Leslie Massey
Austria's official language is Austrian German, which is influenced by the Austro-Bavarian dialect. In 1898, the language landscape of Austria would have been similar to what it is today, with a variety of Upper German dialects being spoken across the country. The standardisation of Austrian German came about in the mid-18th century when Empress Maria Theresa and her son Joseph II introduced compulsory schooling in 1774. The official language, used in education, media, and administration, is understood by most Austrians, except for some senior citizens in rural areas.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Official Language | Austrian German |
| Dialects | Austro-Bavarian, Alemannic, Viennese |
| Minority Languages | Turkish, Slovenian, Hungarian, Croatian, Serbian, Romanian, English |
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What You'll Learn
Austrian German
In less formal situations, Austrians use Bavarian and Alemannic dialects, which are traditionally spoken but rarely written in Austria. These dialects include Central Austro-Bavarian, spoken along the main rivers Isar and Danube in the northern parts of the State of Salzburg, Upper Austria, Lower Austria, and northern Burgenland; and Southern Austro-Bavarian, spoken in Tyrol, South Tyrol, Carinthia, Styria, and the southern parts of Salzburg and Burgenland. Vorarlbergerisch, a High Alemannic dialect, is spoken in Vorarlberg.
There are some grammatical differences between Austrian German and Standard German. For example, Austrian German sometimes uses "sein" ("to be") instead of "haben" ("to have") in the perfect tense. Additionally, Austrian German is generally softer and more melodic, with the diminutive form created by adding -el or -erl to the end of words, rather than -chen or -lein as in Standard German.
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Alemannic/Swiss German
In 1898, the official language of Austria was German, which constitutes a lingua franca and de facto first language. Austrian German is influenced by Austro-Bavarian, which differs greatly from Standard German. In addition to the standard variety, in everyday life, most Austrians speak one of several Upper German dialects.
Alemannic, or Swiss German, is a group of High German dialects. The name derives from the ancient Germanic tribal confederation known as the Alemanni, meaning "all men". While there is no unified Alemannic language, Alemannic comprises a dialect continuum from the Highest Alemannic spoken in the mountainous south to Swabian in the relatively flat north. The dialects become more similar to Standard German the further north one goes.
Alemannic is divided into Low, High, and Highest Alemannic, all of which are spoken both inside and outside Switzerland. Low Alemannic is only spoken in the northernmost parts of Switzerland, in Basel and around Lake Constance. High Alemannic is spoken in most of the Swiss Plateau and is divided into eastern and western groups. Highest Alemannic is spoken in the Alps, in the Canton of Valais, the Walser settlements, the Bernese Oberland, and the German-speaking part of Fribourg.
Alemannic is spoken by approximately 10 million people in several countries, including Austria, Switzerland, Germany, France, Liechtenstein, Italy, and the United States. In Austria, about 300,000 people speak Alemannic, mostly in Vorarlberg, where a High Alemannic dialect is used. This dialect is also spoken in northern Switzerland and parts of southern Alsace, France.
Swiss German is a term used for Alemannic dialects spoken in Switzerland, particularly the German-speaking part of the country and in some Alpine communities in northern Italy bordering Switzerland. Swiss German is not a unified dialect but a collection of Alemannic dialects. While there is no standardized spelling for Swiss German, it is used in everyday life by about 87% of the people living in the German-speaking portion of Switzerland. In more formal situations, such as education and the news broadcast, Standard German is used.
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Austro-Bavarian
In 1898, the official language of Austria was German, which constituted a lingua franca and de facto first language. However, the variety of German used in Austria, Austrian German, was and still is influenced by Austro-Bavarian. Austro-Bavarian is a group of Upper German dialects spoken in the south-east of the German language area, including most of Austria, the German state of Bavaria, and South Tyrol in Italy. 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.
While educated Bavarians and Austrians can typically read, write, and understand Standard German, they may have limited opportunities to speak it regularly, especially in rural areas. In these regions, Standard German is primarily used in writing and the media. In contrast, Austro-Bavarian is the main native language of Austria outside of Vorarlberg, with approximately 8.3 million speakers. The northeastern parts of Austria, including Vienna, speak Central Austro-Bavarian dialects, while the southern parts use Southern Austro-Bavarian dialects.
