Lexi Webster
Austria's official language is German, specifically Austrian German, which differs from German as it is spoken in Germany. Austrian German is influenced by the Austro-Bavarian dialect, the main dialect outside Vorarlberg. Other dialects include Alemannic, the main dialect in Vorarlberg, and numerous minority languages, some of which have official status.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Official Language | Austrian German |
| Lingua Franca | Austrian German |
| De Facto First Language | Austrian German |
| Language Used in Media | Austrian German |
| Language Used in Schools | Austrian German |
| Language Used in Formal Announcements | Austrian German |
| Language Used in Official Governmental Use | Austrian German |
| Main Dialect Outside Vorarlberg | Austro-Bavarian |
| Main Dialect in Vorarlberg | Alemannic |
| Minority Languages | Turkish, Croatian, Hungarian, Romanian, Slovene, Czech, Slovak, Romani, Austrian Sign Language, Swabian, Walser, Jenisch, Windisch |
| Second Most Spoken Language | English |
| Third Most Spoken Language | French |
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Official Language
The official language of Austria is German, which has been the case since 1920, as outlined in Article 8 of the country's constitution. Austrian German is a variety of Standard High German, with unique vocabulary and pronunciation, and is the written and spoken language of Austria. It is influenced by the Austro-Bavarian dialect and other dialects, including Alemannic, the main dialect in Vorarlberg, and is different from German as it is spoken and written in Germany and Switzerland.
Austrian German is the de facto first language of Austria, with almost the entire population able to speak it. It is the language used in the media, in schools, and for official publications and announcements. However, the common spoken language of Austria is not Austrian German, but Bavarian and Alemannic dialects. These dialects are Upper German local languages with varying degrees of mutual intelligibility and with speakers of non-Austrian German dialects.
Austria has a population of about 9 million people, and it is estimated that 8.5 million people (95-98%) speak German. The remaining population speaks a variety of minority languages, with Croatian, Slovenian, and Hungarian being the most common. There are also immigrant languages, with Turkish and Serbian being the most widely spoken. English is also widely understood, especially by younger Austrians, and French and Italian are popular foreign languages.
Austria has several officially recognised minority languages, including Burgenland Croatian, Czech, Hungarian, Romani, Slovak, and Slovene. In the Austrian federal state of Carinthia, there is a significant indigenous Slovene-speaking minority, and Slovene is recognised as an official language alongside German. In some districts of Burgenland, Hungarian and Croatian are also recognised as official languages, and the region has significant Hungarian- and Croatian-speaking minorities.
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German Influence
German is the official language of Austria and constitutes a lingua franca and de facto first language. Austrian German is influenced by the Austro-Bavarian dialect and is mutually intelligible with Standard German. German is used in the media, in schools, and for formal announcements in Austria. The variety of German used in Austria is known as Austrian German and is partially influenced by Austro-Bavarian. It is reported that 97% to 98% of people in Austria speak German, while a little over 93% call it their mother tongue. Official publications and announcements, as well as the media and public schools, use German.
The history of Austria is closely tied to that of Germany, with both countries being part of the Frankish Empire and later the Kingdom of Bavaria. Austrian German has its beginnings in the mid-18th century when Empress Maria Theresa and her son Joseph II introduced compulsory schooling in 1774 and implemented several administrative reforms in their multilingual Habsburg Empire. The written standard at the time was Oberdeutsche Schreibsprache (Upper German written language), heavily influenced by the Bavarian and Alemannic dialects of Austria. However, the Austrian chancellery language (Österreichische Kanzleisprache) was used for official government documents until the late 20th century.
Austrian German differs from Standard German in accent, vocabulary, and some grammatical constructions. For example, in Austrian German, the past tense is formed similarly to Standard German, but there are differences in the auxiliary verbs used in the past perfect tense. Additionally, Austrian German uses different diminutives, such as "-erl" instead of the Standard German "-chen" or "-lein". Austrian German also includes numerous words and idioms borrowed from languages like Czech, Hungarian, Italian, and South Slavic, reflecting the diverse linguistic influences in the country.
In terms of dialects, all Austrian states except Vorarlberg speak the Bavarian dialect or a variant influenced by it. The Alemannic dialect is found in Tyrol and Vorarlberg, while the Viennese dialect is influential and blends central and southern Bavarian with high language features. The dialects in Austria follow a continuum, meaning there is a smooth transition between dialect and standard language, even in official contexts.
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Minority Languages
The official language of Austria is German, which is also the de facto first language of the country. Austrian German differs from German as it is spoken in Germany, as it is influenced by the Austro-Bavarian dialect. Austrian German is also influenced by numerous words and idioms borrowed and adopted from Czech, Hungarian, Italian, Yiddish, and South Slavic languages. While Austria's official language is German, the country has many other spoken languages and dialects.
Austria has several minority languages, some of which have official status. According to the European Commission, Austria's "recognized minority languages are Hungarian, Slovenian, Burgenland-Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Romany, and sign language." The Austrian Federal Constitution calls for the respect and promotion of ethnic groups resident in Austria, and a special set of rights for Austrian Croats, Czechs, Hungarians, Romani, Slovaks, and Slovenes was established under the terms of the Ethnic Group Act (German: Volksgruppengesetz) in 1976. The rights of Croats and Slovenes are also set forth in the Austrian State Treaty.
