German is the official language spoken by 98% of the population as mother tongue. There are distinct differences between the many regional dialects, and also a wide variation in the standard Hochdeutsch spoken from region to region. Slovene is an official language in the southern province of Carinthia.

Is Austrian and German the same?

It is also the official written language of Germany and the variation of German that is spoken in Austria. In Austria, however, High German is known as Austrian German – or Österreichisches Deutsch. Despite their minor differences, Austrian German and standard German are generally considered to be the same.

What are the top 3 languages spoken in Austria?

What Language Is Spoken In Austria?RankCategoryLanguage1Official languagesGerman (Austrian German)2Significant unofficial languagesAlemannic Austro-Bavarian3Regional languagesBurgenland Croatian, Slovene, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, Romani4Minority languagesTurkish2 more rows

Can a German understand an Austrian?

The variation of German spoken in Austria is known as Austrian German, or Österreichisches Deutsch. Despite their differences, Austrian German and standard German are generally considered to be mutually intelligible, meaning a German will usually understand German from Austria, and vice versa.

Is Austria Germanic or Celtic?

Proponents who recognize Austrians as a nation claim that Austrians have Celtic heritage, as Austria is the location of the first characteristically Celtic culture to exist. It is said that Celtic Austria became culturally Romanized under Roman rule and later culturally Germanized after Germanic invasions.

What is the difference between Bavarian and German?

Bavarian differs sufficiently from Standard German to make it difficult for native speakers to adopt standard pronunciation. It is therefore often referred to as Schriftdeutsch (written German) rather than the usual term Hochdeutsch (High German or Standard German).