Dialekte#
Dialects: As a consequence of the historical stability of the Austrian lands the dialects in Austria are largely congruent with the provinces and thus also bear their names (Viennese, Styrian, Tirolean, etc.; the Burgenland dialect was formerly sometimes referred to as "Heanzen" dialect). They merge into each other without any clear-cut language boundaries and have always been in close mutual contact; in fact, they are similar enough to have generated common Austrian colloquial and standard languages ( Austrian German). Only the Alemannic dialect of Vorarlberg differs to a great extent from the other Austrian dialects, which are of Bavarian origin, and is closer to the languages spoken in Switzerland and Swabia.
The Austrian dialects developed out of Middle High German. As early as
in the High Middle Ages there were distinct individual dialects in
Austria Vernacular Literature), whose emergence was closely linked to
the territories of the temporal and spiritual lords that remained
unaltered for long periods of time.
The dialects of Vienna, Lower Austria, Burgenland, Upper Austria, a
large part of Salzburg and a small part of Styria evolved out of
Middle Bavarian. The salient characteristics of these dialects, spoken
in the regions along the River Danube, are: consonants are weakened (p
to b; t to d; k to g in front of l, n, r); l and r are vocalised in
certain positions; vowels with secondary stress are omitted, as in the
prefix ge- and the -e at the end of a word; ancient parasitic sounds
from Old High German are preserved, particularly in the conservative
"ui" dialect of Lower Austria and Burgenland.
The Austrian dialects belonging to Southern Bavarian are spoken in the
mountainous regions, in Carinthia, Tirol, most parts of Styria, parts
of Salzburg and the extreme south of Burgenland. They are somewhat
closer to the standard language, mainly because they keep the fortis
sounds (k, p, t) and the vowels with secondary stress (ge-).
The Burgenland dialects are considered relatively antiquated and
have a lilting accent. Carinthian is also an old dialect that
sounds particularly melodic and soft, a fact that is not least due to
the linguistic interaction with the Slovenians, which has lasted for
centuries. Its most salient feature is the "Carinthian lengthening" of
the vowels. The inhabitants of each valley have their own variant
forms. Distinctive characteristics of Carinthian are the diminutive
suffix "-le" and the much-used expletive "lai", meaning "only"
(instead of High German "nur"). Lower Austrian is a somewhat more
modern dialect, particularly in the plains surrounding Vienna, where
usage is strongly influenced by the Viennese language standards. The
areas in which the "ui" dialect is spoken have maintained their
traditional character. Upper Austrian dialects are traditional
rural dialects, with the exception of the eastern part, where usage
has adopted modern characteristics. Pronunciation shows considerable
differences in the various parts of Upper Austria. The Salzburg
dialect ("Pinzgauerisch-Pongauerisch") is a "mountain dialect" with
peculiar features in the Flachgau region. Styrian is divided into
Upper Styrian and Middle Styrian. The former is also spoken in parts
of Lower Austria; the Heanzen dialect extends into parts of eastern
Styria on the border to Burgenland. The most conservative dialect in
Austria is Tirolean; its most distinctive features are the
sh-pronunciation of the s (as in -sp, -st, -rs, etc.) and the
affricative k. Even more conservative are the numerous dialects of
Austrian origin spoken in various Speech Enclaves, which go back as
far as the Middle Ages. Old Viennese, still in use during the
times of Maria Theresia (1717-1780), has considerably changed since
and its use has much decreased over time. Its place has been taken by
"New Viennese" after 1918 and "Young Viennese" after 1945. Interaction
between the old dialects and High German gave birth to colloquial
language standards, which have spread from Vienna to large parts of
Austria, in particular to provincial capitals and larger towns; hence,
the rural dialects are increasingly assimilated into Viennese language
usage. The Vorarlberg dialect is also spoken in parts of the Lech
Valley in Tirol. Again, there is a wide variety of individual forms
and developments.
The introduction of compulsory education and military service, and
especially the influence of the mass media, have resulted in a growing
erosion of dialects in favour of the standard language. Dialect
Dictionaries.
Literature#
M. Hornung and F. Roitinger, Unsere Mundarten, 1950; E. Kranzmayer, Historische Lautgeographie des gesamtbairischen Dialektraumes, 1956; M. Hornung, Mundartkunde Osttirols, 1964; idem, Woerterbuch der Wr. Mundart, 1998.