Lyla Lindsey
Austria and Moravia share a border with the Czech Republic, where the native language is Czech. Czech is spoken by about 10 million people in the Czech Republic, and there are several dialects of the language. The language situation in the country is diglossic, with a substantial gap between formal, codified language and everyday language. In Bohemia and western Moravia, pronunciation is relatively homogeneous compared to the greater dialectal diversity in the east. In Austria, the official language is German, and Austrian German is influenced by Austro-Bavarian, which is the unofficial native language of Austria.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Language spoken on the border of Austria and Moravia | Czech |
| Number of native speakers in the Czech Republic | Nearly 10 million |
| Number of speakers living abroad | About 2 million |
| Regions in the Czech Republic where it is spoken | Bohemia and Moravia |
| Dialects | Bohemian Czech and Moravian Czech |
| Number of speakers of Bohemian Czech | More than 6 million |
| Number of speakers of Moravian Czech | About 3.5 million |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
Czech is the native language of Moravia
Moravian Czech itself consists of several dialects, including the Central Moravian group, the Eastern Moravian group, and the Bohemian-Moravian group. The Central Moravian dialects, or Hanakian dialects, are spoken in the central part of Moravia around Znojmo, Třebíč, Brno, Olomouc, Přerov, Zábřech, and Šumperk. The Eastern Moravian dialects are transitional dialects between Czech and Slovak, spoken in a strip of land extending from Břeclav to Hodonín, Kyjov, Uherské Hradiště, Zlín, and Vsetín. The Bohemian-Moravian dialects are spoken in the western part of Moravia around Dačice, Jihlava, and Žďár nad Sázavou, and share features with both Common Czech and Central Moravian.
The Moravian dialects are considerably more varied than the dialects of Bohemia, and there are more forms of the Czech language used in Moravia than in the rest of the Czech Republic. While the forms are generally considered regional variants of Czech, some Moravians claim that they constitute a separate language. Indeed, in the census of 1991, 13.2% of the Czech population identified as being of Moravian nationality or ethnicity, and in some parts of Moravia, the majority of the population identified as Moravians rather than Czechs. However, the position that Moravian is a language distinct from Czech is not widely supported by academics and the public.
Moravia historically had a large minority of ethnic Germans, some of whom arrived as early as the 13th century. They lived in the main city centres and in the countryside along the border with Austria and Silesia, as well as in language islands around Jihlava and Moravská Třebová. After World War II, the Czechoslovak government expelled most of them in retaliation for their support of Nazi Germany's invasion and subsequent war crimes.
Sending Money Overseas: Austria to USA
You may want to see also
Explore related products
German is the official language of Austria
Austrian German is one of the standardized forms of the pluricentric German language. It is quite similar to Standard German, and speakers of one language can generally understand the other without much difficulty. However, there are some differences in vocabulary, colloquial expressions, and special terms. For example, Austrian German avoids the potential ambiguity of using "habe gestanden" for both "to stand" and "to confess" by using "bin gestanden" for "to stand" and "habe gestanden" for "to confess." Austrian German also rarely uses the preterite (simple past) in spoken language, except for some modal verbs.
Austrian German has been influenced by Austria's history, including its time as part of Germany and under the rule of the imperial Habsburg family. Until 1918, the spoken standard in Austria was Schönbrunner Deutsch, a sociolect influenced by Viennese German and other Austro-Bavarian dialects spoken in eastern Austria. Austrian German also has a very traditional form known as Österreichische Kanzleisprache or "Austrian chancellery language," which is used in official government documents and has a complex structure and vocabulary.
In addition to German, about 250 languages are spoken throughout Austria, with many small populations of speakers. Some of the larger minority languages spoken in Austria include Serbo-Croatian, Turkish, Balkan languages such as Serbian, Bosnian, and Croatian, Arabic, English, Slovenian, Hungarian, and Czech. In certain districts of Burgenland, Hungarian and Croatian are recognized as official languages alongside German. In the mixed-language districts of Carinthia, Slovene is also considered an official language.
Shipping Books: US to Austria Costs Explained
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Moravia is a historical region of the Czech Republic
Moravia is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The Moravian capital is Brno, and the region is home to about 3 million people, or nearly a third of the Czech Republic's population.
Moravia has a rich history, serving as the centre of a major medieval kingdom known as Great Moravia, which included parts of modern-day Slovakia, Hungary, Germany, and Poland. In the 11th century, Moravia was incorporated into the kingdom of Bohemia. In the 18th century, it was merged with what remained of Austrian Silesia and, following the Revolution of 1848, the Habsburgs made Moravia a separate Austrian crown land.
