Damon Mcknight
Austria's official language is German, specifically Austrian German, which differs from German as spoken in Germany and Switzerland. However, there are many other languages spoken in Austria, including several minority languages. The main dialect outside Vorarlberg is Austro-Bavarian, which is the unofficial native language of Austria and has no official orthography. The main dialect in Vorarlberg is Alemannic, which is difficult for most German speakers to understand.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Official language | Austrian German |
| Lingua franca | Austrian German |
| De facto first language | Austrian German |
| Language used in media, schools, and formal announcements | Austrian German |
| Main dialect outside Vorarlberg | Austro-Bavarian |
| Main dialect in Vorarlberg | Alemannic |
| Minority languages | Hungarian, Slovenian, Burgenland-Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Romany, Sign language, Turkish, Serbian, Italian, French, English |
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What You'll Learn
German is the official language
Austrian German is the written and spoken language of Austria. It differs from German as spoken in Germany and Switzerland in terms of vocabulary and grammar. The German dialects spoken in Austria share characteristics with dialects in the German states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, as well as Eastern Switzerland. Austrian German is influenced by Austro-Bavarian, which is the unofficial native language of Austria. Austro-Bavarian is a collection of dialects native to the region, with distinct branches in the northern and southern parts of the country. More than 8 million people in Austria speak Bavarian, making it the de facto main language of Austria.
Alemannic is another group of dialects that belongs to the Upper German branch of the Germanic family of languages. It is spoken in Vorarlberg, Austria's westernmost federal state, as well as in Northern Switzerland. It is very difficult for people in other parts of Austria to understand. Other dialects of German spoken in Austria include Middle Bavarian, which is spoken in Ober- and Niederösterreich, as well as in Vienna, and Southern Bavarian, which is spoken in Tirol, Kärnten, and parts of Steiermark.
In addition to German, there are several other languages spoken in Austria by minority populations. These include Turkish, Croatian, Hungarian, Slovenian, Slovak, Czech, and Romanian. English, French, and Italian are also spoken as foreign languages in Austria.
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Austro-Bavarian is the main dialect
The main dialect of Austria outside Vorarlberg is Austro-Bavarian, which is also a recognised language in its own right. It is a group of Upper German varieties spoken in the south-east of the German language area, including the German state of Bavaria, most of Austria, and South Tyrol in Italy. It is the largest of all German dialects, with approximately 12 million speakers.
Austro-Bavarian is considered a dialect of German due to the perception of its speakers, the lack of standardisation, and the traditional use of Standard German as a roofing language. However, some sources classify it as a separate language. The difference between Austro-Bavarian and Standard German is more significant than the difference between Danish and some varieties of Norwegian or between Czech and Slovak.
Austro-Bavarian has no official orthography, but literary efforts exist, especially in poems, to depict the sound of the pronunciation in the spelling. Certain words and phrases are only used in particular regions of Austria and Bavaria and are rarely used in Standard German. For example, "Griaß God" ("greet God" or "may God greet you") and "Servus/Servas" ("at your service") are used as greeting phrases. Other terms are strictly dialectal, such as "Pfiat di / Pfiat eich (euch)" ("watch over you [God]" or "may God watch over you"), which means "goodbye".
Bavaria and Austria officially use Standard German as the primary medium of education. With universal education, the exposure of speakers of Austro-Bavarian to Standard German has increased, and many younger people, especially in cities and larger towns, speak Standard German with only a slight accent.
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Austria has many minority languages
German is the official language of Austria and the lingua franca. However, Austria has many minority languages, some of which have official status. The Austrian Federal Constitution calls for the respect and promotion of ethnic groups resident in Austria. A special set of rights for Austrian Croats, Czechs, Hungarians, Romani, Slovaks, and Slovenes was established under the Ethnic Group Act of 1976.
The largest minority language in Austria is Serbo-Croatian, spoken by more than 4% of the population. Turkish is the second-largest minority language, spoken by 2.3% of the population. Burgenland Croatian, an official language in Austrian Burgenland, is spoken by 2.5% of Austrians. The Burgenland Croats are recognized as a minority and have enjoyed special rights since the Austrian State Treaty of 1955. Slovene is an official language in Austrian Carinthia and is spoken by 0.3% of Austrians. Carinthian Slovenes are also recognized as a minority and have enjoyed special rights and affirmative action since the Austrian State Treaty of 1955.
