I have created a new collection in the German library: Österreich und seine “Sprachen”.
I accidentally discovered the Bavarian version of Wikipedia and found it very interesting due to the fact that most Austrians speak Bavarian dialects (East and West Central as well as Southern Bavarian), except for the westernmost province of Vorarlberg an parts of Tyrol, where they speak Allemannic dialects like in Switzerland and Swabia.
My own dialect (Lower Austria) is similar to the Viennese dialect, so my first choice was the beginning of the text about Vienna (Wien/Wean) from Wikipedia. I have translated the passage into standard German to allow the LingQing of vocabulary and have added the dialect version as a “translation”. The audio contains both the standard German and dialect versions. I intend to write original texts too.
For information about Bavarian dialects you can go to http://bar.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hauptsaitn_(Ostmittlboarisch)
The map of where Bavarian dialects are spoken:
I think this would be interesting to have about other German dialects too (Alemannic, Frankish etc.) There is already a text in Plattdeutsch of northern Germany: Plattdeutsch - LingQ Language Library (provided by SanneT)
Hi Reinhard,
What a terrific idea to record some texts in both standard Austrian and in one of our dialects. I myself am from Styria and even though I don’t speak Stoansteirisch (but I understand most of it) I speak in some sort of a mixed dialect when I talk to friends or family members. I have to admit though that due to my job as an interpreter my German has become very “neutral”. I sometimes even find it hard to speak in dialect because I’m not really used to it anymore. Nevertheless I stick to my Austrian accent and intonation. I now mostly speak standard German but with an Austrian accent and with a large amount of typically Austrian words. I find it very sad that so many originally Austrian words have fallen out of use (mostly due to the massive influence of German satellite TV programs). I’m not blaming the Germans but rather the Austrians for showing so little respect for their own language. In my family for example I’m the only one who still says “Servus” when he says good-bye (instead of the German “Tschüs(s)”).
My nephews even say “gucken” instead of “schauen”. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that one variant of German is better than another but I find it sad if one of these variants is portrayed as the only correct one while so many others seem to be totally neglected, even to the point that they will get extinct. When I work for the EU I have to stick to a list of words that I’m allowed to use when I interpret into German. Actually, there now is a list of a few dozen typically Austrian terms that we are “allowed” to use as interpreters when we work (like “Marille” instead of “Aprikose” etc.). It is a shame that one has to ask permission and seek official approval before you are allowed to speak the way you grew up. Of course, speaking a standard version of any language which is comprehensible for as many people as possible is great and obviously very useful. But this should not let us forget that there are so many other language variants out there that are just as valuable as the one we call “standard”.
Foreigners keep asking me if Austrians speak “standard German” (some even ask me if we are “able to do so” and my answer to that question normally is: Yes, of course, we do but it is the Austrian variant of standard German. “Bundesdeutsch” (the “standard” German spoken in Germany) is not the only standard or “correct” version. People tend to forget that and this is why I think it is great that you enriched LingQ’s content with your contribution. I love listening to the various German dialects and variations of standard German (part of my family is from Germany, anway) but whenever I hear any of our Austrian variants I know that this is the “language of my heart”. Thanks again for your recording.
Thank you for the suggestion, Steve. I have found a very interesting video on YouTube about Vienna’s development along its waterways, the river Danube (Donau) and the Danube Canal (Donaukanal) (- YouTube). Of course, there are many videos about sights, but this one contains interviews (one even with Vienna’s mayor) and not just music and beautiful pictures. I’m sorry about the bad link above. It should have been the one Jolanda provided.
The new text doesn’t show up in the new lessons or in the library as a separate entry, only the collection shows up under the first text about Vienna. So nobody can see there is a new text in the collection.
