Omari Gates
Austria's official language is German, with approximately 97% to 98% of people in the country speaking it and just over 93% calling it their mother tongue. However, Austrian German differs from German as it is spoken in Germany and is influenced by the Austro-Bavarian dialect. Aside from German, there are several other languages spoken in Austria, including minority languages such as Hungarian, Slovenian, Burgenland-Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Romany, and sign language.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Official language | German |
| Dialects | Austro-Bavarian, Austrian High German, Alemannic, Swiss German, Central Austro-Bavarian, Southern Austro-Bavarian, Viennese |
| Minority languages | Hungarian, Slovenian, Burgenland-Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Romany, Sign language, Turkish, French, English, Aramaic, Serbo-Croatian |
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What You'll Learn
Austrian German
German is the official language of Austria and constitutes a lingua franca and de facto first language. The variety of German used in Austria is known as Austrian German, Austrian Standard German, Standard Austrian German, Austrian High German, or simply Austrian. It is mutually intelligible with Standard German, meaning speakers of the two languages can understand each other. However, there are some differences in vocabulary and grammar, as well as accent.
In addition to the standard variety, most Austrians speak one of several Upper German dialects in their daily lives. The main dialect outside of Vorarlberg is Austro-Bavarian, which has approximately 8.3 million speakers in Austria. The northeastern parts of Austria, including Vienna, speak Central Austro-Bavarian dialects, while the southern parts speak Southern Austro-Bavarian dialects. Vorarlbergerisch, a High Alemannic dialect, is spoken in Vorarlberg. While strong forms of these dialects may not be fully mutually intelligible to northern Germans, communication is much easier in rural areas of Bavaria, where the Bavarian dialect is still predominant.
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Minority languages
German is the official language of Austria and is spoken by 97-98% of the population. However, the German spoken in Austria is Austrian German, which differs from the German spoken in Germany in vocabulary and grammar. It is influenced by the Austro-Bavarian dialect and is partially incomprehensible to German speakers.
Austria has several minority languages, 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 considered an official language alongside German. In some districts of Burgenland, Hungarian and Croatian also 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.
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. However, immigration has diversified the languages spoken in Austria. Guest workers in the 1960s and 1970s brought languages and cultures from Turkey and Yugoslavia, enriching the existing mix.
Some extremely rare languages used in Austria include Aramaic, spoken by the Christian Assyrian diaspora community in Vienna, and "Jenisch" and "Windisch", which is the German word for a number of Slavic languages.
Austria's dialects follow a dialect continuum, meaning the state's borders do not represent a natural language border. The individual federal states have regional dialects, influenced by how people in the state capital speak. The most prominent of these is the Viennese dialect, which influences many other dialects, mixing central and southern Bavarian with Viennese and high language features.
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Austro-Bavarian dialects
The Austro-Bavarian dialect, or simply Bavarian, is a group of Upper German varieties spoken in the southeast of the German language area. This includes the German state of Bavaria, most of Austria, and South Tyrol in Italy. It is also spoken in Switzerland and southern Germany, which are mountainous regions.
The language has its origins in the Germanic tribe known as the Bavarii, who established a tribal duchy covering much of what is today Bavaria and parts of Austria in the early Middle Ages. Over time, they gradually migrated down the Danube and into the Alps, settling in the areas where Austro-Bavarian dialects are now spoken. The dialectal separation of Upper German into East Upper German (Bavarian) and West Upper German (Alemannic) became more pronounced in the Middle High German period, from about the 12th century.
Bavarian is commonly considered a dialect of German, but some classify it as a separate language. The International Organization for Standardization has assigned it a unique language code, and UNESCO lists Bavarian in the Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger. The difference between Bavarian and Standard German is more noticeable than the differences between Danish and some varieties of Norwegian or between Czech and Slovak. Bavarian differs sufficiently from Standard German that native speakers may struggle to adopt standard pronunciation.
There are several variants of Bavarian, including Central Bavarian, Southern Bavarian, and Northern Bavarian. The Viennese dialect is also distinct from all other dialects and has influenced many other dialects in Austria. In Vienna, minor but recognizable variations are characteristic of different districts of the city. Austro-Bavarian is also used to refer to a dialect group that includes the Cimbrian, Hutterite German, and Mócheno dialects of Germany.
In Austria, the main native language outside Vorarlberg is Austro-Bavarian, with approximately 8.3 million speakers. The northeastern parts of the country, including Vienna, speak Central Austro-Bavarian dialects, while the southern parts speak Southern Austro-Bavarian dialects.
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Alemannic dialects
The Alemannic dialects, which are part of the High German group of dialects, are spoken by about 10 million people in several countries, including Austria, Switzerland, Italy, the United States, and Germany. In Austria, Alemannic is the main dialect in the westernmost state of Vorarlberg, which borders Liechtenstein and Switzerland. Vorarlberg uses a High Alemannic dialect, the same dialect group spoken in northern Switzerland (outside Basel) and parts of southern Alsace, France.
Alemannic is also spoken in the Reutte District of Austria, which lies in the west of the country. In this region, Alemannic dialects are influenced by the neighbouring countries of Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
Alemannic comprises a dialect continuum, with the Highest Alemannic spoken in mountainous regions, and Swabian in the relatively flat north. The dialects become more similar to Standard German the further north one goes.
In Germany and other European countries, the abstand and ausbau language framework is used to distinguish between languages and dialects. While some linguists describe Alemannic as one of several independent languages, others consider it a dialect of German.
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Official languages
German is the official language of Austria and is used in the media, schools, and formal announcements. The German spoken in Austria, Austrian German, is influenced by the Austro-Bavarian dialect and differs from German as it is spoken in Germany and Switzerland. Austrian German constitutes a lingua franca and de facto first language, with approximately 97-98% of Austrians speaking it and 93% calling it their mother tongue.
Austrian German is mutually intelligible with Federal High German, the standard in Germany, and Swiss High German. However, some local dialects in Austria may be difficult for German speakers to understand. The Alemannic dialect, for instance, is spoken by about 300,000 people in Vorarlberg and uses a High Alemannic dialect that is very different from the German spoken in Germany.
Outside of Vorarlberg, the main dialect spoken in Austria is Austro-Bavarian, with approximately 8.3 million speakers. The northeastern parts of Austria, including Vienna, speak Central Austro-Bavarian dialects, while the southern parts speak Southern Austro-Bavarian dialects.
In addition to German, Austria recognizes several minority languages, some of which have official status in certain regions. These include Hungarian, Slovenian, Burgenland-Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Romany, and sign language. In the mixed-language districts of Carinthia, Slovene is considered an official language, while 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.
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Frequently asked questions
The official language of Austria is German, specifically Austrian German, which differs from German as it is spoken in Germany. Austrian German is influenced by the Austro-Bavarian dialect.
There are about 250 languages spoken throughout Austria. Besides Austrian German, the other widely spoken languages are Austro-Bavarian, the main dialect outside Vorarlberg, and Alemannic, the main dialect in Vorarlberg. There are also several minority languages, including Hungarian, Slovenian, Burgenland-Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Romany, and sign language.
Approximately 97% to 98% of people in Austria speak German, while a little over 93% call it their mother tongue.
In Austrian Carinthia, Slovene is considered an official language. In some districts of Burgenland, Hungarian and Croatian have equal status to German as an official language.