In the 20th century, Moravia became part of the modern state of Czechoslovakia and, later, the Czech Republic. However, its political existence was threatened in 1949 when the Czechoslovak government dissolved Moravia into several smaller administrative units. Although another administrative reform in 1960 implemented the North Moravian and South Moravian regions, these lands were included in the Czech Socialist Republic when it was created in 1968, and they remained part of the Czech Republic when it became an independent nation in 1993.
The language spoken in Moravia is Czech, with about 3.5 million native speakers of Moravian Czech. The dialect of Bohemian Czech is distinct from that of Moravian Czech, with several features that clearly distinguish the two.
Austria: Country or German Territory?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Austrian German is influenced by the Austro-Bavarian dialect
The official language of Austria is German, which is spoken by most Austrians. However, Austrian German is considered a variety of German influenced by the Austro-Bavarian dialect. Austro-Bavarian, in turn, is influenced by Standard German, and most of its speakers can also speak Standard German.
The Viennese dialect, for example, has characteristics that set it apart from all other Austro-Bavarian dialects. Even within Vienna, there are minor but recognizable variations among the different districts of the city. The Austro-Bavarian dialect group also includes the Cimbrian, Hutterite German, and Mócheno dialects of Germany.
Austro-Bavarian is a High German language, just like Standard German, but they are not the same. Austro-Bavarian is considered an unofficial native language of Austria. It is also spoken in Switzerland, southern Germany, and South Tyrol in Italy. Bavarian or Austro-Bavarian is commonly considered a dialect of German, but some sources classify it as a separate language. The International Organization for Standardization has assigned it a unique language code, and UNESCO lists it as an endangered language.
The differences between Bavarian and Standard German are more pronounced than the differences between Danish and some varieties of Norwegian or between Czech and Slovak. Educated Bavarians and Austrians can usually read, write, and understand Standard German, but they may rarely speak it, especially in rural areas. With the spread of universal education, younger people in cities and larger towns increasingly speak Standard German with only a slight accent.
Essential Information for Your Move to Austria
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Moravia borders Lower Austria in the southwest
Moravia is a traditional region in Central Europe that borders Lower Austria in the southwest. It is also bordered by Bohemia to the west and northwest, Slovakia to the southeast, Poland to the north, and Czech Silesia to the northeast. The Thaya River forms a natural boundary between Moravia and Lower Austria.
Moravia has a rich history, dating back to the 4th century BCE when it was inhabited by Celtic and Germanic tribes. In the 6th and 7th centuries, the Avars dominated the area, and by the late 8th century, Slavic tribes had settled in Moravia. The Slavs, who derived their name from the Morava River, established a political community under Prince Mojmír I, which later became the state of Great Moravia.
Over the centuries, Moravia has been influenced by various cultures and empires, including Germanic and Slavic tribes during the Migration Period, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Austrian Empire. After World War I, Moravia became a part of the newly formed country of Czechoslovakia, and later, the Czech Republic.
In terms of language, Moravia exhibits sociolinguistic diversity. While Czech is the official language of the Czech Republic, there are distinct dialects within the country, including Bohemian Czech and Moravian Czech. The Moravian dialect has several unique features that differentiate it from Bohemian pronunciation, allowing native speakers to identify whether someone is from Bohemia or Moravia.
Additionally, due to its proximity to Austria, Moravia has historically had a significant German-speaking population. However, after World War II, the Czechoslovak government expelled the German minority, and the language landscape in the region shifted. Today, Austria is predominantly German-speaking, with Austrian German being the official language and the lingua franca.
Father Christmas' Austrian Name: Unveiling a Festive Mystery
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
The official language of Austria is German, which is spoken by most Austrians. However, in some parts of the country, other languages are recognised as official languages alongside German. These include Hungarian and Croatian in Burgenland, and Slovene in Carinthia. Austrian German is influenced by the Austro-Bavarian dialect and includes words and idioms borrowed from Czech, Hungarian, Italian, Yiddish, and South Slavic languages.
The Moravian side of the Austria-Moravia border is in the eastern part of the Czech Republic, where several dialectal areas can be distinguished. The language spoken in Moravia is known as Moravian Czech, which is spoken by about three and a half million people. It has distinct pronunciation and vocabulary features that differ from Bohemian Czech, which is spoken in the western part of the country.
Yes, both Austria and Moravia have linguistic diversity with a variety of minority languages spoken in different regions. In Austria, about 250 languages are spoken, with the largest minority language being Serbo-Croatian, spoken by more than 4% of the population. Turkish is the second-largest minority language, spoken by 2.3% of the population. English is widely spoken, especially by younger generations, and is the mother tongue of less than 1% of Austrians. In Moravia, the sociolinguistic situation includes a substantial gap between formal, highly codified language and everyday language usage.
