Originally posted by: JEDIYoda
Originally posted by: JohnOfSheffield
Originally posted by: f95toli
Originally posted by: bbdub333
President Obama thinks Austrian is a language:
"It was also interesting to see that political interaction in Europe is not that different from the United States Senate. There?s a lot of ? I don?t know what the term is in Austrian ? wheeling and dealing ? and, you know, people are pursuing their interests, and everybody has their own particular issues and their own particular politics."
Is he an airhead, or just an idiot?
Actually, Austrian is a language. It is obviously a type of German, but it is quite distinct from the kind of German spoken in most of Germany (it is easy to tell is someone is from Austria, the rolling "r" is a a dead giveaway). It is a bit like the difference between American and British English; most of it is the same but sometimes the spelling is different and now and then some words are different too (in particular words for modern technology).
Hence, "Austrian" is just the name of the standard variety of German spoken in Austria (as defined by the "Österreichisches Wörterbuch").
It's WAY more complicated than English and Americanese, it's a mix between three languages in words and pronounciation.
If you ever took German in school you'd have as much luck at understanding them as you would if they spoke keltic.
actually it`s more like a diaect of german than anything else....
I lived in Austria for a few years. No it`s not a mic between 3 languages....just like there is high German and what others would call regular German. Austrian is more of a dialect of German.
Jere is what wikipedia says about the language -- Austrian German (Österreichisches Deutsch, Austrian Standard German) is the national standard variety of the German language spoken in Austria and in South Tyrol. The standardized form of Austrian German for official texts and schools is defined by the Austrian dictionary (Österreichisches Wörterbuch), published under the authority of the ministry of education, art and culture.
As German is a pluricentric language,
Austrian German is another standard variety in addition to the German spoken in Germany. Much like the relationship between American and British English, Austrian German is simply another standard form of the German language. The "Österreichisches Wörterbuch" states specific grammar rules and is a dictionary using Austrian spelling. In addition to this standard variety, in everyday life, most Austrians speak one of a number of High German dialects.