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Minority languages
German is the official language of Austria and the lingua franca; most Austrians speak German as their first language. The variety of German used in Austria, Austrian German, is partially influenced by Austro-Bavarian, which is the main dialect spoken outside Vorarlberg. Austrian German has its origins in the mid-18th century, when Empress Maria Theresa and her son Joseph II introduced compulsory schooling in 1774. The Alemannic dialect, or Swiss German, is spoken by about 300,000 people, mostly in Vorarlberg.
In addition to German, there are several minority languages spoken in Austria, 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." In some districts of Burgenland, Hungarian and Croatian have equal status to German as an official language. Slovene is an official language in Carinthia, and in some parts of Styria. 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 in 1976.
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, there were an estimated 18,800 Romanian speakers in Austria. Burgenland Croatian, an official language in Austrian Burgenland, is spoken by 2.5% of Austrians. The Burgenland variant of Croatian combines features from the Chakavian, Shtokavian, and Kajkavian dialects, and includes phrases no longer used in standard Croatian, as well as words and phrases taken from German and Hungarian. Almost all Burgenland Croats are fluent in German.
The Slovene-speaking community in Austria has traditionally inhabited a strip of territory in the Austrian states of Carinthia and Styria, with a significantly larger share of the community living in Carinthia. The entire community is bilingual in German as well, and the local Slovene dialect is not entirely the same as standard Slovene. During the Cold War, Austria served as a haven for refugees and other emigrants from Eastern Europe, and about 170,000-180,000 Hungarians escaped into Austria after the uprising in Hungary in 1956.
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Dialects and variations
Austrian German, or simply Austrian, is the variety of Standard German written and spoken in Austria. It has its beginnings in the mid-18th century when Empress Maria Theresa and her son Joseph II introduced compulsory schooling in 1774, and several reforms of administration in their multilingual Habsburg Empire. The written standard at the time was Oberdeutsche Schreibsprache (Upper German written language), which was highly influenced by the Bavarian and Alemannic dialects of Austria. Austrian German is the official language of Austria and the lingua franca; most Austrians, other than (mostly rural) seniors, are able to speak it. It is the language used in the media, in schools, and for formal announcements.
In less formal situations, Austrians use Bavarian and Alemannic dialects, which are traditionally spoken but rarely written in Austria. The Alemannic dialect, or Swiss German, is spoken by about 300,000 people, mostly in Vorarlberg. Vorarlberg uses a High Alemannic dialect, 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. The main native language of Austria outside Vorarlberg is Austro-Bavarian, which has no official orthography. Austro-Bavarian differs greatly from Standard German, making it very difficult for German speakers of different regions to understand the native population.
The dialects of Austrian German differ from region to region. Speakers from the different provinces of Austria can easily be distinguished from each other by their particular accents. Speakers from Carinthia, Styria, Vienna, Upper Austria, and the Tyrol have very characteristic accents, even when speaking Standard German. Several of the dialects have been influenced by contact with non-Germanic linguistic groups, such as the dialect of Carinthia, where many speakers were bilingual with Slovene, and the dialect of Vienna, which has been influenced by immigration during the Austro-Hungarian period, particularly from what is today the Czech Republic. The German dialects of South Tyrol have been influenced by local Romance languages, particularly noticeable with the many loanwords from Italian and Ladin.
The Austrian state of Styria is in the southeast of the country, bordering Slovenia. About a million Austrians speak the Steiermark (Styrian) dialect. In this dialect, ja (yes) becomes jou (similar to "yoh" in English), and Apfel (apple) becomes Oupfel. Goull is used in Styrian at the end of questions, in the same way that nicht wahr (isn't it) or oder (right) is used in Standard German. Depending on the dialect, Austrian German grammar can vary greatly from Standard German. For example, in Viennese, ei is pronounced a or "ah", and final consonants can get dropped, with Schule (school) pronounced as Schui or "shoo-ee".
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Frequently asked questions
In 1898, the official language of Austria was Austrian German, a version of German influenced by the Austro-Bavarian dialect.
Austro-Bavarian is a collection of dialects native to Austria, with distinct branches spoken in the northern and southern parts of the country. It is very different from Standard German and Austrian German, and speakers from other regions may find it difficult to understand.
Austria is home to several other regional, secondary, and minority languages. These include Turkish, Slovenian, Hungarian, Croatian, and various dialects such as Alemannic and Viennese.
About 250 languages are spoken throughout Austria, though many have very small populations of speakers. Only about 20 languages (apart from official languages) have more than 10,000 speakers.
German is the main "second language" of Austria, and most Austrians can speak it, except for some older folks living in rural areas. German is used in education, media, and administration.
