2.2k (25 per week)
Official language of Austria
The official language of Austria is standard German, in which schoolchildren are taught to read and write, about 90% of the population speaks it. Standarddeutsch is also the official political and commercial language. In everyday life, citizens of Austria, at home or while shopping, speak the Austrian German dialect, which is distinguished by its unique pronunciation and many interesting idiomatic phrases. In communication, Alemannic and Austro-Bavarian dialects, which belong to the High German dialects, take place.
Dialects of Austrian German
Some linguistic nuances may, at first word, seem difficult even for residents of Germany and Switzerland to understand, but in practice, Austrians and Bavarians understand each other quite easily. Central dialects for speakers of classical German are more legible than Tyrolean Austro-Bavarian dialect, popular in the south of the country. The language of communication typical for the capital region of Austria is the personification of the traditional Austrian language and is perceived in this way by the Germans.
In the capital of Styria, very specific is dialect of the Graz people. The uniqueness of the dialect is that it is better understood by Austrians than by Styrians from other regions. The common cultural traditions of western Austria, North Tyrol and German-speaking Switzerland explain the presence of our own dialect - Alemannic.
Other languages
Throughout its history Austrian Empire, Austria-Hungary and modern Austria has always been multinational. It cannot be said that there is German-speaking homogeneity in the country; some residents speak dialects of their indigenous nationality. Hungarian can be heard in Burgenland, which has official status here, 40,000 people use it in Vienna, only 0.5% in the country.
Next most popular is Slovenian, this is the native dialect of 24 thousand Austrians living mainly in Styria and Carinthia. 19 thousand Austrians speak Burgenland Croatian fluently, 18 thousand speak Czech perfectly, 10 thousand speak Slovak, 6 thousand speak Roma. Viennese language Austrian German contains words of foreign origin - Hungarian, Czech, South Slavic and Hebrew. Slang is often used in communication among young people, understandable to residents of other European countries.
Estimate!
Give your rating!
Austrian is a variety of standard German. He has his own written and oral form. It is used in Austria and northern Italy. This language is considered the most important in the area. It is he who is the main one in the means mass media and other formal situations. IN Everyday life many Austrians use the Bavarian and Alemannic dialects of German.
Republic of Austria
The language that is now official in the state originated in the middle XVIII century. In 1774, Empress Maria Theresa and her son Joseph II introduced compulsory school education. At that time, the Habsburg Empire was multilingual. "High German" was considered the written standard. It was significantly influenced by the Bavarian and Alemannic dialects. Linguist Johann Sigmund Popovich proposed to create new standard. It was to be based on southern German dialects. However, for practical reasons, it was decided to fix the “Saxon clerical” language as the standard. It was originally used as an administrative center for the Meissen and Dresden area.
Modern Austria is European state, its capital is Vienna. It borders on the north with Germany. leaves 8.66 million people. Indigenous people predominate here. National minorities include Germans, Serbs and Turks. total area state is 83,879 square kilometers. Austrian German is softer and more melodic, which contributes to wide use suffix - l. This language is spoken by 88.6% of the population. Both written and colloquial residents of Austria differs from the official German language. Most of all it is similar to the Bavarian dialect.
So the official Austrian language has the same geographical origin as Swedish and German proper. However, each country has its own dialects. This one is separate written form has been used for many years. It is very complex in its grammatical structure and vocabulary. “Saxon clerical” language is not easy to understand even for native Austrians and Germans. It contains a lot of special terms. This form has no regional variations, as it was used by the government, which has been based in Vienna for many years. Today it is used less and less; in documents it is gradually being replaced by standard German.
Modern Austrian language
The new written standard was developed by Joseph von Sonnenfels. This is what is used in modern school textbooks since 1951. They are published by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Art and Culture. Before that, for almost 300 years, the dialect spoken by imperial family Habsburgs and nobility. He was different to a large extent nasal sounds compared to modern version. The language was not fixed as a standard - it was spoken by high society.
