Leslie Massey
Austria's official language is German, which is also its lingua franca and de facto first language. German is spoken by around 98% of the country's population, with Croatian, Hungarian, Slovenian, and Turkish being spoken by the various minority groups living in Austria. German is the language used in the media, in schools, and for formal announcements. The variety of German used in Austria, Austrian German, is partially influenced by Austro-Bavarian, which is the unofficial native language of Austria. 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 several reforms of administration in their multilingual Habsburg Empire.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Official language of Austria | Austrian German |
| Other names | Österreichisches Deutsch, Austrian Standard German (ASG), Standard Austrian German (Österreichisches Standarddeutsch), Austrian High German (Österreichisches Hochdeutsch) |
| History | 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 several reforms of administration in their multilingual Habsburg Empire. |
| Number of speakers | 98% of the country's population |
| Dialects | Austro-Bavarian, Central Austro-Bavarian, Southern Austro-Bavarian, Vorarlbergerisch, Bavarian, Alemannic |
| Official minority languages | Hungarian, Slovenian, Burgenland-Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Roma, Serbo-Croatian, Turkish |
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What You'll Learn
German is the official language of Austria
The history of German in Austria is closely tied to its historical connection with Germany. After the First World War, Austria embarked on the journey towards becoming the nation we know today. Before 1918, the spoken standard in Austria was Schönbrunner Deutsch, a sociolect influenced by Viennese German and other Austro-Bavarian dialects.
Austrian German has its roots in the 18th century when Empress Maria Theresa and her son Joseph II introduced compulsory schooling and administrative reforms in their multilingual Habsburg Empire in 1774. The language used in media, schools, and formal announcements in Austria is heavily influenced by Austro-Bavarian, with some Swiss German (Alemannic) influence as well.
Alemannic, or Swiss German, is primarily spoken in the western state of Vorarlberg, which has more German Swiss influences. The Alemannic dialect is also spoken by about 300,000 people in northern Switzerland and parts of southern Alsace, France. The Austro-Bavarian dialects are more easily understood by Standard German speakers than the Southern Austro-Bavarian dialects of Tyrol.
In addition to the standard variety, Austrians in their daily lives often speak Upper German dialects, such as Bavarian and Alemannic. These dialects are traditionally spoken but rarely written in Austria. The Austrian variant of German also has some unique characteristics, such as the consistent use of "sein" as the auxiliary verb in the perfect for verbs expressing a state or movement.
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Austrian German is a version of German influenced by Austro-Bavarian
German is the official language of Austria, constituting a lingua franca and de facto first language. It is the language used in the media, in schools, and for formal announcements. However, Austrian German, the variety of German used in Austria, is influenced by the Austro-Bavarian dialects.
Austrian German, also known as Austrian Standard German (ASG), Austrian High German, Österreichisches Standarddeutsch, or Österreichisches Hochdeutsch, is a form of the German language spoken in Austria and South Tyrol. It has its roots in the mid-18th century, when Empress Maria Theresa and her son Joseph II introduced compulsory schooling in 1774 and implemented administrative reforms in their multilingual Habsburg Empire. The written standard at the time was Oberdeutsche Schreibsprache (Upper German written language).
Austrian German has several dialects, with the main ones being Central Austro-Bavarian and Southern Austro-Bavarian. Central Austro-Bavarian is spoken in the northern parts of the State of Salzburg, Upper Austria, Lower Austria, and northern Burgenland, while Southern Austro-Bavarian is spoken in Tyrol, South Tyrol, Carinthia, Styria, and the southern parts of Salzburg and Burgenland. The Central Austro-Bavarian dialects are more easily understood by speakers of Standard German than the Southern Austro-Bavarian dialects of Tyrol.
In addition to the standard variety, in their daily lives, most Austrians speak one of several Upper German dialects. While these dialects may not be fully mutually comprehensible to northern Germans, communication is typically easier in Bavaria, especially in rural areas, where the Bavarian dialect is still the mother tongue for many. The dialect spoken in Vienna, the capital of Austria, is considered quintessentially Austrian by many Germans.
Austrian German differs from Standard German in small ways, such as vocabulary, grammar, and phrases. For example, in Austrian German, the verb "to be" has different conjugation patterns than in Standard German, and the final "e" or other vowels may be dropped in plural forms. Additionally, Austrians rarely use the simple past tense, preferring to use the perfect tense to form the past, similar to Standard German.
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German was standardised in Austria in 1951
German is the official language of Austria and has been since 1920, according to Article 8 of the country's constitution. However, German was standardised in Austria only in 1951, with the publication of the Österreichisches Wörterbuch ("Austrian Dictionary") by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research.
The Österreichisches Wörterbuch standardised Austrian German for official governmental use and in schools. It is worth noting that Austrian German has its roots 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.
