Austrian is a variation 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 media and other formal situations. In everyday life, many Austrians use the Bavarian and Alemannic dialect of the German language.
Republic of Austria
The language, which is now official in the state, originated in the middle of the XVIII century. In 1774, Empress Maria Theresa and her son Joseph II introduced compulsory schooling. At that time, the Habsburg Empire was multilingual. The written standard was considered "High German." A significant influence on him had the Bavarian and Alemannic dialects. Linguist Johann Sigmund Popovich proposed creating a new standard. Its basis was to become the South German dialects. However, for practical reasons, it was decided to fix the "Saxon clerical" language as a standard. It was originally used as an administrative in the areas of Meissen and Dresden.
Modern Austria is a European state, its capital is Vienna. It borders on Germany in the north. The population of Austria leaves 8.66 million people. Indigenous people prevail here. Among national minorities - Germans, Serbs and Turks. The total area of the state is 83.879 square kilometers. Austrian German is softer and more melodic, which is facilitated by the widespread use of the suffix - l. This language is spoken by 88.6% of the population. Both the written and spoken language of the inhabitants of Austria is different from the official German language. Most of all, it looks like a Bavarian dialect.
Thus, the official Austrian language has the same geographical origin as Swedish and German proper. However, each country has its own dialects. This separate writing has been used for many years. It is very complex in its grammatical structure and vocabulary. The “Saxon clerical” language is not easy to understand even for the native Austrians and Germans. It has a lot of special terms. This form has no regional varieties, as it has been 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 replaced by standard German.
Modern Austrian
The new written standard was developed by Joseph von Sonnenfels. It has been used in modern school textbooks since 1951. They are published by the Federal Ministry of Education, Art and Culture of Austria. Prior to this, for almost 300 years, the standard was considered the dialect spoken by the Habsburg imperial family and the nobility. It was distinguished by a large degree of nasal sounds compared to the modern version. Language was not fixed as a standard - it was spoken by high society.
German is an official language in Austria according to the Constitution of the republic. It is spoken by about 8 million people. The law also enshrines the languages of national minorities. In Carinthia and Styria, Slovenian is used, in Burgenland - Hungarian and Croatian.
Like a dialect
German is pluricentric. Therefore, it cannot be said which of its forms, accepted as official in other states, is correct. Austrian is one of the varieties of standard German. The situation is similar to the relationship between British and American English. There is a difference in some minor aspects (e.g. 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. The last reform took place in 1996. However, the Republic of Austria uses the language a little differently than it does in Germany. Particularly noticeable differences in culinary, economic and legal terms. This is due to the historical features of the formation of Austria and Germany as separate states from the end of the XIX century.
Grammar and vocabulary
The Austrian dialect of the German language, like the Swiss one, uses the auxiliary verb sein in the perfect not only to express movement, but also state. In oral speech, the form of preteritum is almost never used. The exception is some modal verbs. Austrian German is also different in lexical terms. For example, in Germany, January is called Januar. In Austria - Jänner, “this year” is translated as heur, not dieses Jahr, “stairs” - Stiege, not Treppe, “chimney” - Rauchfang, not Schornstein. Many administrative, legal, and political terms and product names are distinguished. Among them:
- Potatoes. In German - Kartoffeln. In Austrian - Erdäpfel.
- Whipped cream. In German - Schlagsahne. In Austrian - Schlagobers.
- Beef. In German - Hackfleisch. In Austrian - Faschiertes.
- Green beans. 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 the "false friends" of the translator. Some words in both languages are spelled the same, but have completely different meanings.
Regional aspects
Austrian German includes a number of dialects. They can be heard in everyday speech. The inhabitants of Bavaria are easier to understand the Austrians. Simple words are the same or very similar in many dialects, but they can be pronounced differently. You can often understand where the interlocutor was born, almost immediately. After Austria joined the European Union, its official language was protected according to Protocol No. 10. In total, 23 terms were allocated that relate to agriculture. It should be noted that this is an unprecedented case. Austrian German is the only pluricentric language that is recognized by international or European law.