How has the German language changed?

It has gone through many changes, from Old High German (from about 700 AD to the eleventh century); Middle High German (from about 1050 to 1350); Early New High German (1350 to 1600) to New High German (from about 1600 to the present). New words from other languages have been adopted by German speakers.

How different are the German dialects?

German is diverse – more than 16 regional dialect groups show this. But a dialect is more than just its vocabulary. It is also a separate linguistic system, with its own rules and a characteristic speech melody. The term “dialect” comes from ancient Greek and means “conversation and parlance of groups”.

How different is Bavarian German from German?

Bavarian differs sufficiently from Standard German to make it difficult for native speakers to adopt standard pronunciation. Educated Bavarians and Austrians can almost always read, write and understand Standard German, but they may have very little opportunity to speak it, especially in rural areas.

How did the German language evolve?

German is the second most widely spoken Germanic language after English. The majority of its vocabulary derives from the ancient Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family, while a smaller share is partly derived from Latin and Greek, along with fewer words borrowed from French and Modern English.

Does Germany have a different language?

The official language of Germany is Standard German, with over 95 percent of the country speaking Standard German or German dialects as their first language. Recognized minority languages have official status as well, usually in their respective regions.

What are the main differences between English and German?

Easily the most obvious difference between English and German is how complicated it is to learn articles. The fact that the German language has multiple versions of each article is incredibly unusual for an English speaker. Most European languages have two genders for their articles, but German has three.

What is the difference between High German and Niederdeutsch?

Niederdeutsch is a demotic form of German, where High German is the standardised German that is generally learned and accepted. You could say High German is like BBC English, and Niederdeutsch (low German) is like everyday English, with all its idiosyncracies.

What is the meaning of the German word ‘Oberdeutsch’?

It means ‘the Frisian’. High German came to mean the language of the educated; the old South German came to be called Oberdeutsch, ‘Upper German’. High German increasingly displaced the regional dialects in the 1600’s in writing, and displaced dialects from speech to some extent since the 1800’s.

What is the German dialect you grew up speaking?

The dialect I grew up speaking is the one spoken in Saarland, the smallest state in Germany in the southwest close to France and Luxembourg. I’m able to burst out some funny-sounding sentences in that dialect called Saarländisch but that’s about it. How it actually works, I have no idea.

Which German dialects are spoken in the south of Germany?

The German dialects spoken in the south of Germany and in Austria are Upper German (Oberdeutsch). Not to be confused with Hochdeutsch (Standard German). – RHa