The Unique Melody Of Austrian Accents

The Austrian accent is a variation of the German accent, with some distinct differences in grammar, pronunciation, melody and even vocabulary. It is said to be 'singsongy' and is often associated with the Viennese. One way to differentiate an Austrian accent from a German one is to use the one like in 'Sue', 'rice', 'sun' and 'science' (for example, 'die Sonne') instead of the soft/voiced 's' like in 'zoo'.

The Austrian accent is similar to the German accent, but with some differences in pronunciation

The colloquial language between the two accents shares elements of standard High German, regional accents and dialects. However, the colloquial language differs from Austrian High German in grammar, pronunciation, melody and even vocabulary.

It is very hard to learn a new accent when you already know the language. However, if you start off learning a specific accent of a language, rather than learning the basics, you will have more success in speaking that way.

The Viennese/Austrian accent is particularly singsongy.

The Austrian accent is described as 'singsongy'

For example, one way to not sound like you're from Germany is to avoid using the soft/voiced 's' like in 'zoo' or 'rise'. Instead, use the one like in 'Sue', 'rice', 'sun' or 'science'.

It is very hard to learn a new accent when you already know the language. However, if you start off learning a specific accent of a language, rather than learning the basics, you will have more success in speaking that way.

Austrians speak standard High German, but with some differences in grammar, melody and vocabulary

German is a language rich with different accents, and the Austrian accent is one of the most distinctive. It is described as 'singsongy', and is quite different from the German accent.

It is hard to learn a new accent when you already know the language, and even harder to sound like a native speaker. However, if you start off learning a specific accent of a language, rather than learning the basics, you will have more success in speaking that way.

To learn the Austrian accent, it is recommended that you get more exposure to Austrian German than to German German. This could include watching Austrian TV, listening to Austrian news, and speaking to Austrian friends.

The soft/voiced 's' is used differently in Austrian German

The Austrian accent is said to be quite different from the German accent. One way to not sound like you're from Germany is to avoid using the soft/voiced 's' as in 'zoo' or 'rise'. Instead, use the 's' sound as in 'Sue', 'rice', 'sun' or 'science'.

The colloquial language between Austrian and German shares elements of standard High German, regional accents and dialects. However, the colloquial language differs from Austrian High German in grammar, pronunciation, melody and even vocabulary. This means that if you want to sound like an average Austrian or Viennese, you won't learn that from books or language schools.

It is very hard to learn a new accent when you already know the language. However, if you start off learning a specific accent of a language, rather than learning the basics, you will have more success in speaking that way.

Specific phonemes that sound different are also important to note when learning the Austrian accent.

It is hard for native English speakers to learn the Austrian accent

Austrian German is also rich with different accents, so it is important to be exposed to Austrian German rather than German German. However, this is difficult because Germans are often unaware of how thick their accent is when they think they are speaking clean standard High German.

It is also hard to learn the Austrian accent from books because Austrians write in standard High German, and it is not taught in language schools. Instead, it is recommended that you surround yourself with the language by watching Austrian TV and speaking to Austrian friends.

Frequently asked questions