Vorarlberg is further divided into several regional sub-dialects, such as those of the Montafon, the Bregenzerwald, and Lustenau, which differ significantly from each other. Even within these regions, the dialects may vary from one town or village to the next.

Alemannic is considered a dialect of German, but some linguists and organizations describe it as an independent language based on mutual unintelligibility with Standard German. While Standard German is used in writing and formal contexts in Alemannic-speaking regions, Alemannic is the traditional spoken language.

The oldest known texts in Alemannic date back to the sixth century, with the first coherent texts recorded in the St. Gall Abbey during the Old High German period. Alemannic has a rich literary history, with notable works such as the eighth-century Paternoster and Johann Peter Hebel's "Allemannische Gedichte" published in 1803.

In summary, Alemannic is the main dialect in Vorarlberg, Austria, with cultural influences from neighboring Alemannic-speaking regions. It is a distinct dialect with a long history and literary tradition, considered by some linguists to be an independent language due to its differences from Standard German.

Austria has several minority languages

Austrian German is the official language of Austria and is used in education, media, and administration. However, Austria has several minority languages, and the Austrian Federal Constitution calls for the respect and promotion of ethnic groups resident in the country. The Ethnic Group Act (1976) established a special set of rights for Austrian Croats, Czechs, Hungarians, Romani, Slovaks, and Slovenes. Austria also signed the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in 1992, which came into effect under international law in 2001.

Austria's recognized minority languages include Hungarian, Slovenian, Burgenland-Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Romany, and sign language. In some districts of Carinthia, Slovene is considered an official language alongside German. Similarly, in certain districts of Burgenland, Hungarian and Croatian hold equal status to German as an official language.

Burgenland Croatian, also known as Burgenland-Croatian, is an official language in the Austrian state of Burgenland. It originated following the Ottoman occupation of various regions during the Turkish Wars (1533-1584), which led to waves of refugees settling in southeastern Austria. After the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy in 1918, the Burgenland Croats' territory was divided between Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary. Eventually, most of these areas became part of Austria, and the region of Burgenland was established, giving the Burgenland identifier to these Croats. While the Austrian State Treaty of 1955 granted permission for the use of Croatian in education, judiciary, and public administration, the Law on National Minorities in 1976 limited its use in public life. However, after a constitutional complaint in 1987, Croatian was reintroduced as an official language in 6 out of 7 districts of Burgenland. As of 2001, there were 19,412 speakers of Burgenland Croatian, and many of them also reside in Vienna and Graz due to urbanization and economic factors. Burgenland Croatian combines features from the Chakavian, Shtokavian, and Kajkavian dialects, with some unique phrases and borrowings from German and Hungarian.

Slovene is another minority language spoken in Austria, particularly in the Austrian states of Carinthia and Styria. The Official Census of 1991 reported 15,500 Slovene speakers in Carinthia, with estimates ranging up to 31,000 or 5.7% of the state's population. The Slovenian Gymnasium in Klagenfurt serves as the central educational institution for the Slovene-speaking community in Austria. While Slovene is mutually intelligible with standard Slovenian, there are dialectal differences.

In addition to the languages mentioned above, Serbo-Croatian is the largest minority language in Austria, spoken by over 4% of the population. Turkish is the second-largest minority language, spoken by 2.3% of the population. Other minority languages in Austria include Romanian, with an estimated 18,800 speakers, and various dialects such as Swabian and Walser.

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