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The German word for Austria is Österreich. The name is derived from the Old High German word Ostarrîchi, meaning eastern realm, which was first recorded in the Ostarrîchi Document of 996. The Latinized name Austria first appeared in the 12th century and has been used in English since the early 17th century. All Germanic languages, except English, use a variation of Österreich to refer to Austria.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| German word for Austria | Österreich |
| Origin | Old High German word Ostarrîchi, meaning "eastern realm" |
| First recorded | 996, in the Ostarrîchi Document |
| Alternative historical names | Osterrîche, Osterlant, Marcha Osterriche, Norig |
| Latin name | Marchia Orientalis or Marchia austriaca |
| Latinized name | Austria |
| First recorded as "Austria" | 12th century |
| Other names | Afrikaans: Oostenryk; Danish: Østrig; Dutch: Oostenrijk; West Frisian: Eastenryk; Icelandic: Austurríki; Faroese: Eysturríki; Norwegian: Østerrike (Bokmål) |
| Finnish name | Itävalta, derived from German |
| Other languages using "Austria" or a phonetic derivative | Hungarian, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Maltese, Ukrainian, Russian, Serbian, Croatian, Polish, Slovene, Greek, Estonian, Turkish, Albanian |
| French and Catalan adaptation of German name | Autriche |
| Austrian German | Österreichisches Deutsch |
| Austrian Standard German | ASG |
| Standard Austrian German | Österreichisches Standarddeutsch |
| Austrian High German | Österreichisches Hochdeutsch |
| Austrian dialect | Viennese, the Austro-Bavarian dialect of Vienna |
| Austrian food terms | Jänner (January), Feber (February), heuer (this year), Stiege (stairs), Rauchfang (chimney) |
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What You'll Learn
- The German name for Austria is 'Österreich'
- 'Österreich' derives from the Old High German word 'Ostarrîchi' meaning 'eastern realm'
- The Latin name for Austria was 'Marchia Orientalis' or 'Marchia austriaca'
- Austria's national language is German, but there are many dialects
- Austrian German is the only variety of a pluricentric language recognised by international law
The German name for Austria is 'Österreich'
The German name for Austria is Österreich, which derives from the Old High German word "Ostarrîchi", meaning "eastern realm". This name was first recorded in the Ostarrîchi Document of 996, referring to the Margraviate of Austria, a borderland of the Duchy of Bavaria created in 976. The name likely originated from the Celtic languages of ancient Austria, where "nor-" or "norig" meant "east" or "easterns", while "-rig" is related to the modern German "Reich", meaning "realm".
The Latinized name "Austria" first appeared in the 12th century and has caused some confusion due to its similarity to the Latin word "auster", meaning "south". This is also the origin of the name "Australia", derived from the Latin "Terra Australis", or "southern land".
In German, the word "Ost" means "east", and "Österreich" can be translated as "eastern kingdom" or "eastern empire". This is fitting, as a large part of Austria is indeed east of Germany, including its capital, Vienna, which is further east than any place in modern-day Germany.
The German name Österreich is also the basis for the country's name in many other languages, including Afrikaans, Danish, Dutch, Icelandic, and Norwegian. In Finnish, "Itävalta" is derived from Österreich, with "itä" meaning "east" and "valta" meaning "state".
In addition to the standard German name Österreich, Austrians also use various dialects in less formal situations, such as the Austro-Bavarian dialect spoken in Vienna and the dialect of Graz, the capital of Styria.
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'Österreich' derives from the Old High German word 'Ostarrîchi' meaning 'eastern realm'
The German name for Austria is Österreich, which derives from the Old High German word Ostarrîchi, meaning "eastern realm". The name was first recorded in 996 in the Ostarrîchi Document, which referred to the Margraviate of Austria, a borderland of the Duchy of Bavaria created in 976. The Old High German name likely paralleled the Middle Latin name Marchia Orientalis ("eastern borderland"), with the shorter Latinized name of "Austria" first appearing in the 12th century.
The name Austria is a latinization of the German word Österreich, which was adapted to approximate the sound of the German name for Latin speakers. This has led to some confusion, as "ost" means "east" in German, but "auster" means "south" in Latin. This is why the name is similar to Australia, which is derived from the Latin "Terra Australis" ("southern land").
The origin of the name Österreich can be traced back to the first recorded mention of the name Ostarrîchi in 996. This name was used to refer to a relatively small territory, specifically the region of Neuhofen an der Ybbs. Over time, the name evolved into the modern German name for Austria, Österreich.
Friedrich Heer, an Austrian historian, proposed that the Germanic form Ostarrîchi originated from an even older term from the Celtic languages of ancient Austria. More than 2,500 years ago, the majority of what is now Austria was called "Norig" by the Celtic Hallstatt culture. According to Heer, the prefix "nor-" meant "east" or "eastern", while the suffix "-rig" is related to the modern German word "Reich", meaning "realm".
In summary, the German word for Austria, Österreich, has a rich history and evolved from the Old High German word Ostarrîchi, meaning "eastern realm". This name was first recorded in 996 and has since undergone various transformations, with the shorter Latinized name of "Austria" emerging in the 12th century.
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The Latin name for Austria was 'Marchia Orientalis' or 'Marchia austriaca'
The German word for Austria is "Österreich". The Latin name for Austria was "Marchia Orientalis" or "Marchia austriaca", which means "eastern borderland". This name was derived from the previous designation for the region, the Eastern March ("marcha orientalis" in Latin). This march was a medieval frontier territory centred along the river Danube, between the river Enns and the Vienna Woods, within the territory of the modern Austrian provinces of Upper Austria and Lower Austria. It existed from around 970 to 1156.