German is the official language in Austria according to the Constitution of the Republic. It is spoken by about 8 million people. The law also enshrines minorities. In Carinthia and Styria Slovenian is used, in Burgenland Hungarian and Croatian are used.
Like a dialect
The German language is pluricentric. Therefore, it is impossible to say which of its forms accepted as official in other states is correct. The Austrian language appears to be a variety of standard German. The situation is similar to the relationship between British and American English. There are differences in some minor aspects (eg pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar), however, residents of Austria and Germany can communicate.
Standard German in Austria
The official dictionary defines the rules of grammar and pronunciation adopted in the state. Latest reform happened in 1996. However, the Republic of Austria uses the language somewhat differently than in Germany. The differences are especially noticeable in culinary, economic and legal terms. It's connected with historical features the formation of Austria and Germany as separate states from the end of the 19th century.
Grammar and vocabulary
Austrian, like Swiss, uses an auxiliary verb sein in the perfect not only to express movement, but also state. IN oral speech the form of the preterite is almost never used. The exception is some Austrian German also differs in lexically. For example, in Germany January is called Januar. In Austria - Jänner, "this year" is translated as heur, not dieses Jahr, "staircase" - Stiege, not Treppe, "chimney" - Rauchfang, not Schornstein. Many administrative, legal and political terms, product names. Among them:
- Potato. In German - Kartoffeln. In Austrian - Erdäpfel.
- Whipped cream. In German - Schlagsahne. In Austrian - Schlagobers.
- Beef. In German - Hackfleisch. In Austrian - Faschiertes.
- Green bean. In German - Kartoffeln. In Austrian - Erdäpfel.
- Cauliflower. In German - Blumenkohl. In Austrian - Karfiol.
- Brussels sprouts. In German - Rosenkohl. In Austrian - Kohlsprossen.
- Apricots. In German - Aprikosen. In Austrian - Marillen.
- Tomatoes. In German - Paradeiser. In Austrian - Tomaten.
- Pancakes. In German - Pfannkuchen. In Austrian - Palatschinken.
- Curd. In German - Quark. In Austrian - Topfen.
- Horseradish. In German - Meerrettich. In Austrian - Kren.
We must not forget about " false friends» translator. Some words are spelled the same in both languages, but have completely different meanings.
Regional aspects
Austrian German includes a number of dialects. They can be heard in everyday speech. Residents of Bavaria find it easier to understand Austrians. Simple words are the same or very similar in many dialects, but they can be pronounced differently. You can often understand where your interlocutor was born almost immediately. After Austria joined European Union, its official language was protected according to Protocol No. 10. A total of 23 terms were identified that relate to the field Agriculture. It should be noted that this is an unprecedented case. Austrian German is the only pluricentric language recognized by international or European law.
The attitude towards dialects in Europe is radically different from the Russian one. If a dialect for a domestic citizen is likely to be a sign of illiteracy and low level education, then in Western Europe, especially in Austria, residents are proud of their local dialect. For example, in Germany those politicians Those who speak the local dialect will always have an advantage over those who speak only standard German.
Literary language versus dialect
Austria historically for a long time played the role of the capital of all German states. Therefore, many are now interested in the question of what language is spoken in Austria. The official languages here are German, Hungarian and Slovenian. But at any serious events, literary German, called Hochdeutsch, will always be used. However, this has nothing to do with a disdainful attitude towards dialects. Rather broadcast on literary language occurs to ensure that the information is understood as best as possible big amount listeners.
Literary German is used in all official institutions - schools and universities. Books and newspapers are printed on it. However, in everyday life, “high” German is used only by guests of the country. Local residents communicate with each other using dialect. For someone who wants to understand what language is spoken in Austria, some everyday situations can be perplexing. For example, a teacher at educational institution can give a lecture in understandable literary language. And after class, address your friend in a dialect that a foreigner cannot understand anything from.
Which German dialect is Austrian closest to?
Even the dialects of Austria and Germany differ from each other. They say that the inhabitants of the northern and southern regions The Germans are unlikely to be able to explain themselves to each other. Both colloquial and common official languages in Austria it is closer to Bavarian and also to Swiss German than to the internationally accepted Hochdeutsch. One of the first researchers who, in the 18th century, began to study the differences in numerous German dialects, was Johann Popovich.
