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Dialects and Varieties

Bavarian German

German Dialects and Varieties

Bavarian, sometimes called Bavarian German, is an Upper German dialect group native to Bavaria, most of Austria and South Tyrol, with historical footholds in the Sudetenland and western Hungary. Spoken natively by an estimated 12 to 15 million people across roughly 125,000 square kilometers, it is the largest of the German dialect families by both area and number of speakers, though its everyday use has receded among younger, more urban populations in favor of Standard German. Its grammar marks case chiefly on the article rather than the noun and has largely abandoned the simple past tense in favor of the perfect, while its vocabulary preserves a distinctive Hausname system for identifying families by farmstead rather than surname.

Facts
Region
the German state of Bavaria, most of Austria, South Tyrol in Italy, and historically the Sudetenland and western Hungary, an area of roughly 125,000 square kilometers 1
Speaker Community
an estimated 12 to 15 million native speakers, making it the largest of the German dialect groups by area and speaker count; as of 2008 about 45 percent of Bavarians reported using dialect exclusively in daily life, though younger urban speakers increasingly favor Standard German 1
Distinguishing Features
case marking carried mainly by the article rather than the noun; near-total replacement of the simple past tense by the perfect construction for past events; a rich system of diminutive and nickname formation, such as Sepperl from Josef, alongside the traditional Hausname system that identifies families by farmstead or occupation rather than surname 1
Classification
Variety Kind
Regional Dialect 1
Connections

Descends From

German, Languages
Source Wikipedia: Bavarian German
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Bavarian German
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Opening section, speaker demographics paragraph
    Bavarian is spoken by approximately 12 million people in an area of around 125,000 square kilometres (48,000 sq mi), making it the largest of all German dialects.
  • Variety kind, Bavarian German entity page
    Bavarian, sometimes called Bavarian German, is an Upper German dialect group native to Bavaria, most of Austria and South Tyrol, with historical footholds in the Sudetenland and western Hungary.
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