The name "Marchia Orientalis" first appeared in the late 8th century when Charlemagne incorporated the territory of the Agilolfing dukes of Bavaria into the Carolingian Empire, creating the marches of the Avar March and the adjacent March of Carantania (later the March of Carinthia) to defend against invasions from the Avars. By the 820s, the Avars had disappeared and were replaced by West Slavs, who settled within the state of Great Moravia. The March of Pannonia, another march against Moravia, was set up in 828 within the East Frankish regnum of Bavaria. This march, already called "marcha orientalis", corresponded to a frontier along the Danube from the Traungau to Szombathely and the Rába river, including the Vienna basin.
In 955, King Otto I of Germany defeated the Magyars at the Battle of Lechfeld and began the reconquest of the region. Otto I erected a new Eastern March ("marcha orientalis"), and by about 960, he appointed Burchard as margrave. In 976, Otto's son and successor, Emperor Otto II, deposed Burchard and appointed the Babenberg count Leopold the Illustrious from the House of Babenberg as margrave in turn for his support. The first reference to the name "Austria" appeared in 996, when it was referred to as "Ostarrîchi", meaning "eastern realm" in Old High German. This name is believed to be derived from a much older term originating in the Celtic languages of ancient Austria. According to Austrian historian Friedrich Heer, the prefix "nor-" or "no-" meant "east" or "eastern", while the suffix "-rig" is related to the modern German "Reich", meaning "realm".
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Austria's national language is German, but there are many dialects
Austrian German, or "Österreichisches Deutsch", is the variety of Standard German written and spoken in Austria and South Tyrol. It is the official language of the country and is used in education, media, and administrative communications. Austrian German is mutually intelligible with Standard German, but there are some differences in accent and vocabulary that may trip up German speakers visiting the country. For example, in Austria, the verb "stehen" (to stand) and "gestehen" (to confess) are not identical in the present perfect tense, avoiding potential ambiguity. Additionally, the preterite (simple past) is rarely used in Austria, except for some modal verbs.
Austro-Bavarian is the main dialect outside of Vorarlberg and is considered the de facto main language of Austria, with over 8 million speakers. It has distinct branches in the northern and southern parts of the country. A Middle Bavarian subdialect is spoken in Ober- and Niederösterreich, as well as in Vienna, while a Southern Bavarian subdialect is spoken in Tirol, Kärnten, and parts of Steiermark. The dialect of Graz, the capital of Styria, is easily understood by people from other parts of Austria compared to other Styrian dialects.
Alemannic, or Swiss German, is the main dialect in Vorarlberg and is spoken by about 300,000 people. It is considered very difficult to understand for most German speakers. It is also spoken in parts of western Tirol, with cultural and dialectal affinities to the German Swiss to the west and Swabians in Germany to the north.
In addition to these main dialects, there are several minority languages spoken in Austria, some of which have official status. These include Hungarian, Slovenian, Burgenland-
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Austrian German is the only variety of a pluricentric language recognised by international law
Austrian German, or Österreichisches Deutsch, is the variety of Standard German written and spoken in Austria and South Tyrol. It is also spoken in North Italy. When Austria joined the European Union in 1995, 23 food-related terms were listed in its accession agreement as having the same legal status as the equivalent terms used in Germany. These terms are outlined in Protocol 23, which is part of the Austrian EU accession treaty. This makes Austrian German the only variety of a pluricentric language recognised by international law or EU primary law.
The German name for Austria is Österreich, which derives from the Old High German word Ostarrîchi, meaning "eastern realm". This name was first recorded in 996 and applied to the Margraviate of Austria, a borderland of the Duchy of Bavaria. The Latin name for this region was Marchia Orientalis, or "eastern borderland". The shorter Latin name, Austria, was first recorded in the 12th century.
Austrian German has its beginnings in the mid-18th century, when Empress Maria Theresa and her son Joseph II introduced compulsory schooling in 1774, along with several reforms of administration in their multilingual Habsburg Empire. The written standard at the time was Oberdeutsche Schreibsprache, which was heavily influenced by the Bavarian and Alemannic dialects of Austria. In less formal situations, Austrians tend to use Bavarian and Alemannic dialects, which are rarely written.
Austrian German has the highest sociolinguistic prestige locally, as it is the variation used in the media and for other formal situations. It is partially influenced by Austro-Bavarian, which is the main native language of Austria outside Vorarlberg. The north-eastern parts of Austria, including the capital Vienna, speak Central Austro-Bavarian dialects, while the southern parts speak Southern Austro-Bavarian dialects.
There are many official terms that differ in Austrian German from their usage in most parts of Germany. For example, Jänner is used for January, Stiege for stairs, and Rauchfang for chimney. There are also many false friends between the two varieties, such as Kasten, which means box in Germany, but wardrobe in Austria.
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Frequently asked questions
The German word for Austria is 'Österreich'.
The German word for Austria, 'Österreich', is pronounced 'oy-stare-rich'.
The German word for Austria, 'Österreich', derives from the Old High German word 'Ostarrîchi', meaning "eastern realm".
The name "eastern realm" existed before the rise of the Habsburgs and likely comes from the fact that a big chunk of Austria is, in fact, east of Germany. Vienna, the capital, is further east than any place in Germany.