Serbo-Croatian is the largest minority language in Austria, spoken by more than 4% of the population. Turkish is the second-largest minority language, spoken by 2.3% of the population. In 2021, it was estimated that there were 18,800 Romanian speakers in Austria. Burgenland Croatian, an official language in Austrian Burgenland, is spoken by 2.5% of Austrians. Slovene is an official language in Austrian Carinthia and is used by 12,686 Austrians as vernacular. Carinthian Slovenes are recognized as a minority and have enjoyed special rights and affirmative action following the Austrian State Treaty (Staatsvertrag) of 1955.
In addition to the official minority languages, there are other minority languages spoken in Austria that are not protected by the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, such as "Jenisch" and "Windisch," which is the German word for a number of Slavic languages. The Austrian regions of Carinthia and Styria use "Windisch" to describe local Slovenian dialects interspersed with numerous German words. The large number of Turkish speakers and immigrants from former Yugoslavia do not have their languages recognized as protected minority languages, so they are not taught in schools. An extremely rare language used in Austria is Aramaic, which is spoken by the Christian Assyrian diaspora community in Vienna.
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Dialects
The official language of Austria is German, which is also the de facto first language of the country. Austrian German (or Austrian Standard German) differs from German as it is spoken in Germany, and is influenced by the Austro-Bavarian dialect. Austro-Bavarian is the main dialect outside of Vorarlberg, and is spoken in the north-eastern and southern parts of Austria. It differs greatly from Standard German, and it is very difficult for German speakers from other regions to understand.
Alemannic is the main dialect in Vorarlberg, and is also spoken in parts of Tyrol. It is very difficult for German speakers to understand, and is a High Alemannic dialect, the same dialect group spoken in Northern Switzerland (outside Basel) and parts of southern Alsace, France.
Bavarian dialects are more common in the rest of Austria, and are also spoken beyond Austria's borders. The dialects are fluid, and subtle changes can be detected within a few kilometres of one area to another. In larger cities such as Linz or Graz, dialects are spoken much less frequently, but in rural communities, regional dialects are more commonly used. The most prominent regional dialect is the Viennese dialect, which influences many other dialects, and is a mixture of central and southern Bavarian with high language features.
There are many official terms that differ in Austrian German from their usage in Germany. For example, 'Jänner' is used for January instead of 'Januar', and 'Stiege' for stairs instead of 'Treppen'. There are also many differences in culinary, administrative, and legal terms.
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Language History
The official language of Austria is German, which has been the case since 1920. Austrian German is a variety of Standard High German, influenced by the Austro-Bavarian dialect. It is usually written in Austria and Italian South Tyrol and has been standardized in Austria since the 1951 publication of the Österreichisches Wörterbuch by the Ministry of Education, Science and Research. However, the de facto common spoken languages of Austria are Bavarian and Alemannic dialects.
Alemannic, or Swiss German, is spoken by about 300,000 people, primarily in Vorarlberg, where a High Alemannic dialect is used. This is the same dialect group spoken in Northern Switzerland (outside Basel) and parts of southern Alsace, France. To most German speakers, it is very difficult to understand.
Austro-Bavarian is the main dialect outside Vorarlberg and is the main native language of Austria. It has approximately 8.3 million speakers in Austria. The north-eastern parts of Austria, including the capital Vienna, speak Central Austro-Bavarian dialects, while the southern parts speak Southern Austro-Bavarian dialects. Austro-Bavarian has no official orthography, but there are literary efforts, especially in poems, to depict the sound of the pronunciation in the spelling.
In addition to German and its dialects, there are several minority languages spoken in Austria, some of which have official status. According to the European Commission, Austria's recognized minority languages include Hungarian, Slovenian, Burgenland-Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Romany, and sign language. In the mixed-language districts of Carinthia, Slovene is also considered an official language, and in some districts of Burgenland, Hungarian and Croatian have equal status to German as an official language. Serbo-Croatian is the largest minority language in Austria, spoken by more than 4% of the population. Turkish is the second-largest minority language, spoken by 2.3% of the population.
Austria's history as part of the multi-ethnic Austro-Hungarian Empire and its borders' changes over time have contributed to the country's linguistic diversity. Immigration has also played a significant role, with guest workers from Turkey and Yugoslavia in the 1960s and 1970s bringing their languages and cultures to Austria. Austrian German has borrowed and adopted numerous words and idioms from various languages, including Czech, Hungarian, Italian, Yiddish, and South Slavic.
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Frequently asked questions
Austrian German is the official language of Austria. It is also known as Österreichisches Deutsch and is a variation of Standard German.
Alemannic and Austro-Bavarian are the two other major unofficial national languages. Austro-Bavarian is the main dialect outside Vorarlberg, and Alemannic is the main dialect in Vorarlberg.
Minority languages spoken in Austria include Croatian, Hungarian, Slovenian, Turkish, Czech, Slovak, Romani, Austrian Sign Language, and several others.
Austrian German and Standard German are mutually intelligible, with some differences in accent, vocabulary, and colloquial expressions. Austrian German is influenced by the Austro-Bavarian dialect and has unique sayings and words, with a more polite and roundabout way of speaking compared to Standard German.