What language is spoken in Austria: differences from German
German differs from official German in all respects. These include differences in grammar, pronunciation features, and vocabulary. IN late XIX century, the famous linguist and philologist Konrad Duden released “Complete orthographic dictionary German language". His goal was to unify and standardize German spelling. The rules that the philologist developed became the basis of official German. However, they were not extended to the Austrian version. Thus, in Austria, German has its own characteristics.
Which option is more melodic?
Austrians believe that their German is much more melodic and easier to listen to than the German in Germany. The Germans, of course, are convinced of the opposite. However, it is possible that there is some truth in the Austrians’ belief: after all, in Austria the softening suffix -l is very often used. It turns dry German words like Pfand or Packung into Pfandel and Packerl.
English speaking help
Every tourist is interested in what language is spoken in Austria. Vienna, Linz, Salzburg, Baden - in these cities and many others, most signs, announcements and stop names are in German.
However, in places where tourists congregate, large shopping centers and hotels always have leaflets and guides with English version. Many residents of Austria also speak English and are always ready to help a lost tourist. ATMs and train ticket machines are also switching from German to English throughout Austria. Any Austrian museum has an English audio option, and the largest ones even have audio guides in Russian.
Minority languages in Austria
Even neighboring Germans may not know what language is spoken in, for example, Vorarlberg - these are provinces in which the Swabian dialect of German is spoken. And in most other states they speak southern Bavarian dialects. Great importance There are also languages of ethnic minorities who live mainly close to the borders of the state. These are Slovenes, Croats and Hungarians.
The native language of each of these peoples has its own influence on what language is spoken in Austria. In these regions, teaching in schools is conducted in two languages. This also applies to newspapers and official signs. For example, in Styria and Carinthia such additional languages are Slovenian and Croatian. Local dialects slowly but inevitably influence the Austrian version of German.
The question of what language is spoken in Austria and Australia is unlikely to cause difficulties for anyone. After all, Australia is a continent located thousands of kilometers from German-speaking countries. The main language of Australia is Australian English.
Slovenian and Gradiscan-. Spoken German in Austria is quite different from literary German in its idiomatic expressions. Each region of Austria has a distinctive and unique accent, just as English in Austria differs from English in Austria. This contributed to the isolation of the lands in Austria, which were fenced off by mountains, which ultimately affected the centuries-long isolation of people. In large cities in Austria, including Vienna, such differences are not currently observed, since these places are more cosmopolitan.
The Austrian accent is a bit like how German is spoken in or in . In Carinthia about 2% local residents can speak Slovenian language, in Burgenland in Croatian, especially at home.
English in Austria
English is the second language in Austria, which is taught in schools from the first grade, just like here. Young people generally understand English, in large cities and in the tourism sector English will also be understandable, but in the provinces everything is in German, the same applies to various information signs and plaques in museums. Most Austrians will have great difficulty communicating with you in English language. IN high class There are no problems with the English language, and in most cases in cafes and restaurants the menu is duplicated in English.
The Austrian version of the German language is distinguished by the so-called Austrianisms, which appeared on the basis of the literary German language and dialects of Bavaria, however, the Austrian and Bavarian dialects are not the same thing. As a rule, the only differences here are colloquial speech, all Austrians use standard German for writing, especially dialects in last years began to be erased under the onslaught of the media, unusual speech can only be heard from old people, and only those who live in the mountains or the provinces.
The first who began to understand the differences between the German and Austrian languages was the linguist Johann Sigmund Popovich, who in the 18th century systematized these differences; during the Habsburg Empire, Austrian words took place in lawmaking, which led to a great influence on a number of administrative concepts and definitions. In the 19th century, attempts were made to create an Austrian language, but this did not lead to anything worthwhile, and in 1920 new constitution Austria secured as common language German along with minority languages.