In some districts of Burgenland, Hungarian and Croatian have equal status to German as an official language. Hungarian has traditionally held an important position in Austria due to historical ties between the two countries. Today, Hungarian is spoken by around 1,000 people in Burgenland. The Slovene-speaking community in Austria has traditionally inhabited a strip of territory in the Austrian states of Carinthia and Styria, with a larger share of the community living in Carinthia. The entire community is bilingual in German, and the local Slovene dialect differs from standard Slovene.
Austria ratified the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in 2001, and the application of the charter became effective under international law in 2001. However, in the view of the representatives of the speakers of minority languages, the federal laws concerning regional or minority languages, as well as the Austrian application of the European Charter, remain too restrictive.
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Austrian German is distinct from German
German is the official language of Austria and is spoken by nearly all Austrians. However, Austrian German is distinct from German in several ways. Firstly, there are accent and vocabulary differences between Austrian German and Standard German. For example, in Austria, "hello" is expressed as "grüß gott" or "servus", whereas in Germany, people say "hallo" or "guten tag". Another example is the word for "tomato", which differs between the two varieties of German. Additionally, Austrian German is generally softer and more melodic in pronunciation compared to Standard German.
Secondly, Austrian German exhibits some grammatical differences. The perfect tense in Austrian German sometimes uses "sein" ("to be"), whereas Standard German typically employs "haben" ("to have"). For instance, the Austrian German phrase "ich bin gesessen" (literally, "I have sat") uses "sein" as the auxiliary verb, while the Standard German equivalent would be "ich habe gesessen". Austrian German also has a distinct diminutive form, with the endings "-el" and "-erl" favoured over the Standard German "-chen" or "-lein".
Thirdly, Austrian German encompasses various dialects that differ from Standard German. The Viennese dialect, for instance, is considered more challenging for German speakers to understand. The dialects of the Tyrolean valleys can even be incomprehensible to other Austrians. The Austro-Bavarian dialect, prevalent in Vienna and other parts of eastern Austria, has influenced the development of Standard Austrian German. However, it should be noted that Standard Austrian German is distinct from Austro-Bavarian and other dialects, with its own unique characteristics.
Finally, Austria historically employed a specialised form of German called Österreichische Kanzleisprache, or "Austrian chancellery language", for official government documents. This form of the language is highly complex and challenging to understand, even for native speakers, due to its specialised vocabulary and grammatical structures. While its usage has declined due to administrative reforms, it demonstrates the distinct nature of Austrian German and its evolution over time.
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English is the most spoken foreign language
The official language of Austria is Austrian German, which is mutually intelligible with Standard German but differs in accent and vocabulary. Austrian German is also influenced by the Austro-Bavarian dialect, which is the unofficial native language of Austria. While German is the official language, there are many other languages and dialects spoken in Austria.
Austria is also home to several minority languages, some of which have official status. These include Hungarian, Slovenian, Burgenland-Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Romany, and sign language. The recognition of these minority languages varies by region, with some regions recognizing languages of autonomous ethnic groups as official languages. For example, in the Austrian regions of Carinthia and Styria, "Windisch" is used to describe local Slovenian dialects mixed with German words. In addition, the large number of Turkish speakers and immigrants from former Yugoslavia is not recognized as a protected minority language and is not taught in schools.
The variety of languages in Austria can be attributed to its history and cultural diversity. Austria's borders have changed throughout its history, and it was once part of the multi-ethnic Austro-Hungarian Empire. Immigration has also played a role in diversifying the languages spoken in the country, with guest workers from Turkey and Yugoslavia bringing their languages and cultures in the 1960s and 1970s.
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Frequently asked questions
Austrian German is the official language of Austria and is used in education, media and administrative communications.
There are about 250 languages spoken throughout Austria. Besides Austrian German, the other major unofficial national languages are Alemannic and Austro-Bavarian. There are also several minority languages spoken in Austria, including Turkish, Croatian, Slovenian, Hungarian, Slovak, Czech, Romani, Serbian, Romanian, and English.
About 97% to 98% of people in Austria speak German, and a little over 93% call it their mother tongue.
Some common phrases in Austrian German include "Griaß God" (literally "greet God", meaning "may God greet you"), "Servus/Servas" ("at your service"), and "Pfiat di / Pfiat eich (euch)" (literally "watch over you [God]", meaning "goodbye").
