subject: High German Is the Standard, But There Are Also Dialects and Accents [print this page] High German Is the Standard, But There Are Also Dialects and Accents
In Germany there is the "High German" (also called the Superior German) or, in German Hochdeutsch which is the official language, spoken by practically all inhabitants. There are, however, many dialects that are spoken in different areas of the country.
Each region of Germany has its own dialect. What is striking is that a German from the North doesn't understand the southerners' dialect, and vice versa. Also, one German from the East cannot understand the dialect from an inhabitant of the western area. For instance there is a dialect spoken in Cologne, called "Klsch" and in the area of Bavaria they speak "Bavarian". Both are very different from each other.
Additionally we must mention the variety of accents (sounds) that exist in German pronunciation. That is, in each region one hears a different one. The most outstanding is in the Bavarian region whose inhabitants have a very strong accent.
A person with knowledge of German at an intermediate level, who hears the pronunciation of "Bavarian", will perceive the great difference with the German spoken in the rest of the country. To all this must be added that in Austria and Switzerland is talked, too, with different accents, but this does not mean that they can understand when they speak. However, I would say that is easier to understand German spoken by an Austrian than by a "Bavarian".
The best way to learn to identify these accents is by staying in the country and have a real direct and live experience. A good place to achieve this is by assisting at some university whose students would be from different parts of Germany.
On the other hand I must mention that the language taught is the "High German" and we don't need to speak dialects to communicate. To learn good German we can tune in to the notices on cable TV, where the speakers have a perfect pronunciation.
Last but not least, if we have the opportunity to visit the country it would be most advisable to create links with its citizens in order to practice and learn their language.
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