It will be useful for modern tourists to know that in Austria there are different forms of greeting than in Germany, for example, in Germany the words of greeting are omitted, which creates the impression formal language, but in Austria personal appeals are not perceived as an anachronism, you can often hear in all seriousness such phrases as “Grüß Gott, Herr Doktor”, “Guten Abend, Herr Ingenieur”, “Guten Morgen, gnädige Frau” and the like, it is not permissible to limit oneself only the greeting “Guten Morgen” themselves, without defining the person’s profession or position. The month of January in Austria sounds like Jänner instead of German instead of Januar, February Feber instead of Februar, differences can often be found in the spelling of dishes in restaurants, but in tourist places the dishes are duplicated with pictures and for those who do not even know German this phenomenon will not be a hindrance. There are also some features of the formation of tense forms that are revealed through the relationship of the main verb and its connectives and mismatch grammatical gender nouns
In all schools in Austria, only classical written German Standarddeutsch is taught. In Germany, the Austro-Bavarian dialect of Vienna, closest to German language dialect of the city of Graz, and the most distant, perhaps, is the dialect spoken by the Tyroleans. Classic Austrian, represented by the Viennese dialect, uses many substitutes from South Slavic, Hungarian, Czech and Hebrew language to replace standard german words. For example, the word other side in Austria Maschekseitn from the Hungarian masik (other), in standard German die andere Seite.
The name of the country comes from the Old German Ostarrichi - “eastern country”.
Austria area. 83859 km2.
Population of Austria. 8.534 million people (
Austria GDP. $436.3 mlr. (
Location of Austria. The country is located in Central. In the north it borders with and, in the east - with and, in the south - with and, in the west - with and. It has no access to the sea. Most territories are also occupied by their foothills, highest point- Mount Großglockner (3797 m).
Administrative divisions of Austria. Consists of 8 federal states and the capital district equivalent to them.
Austrian form of government. Republic, with a federal government structure.
Head of State of Austria. The President is elected for 6 years by universal suffrage.
Higher Legislature Austria. Bicameral Parliament ( National Council And Federal Council), term of office - 4 years.
Higher executive agency Austria. The government is headed by the Federal Chancellor. Big cities. Graz, Linz, Salzburg, Innsbruck.
Official language of Austria. German.
Currency of Austria. Euro = 100 cents.
Fauna of Austria. In the broad-leaved forests there are species of animals rare in Europe - red deer, elk, roe deer, brown bear. In the highlands there are mountain goats, chamois, alpine marmots, and alpine partridges.
Rivers and lakes of Austria. (tributaries: Inn, Enns, Drava, Mur and Morava), ; 580, mainly of origin, including Neusiedler See, Lake Constance.
Sights of Austria. In Vienna - the famous Vienna Opera and Burgtheater, collection of the Academy fine arts, collection of jewelry of the Holy Roman Emperors, Schönbrunn Palace, Belvedere Park, the world's oldest zoo (1732); in Salzburg - Mozart House Museum, 11th century fort, in Graz - Museum of Forensics, 11th century castle; Cathedral of the Knights Teutonic Order XIII century; in Innsbruck - Furstenburg Castle, Hofburg Imperial Palace XIV-XVIII centuries.
Useful information for tourists
There are 2 tourist seasons - summer (July-August) and winter (Christmas). Best time to visit Vienna - late spring and early autumn.
The ski season lasts until mid-April. To use the lifts, you must purchase single or one-day tickets (there are several categories) or more profitable “ski passes” for several days (for those valid for more than 10 days, a photograph is required).
Tourist plastic cards provide free pass in any form public transport, free (or cheaper) visits to museums and excursions, all kinds of discounts. Free cards Vienna, transport routes, excursion programs and brochures, including in Russian, can be obtained from the Vienna-Turismus office on Albertinaplatz.
The tip is 5% of the order value; in large restaurants it is customary to leave 10% of the bill. The waiter will definitely return the change for the bill, and after that, in the same napkin, you need to give him a tip. You can leave small coins in bars and cafes. In street cafes they do not give tips. It is customary for a taxi driver to pay 10% over the meter; you can simply not take the change from the change.