Einige Bemerkungen zur deutschen Sprache in Österreich

Abstract

Some remarks on the German language in Austria

German is a pluricentric language. Austrian German is one of the national varieties of Standard German. Distinctions in the vocabulary persist, for example, in culinary terms and in legal, administrative and economic terms. Austrian German is the Standard German language in Austria and it is the national standard variety of the German language spoken in Austria and in South Tyrol Italy. The standardized form of Austrian German for official texts and schools is defined by the Österreichisches Wörterbuch, published under the authority of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture. This dictionary provides grammar and spelling rules defining the official language. In addition to this standard variety, in everyday life many Austrians speak one of the Upper German dialects.