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Do most people in Germany speak standard German?
Except in deeply rural areas, standard German is spoken, and most people don’t know how to speak the local dialect. However, this standard is usually colored with the regional accent, that is, some phonetic elements, and some grammatical peculiarities are taken over.
Is standard German a dialect?
Standard German was based on a standardized version of the Upper Saxonian dialect (Meißner Kanzleisprache). This is an east-central German dialect, so it is is half-way between north and south as far as the pronunciation of the consonants is concerned.
What is the first most spoken language in Germany?
BBC – Languages – Languages. The official language of Germany is German, with over 95\% of the population speaking German as their first language. Minority languages include Sorbian, spoken by 0.09\% in the east of Germany and North Frisian spoken in Nordfriesland by around 10,000 people, or 0.01\%, who also speak German.
What is the standard language of Germany?
German language, German Deutsch, official language of both Germany and Austria and one of the official languages of Switzerland. German belongs to the West Germanic group of the Indo-European language family, along with English, Frisian, and Dutch (Netherlandic, Flemish).
Do most German speak English?
Long story short: You can survive in Germany without knowing the German language; most Germans speak English, the train usually runs announcements in English and in restaurants or bars, waiters and waitresses often speak English, especially in the city center.
How many people speak German in Germany?
Over 95\% of the population of Germany speaks the language. This figure also encompasses speakers of Northern Low Saxon, a dialect of West Low German. The German language is closely related to Low German, English, Dutch, Afrikaans, and Frisian.
Where is the West Germanic language spoken?
The West Germanic language is spoken mainly in northern Germany. The language is quite distinct from Standard German and more closely related to English, Frisian, and Dutch. There are about 5 million native speakers of Low German in Germany.
What is the official language of Germany?
Official Language of Germany. Standard German is the official language of Germany. It is a West Germanic language that is also the most commonly spoken first language in the European Union.
Is standard German more correct than other German dialects?
For example, the “dialect-free” pronunciation of the number vierzig (forty) is [virzich], with a short [i] and [ch] at the end. Some dialect pronunciations follow the spelling more closely, with a long [i] and a [g] at the end. Considering this, it’s pretty closed-minded to say Standard German is more correct than other dialects.