Before 1951, the spoken standard in Austria was Schönbrunner Deutsch, a sociolect spoken by the imperial Habsburg family and the nobility of Austria-Hungary. This sociolect was influenced by Viennese German and other Austro-Bavarian dialects spoken in eastern Austria. However, it was slightly nasalised and quite distinct from Standard German.
Austrian German, or Österreichisches Deutsch, is the variety of Standard German written and spoken in Austria and South Tyrol. It is used in formal situations, such as in the media, education, publications, announcements, and websites. However, in less formal settings, Austrians tend to use Bavarian and Alemannic dialects, which are traditionally spoken but rarely written in the country. These dialects are Upper German local languages or collections of dialects with varying degrees of mutual intelligibility.
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Austria's history was tied to Germany's for a long time
Austria's history has been closely tied to Germany's for a long time. In the late Iron Age, Austria was occupied by people of the Hallstatt Celtic culture, dating back to around 800 BC. The Celtic kingdom was referred to as Noricum by the Romans, who occupied the lands south of the Danube around the 1st century BC. In the Migration Period of the 6th century, Germanic people known as the Bavarii occupied these lands until they fell under the Frankish Empire in the 9th century.
In 976, the term "Austria" was used to refer to a Bavarian Eastern March established by Emperor Otto I, which was subsequently ruled by Leopold I until 994. Over time, the name "Austria" became more established, and in 1156, it became an independent duchy of the Holy Roman Empire, which was dominated by the House of Habsburg from 1273 onwards. The Holy Roman Empire, which included territories from present-day Germany, Austria, and other European countries, lasted until 1806 when it was dissolved by Emperor Francis II of Austria.
After the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, Austria became the Austrian Empire and briefly separated from Germany. However, in 1867, Austria formed the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which included various ethnic groups and rivalled the German Empire led by Prussia. The fall of the Austro-Hungarian and German Empires during World War I reduced Austria to its mostly German-speaking areas, and it adopted the name Republic of German-Austria, indicating a desire for union with Germany. This union was forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles, leading to the creation of the First Austrian Republic.
In 1938, Austrian-born Adolf Hitler annexed Austria to Germany, with support from a large majority of Austrians. However, after World War II, Austria was re-established as an independent republic, and the German identity in Austria weakened. Since then, Austria has developed a separate national identity, but the two countries have maintained strong relations and continue to cooperate closely in various fields.
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There are several minority languages spoken in Austria
German is the national official language of Austria and is considered the lingua franca and de facto first language. Austrian German, the variety of German used in Austria, is partially influenced by Austro-Bavarian. However, German was not always the official language of Austria. Until 1918, the spoken standard in Austria was Schönbrunner Deutsch, a sociolect spoken by the imperial Habsburg family and the nobility of Austria-Hungary.
Despite German being the official language, there are about 250 languages spoken throughout Austria. Several minority languages are 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, and Romany. In addition, sign language is also considered an official language in Austria.
Slovene is an official language in the Austrian state of Carinthia and is also spoken in Styria. In the mixed-language districts of Carinthia, Slovene is considered an official language alongside German. Slovenian is also recognized as an official language in the Austrian State Treaty. In 1971, the Slovene "Contact Committee" expressed dissatisfaction with the treatment of the Slovene language in Austria and requested specific measures for its protection. Carinthian Slovenes are recognized as a minority and have enjoyed special rights and affirmative action following the Austrian State Treaty (Staatsvertrag) of 1955.
Hungarian is recognized as an official language in some districts of Burgenland, where it holds equal status to German. Austrian Croats, or Burgenland Croats, are recognized as a minority ethnic group in Austria and have enjoyed special rights since the Austrian State Treaty of 1955. The Burgenland variant of Croatian is based on the Chakavian dialect and includes phrases and words from German and Hungarian. Burgenland Croatian is considered an official language in 6 out of 7 districts of Burgenland.
Other minority languages spoken in Austria include Serbo-Croatian, the largest minority language in the country, spoken by more than 4% of the population. Turkish is the second-largest minority language, spoken by 2.3% of the population. There are also approximately 18,800 Romanian speakers in Austria, according to a 2021 estimate.
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Frequently asked questions
German is the official language of Austria and is spoken by around 98% of the country's population. However, there is no clear date for when German became the official language in Austria. Austria's long history is tied to Germany's, as it was part of Germany for some time. It was only after World War I that Austria began the process of becoming its own nation.
The variety of German used in Austria is called Austrian German (Österreichisches Deutsch) and has several dialects, including Austro-Bavarian, which is the main dialect outside Vorarlberg, and Alemannic, the main dialect in Vorarlberg. Austrian German has its roots in the mid-18th century when Empress Maria Theresa and her son Joseph II introduced compulsory schooling and administrative reforms in their multilingual Habsburg Empire.
In addition to German, several other languages are spoken in Austria, including Croatian, Hungarian, Slovenian, Slovak, Czech, and Turkish. Some of these languages, such as Slovene in Carinthia and Hungarian and Croatian in Burgenland, have official status alongside German in certain regions.
