Standard German is the prescriptive norm variant of the German language used as a written language, in formal contexts, and for communication between different dialect areas. German (called Deutsch in German; in German the term germanisch is equivalent to English Germanic), is a member of the western group of Germanic languages and is one of the worlds major languages. ... A written language is a language that uses a writing system to convey meaning, or more generally the written form of any language that has such written components. ...

Standard German has originated not as a traditional dialect of a specific region, but as a written language, developed over a process of several hundred years, in which writers tried to write in a way that was understood in the largest area. Until about 1800 Standard German was almost entirely a written language. In this time, people in northern Germany, who spoke Low Saxon dialects very different from Standard German, learnt it almost like a foreign language. Later the Northern pronunciation was considered standard and spread southward; in some regions (such as around Hanover) the local dialect completely died out. It is thus the spread of Standard German as a language taught at school that defines the German Sprachraum, i.e. a political decision rather than a direct consequence of dialect geography, allowing areas with dialects of very limited mutual comprehensibility to participate in the same cultural sphere (literature, and more recently mass media). A written language is a language that uses a writing system to convey meaning, or more generally the written form of any language that has such written components. ... Low Saxon (in Low Saxon, Nedersaksisch, Neddersassisch, Plattdüütsch or Nedderdüütsch) is any of a variety of Low German dialects spoken in northern Germany and the Netherlands. ... Hanover (German: Hannover []), on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), Germany. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Dialectology is a sub-field of linguistics. ...

Terminology

In German linguistics, only the traditional regional varieties of German are called dialects, not the different varieties of standard German. The latter are known as Umgangssprachen and on the territory of Germany have begun to replace the traditional dialects from the 19th century. They constitute a mixture of old dialectal elements with Standard German. German studies is the field of humanities that researches, documents, and disseminates German language and literature in both its historic and present forms. ... A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος, dialektos) is a variety of a language used by people from a particular geographic area. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In German, Standard German is often called Hochdeutsch, a misleading term since it collides with the linguistic term High German. Hoch "high" in the term for the standard language refers to "high" in a cultural or educational sense, while in the linguistic term it simply refers to the Geography of Germany, High German of the southern uplands and the Alps contrasting with Low Saxon (also called Low German) spoken in the lowlands stretching towards the North Sea. To avoid this confusion, Standard German is increasingly referred to as Standarddeutsch, deutsche Standardsprache, or if the context of the German language is clear, simply Standardsprache "standard language". Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... This article describes the geography of Germany. ... Low Saxon (in Low Saxon, Nedersaksisch, Neddersassisch, Plattdüütsch or Nedderdüütsch) is any of a variety of Low German dialects spoken in northern Germany and the Netherlands. ... The North Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between the coasts of Norway and Denmark in the east, the coast of the British Isles in the west, and the German, Dutch, Belgian and French coasts in the south. ...

Variants

Standard German differs regionally, especially between German-speaking countries, especially in vocabulary, but also in some instances of pronunciation and even grammar. This variation must not be confused with the variation of local dialects. Even though the regional varieties of standard German are to a certain degree influenced by the local dialects, they are very distinct. German is thus considered a pluricentric language. A vocabulary is a set of words known to a person or other entity, or that are part of a specific language. ... Look up pronunciation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Grammar is the study of rules governing the use of language. ... A pluricentric language is a language with several standard versions. ...

Continuum between standard German and German dialects

In most regions, the speakers use a continuum of mixtures from more dialectical varieties to more standard varieties according to situation.

In the German-speaking parts of Switzerland, there is no such continuum between dialect and (Swiss) standard German, and the use of standard German is almost entirely restricted to the written language. Therefore, this situation has been called a medial diglossia. Standard German is rarely spoken, for instance when speaking with people who do not understand the Swiss German dialects at all, and it is expected to be used in school. Standard German has, however, left a clear imprint on the contemporary variants of Swiss German, regional expressions and vocabulary having been replaced with material assimilated from the standard language. In linguistics, diglossia is a situation where, in a given society, there are two (often) closely-related languages, one of high prestige, which is generally used by the government and in formal texts, and one of low prestige, which is usually the spoken vernacular tongue. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Phonology

Main article: German phonology

Pronunciation of Standard German was first prescribed in 1898 in the Deutsche Bühnenaussprache of Theodor Siebs. In Siebs' pronunciation, the phoneme /r/ was given a pronunciation of [r], while regional variants are permissible in contemporary Standard German. Note: This page contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ... 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

Grammar

Main article: German grammar

This article discusses the grammar of the German language, focusing on Standard German. ...

Orthography

Main article: German orthography

A first standardization, although non-prescriptive, of Early Modern High German was introduced by Luther Bible of 1534. In consequence, the written language of the chancery of Saxony-Wittenberg rose in importance in the course of the 17th century, and the 1665 revision of the Zürich Bible abandoned its Alemannic idiom in favour of this standard. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with German phonology. ... Early Modern High German (Frühneuhochdeutsch), is the direct ancestor of the modern German language, and was used from 1350 to 1650. ... Luthers 1534 bible The Luther Bible is a German Bible translation by Martin Luther, first printed with both testaments in 1534. ... 1534 (MDXXXIV) was a common year in the 16th century. ... With an area of 18,400 sq. ... 1665 (MDCLXV) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... Zürich Bible (Zürcher Bibel, also Zwinglibibel) is a bible translation historically based on the translation by Ulrich Zwingli. ... The term Alemannic can have several meanings. ...

The First Orthographical Conference (I. Orthographische Konferenz) was called in 1876 by the government of Prussia. Since Prussia was by far the largest state in the German Empire, its regulations also influenced spelling elsewhere. 1876 (MDCCCLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Prussia, 1701-1918 Prussia (German: ; Latin: Borussia, Prutenia; Lithuanian: ; Polish: ; Old Prussian: PrÅ«sa) was, most recently, a historic state originating in East Prussia, an area which for centuries had substantial influence on German and European history. ... Motto: Gott mit Uns (German: God with us”) Anthem: Heil dir im Siegerkranz (unofficial) Territory of the German Empire in 1914, prior to World War I   Capital Berlin Language(s) German (official) Polish (Posen, Upper Silesia, Masuria) French (Alsace-Lorraine) Government Constitutional monarchy Emperor  - 1871-1888 William I  - 1888 Frederick...

Konrad Duden published the first edition of his dictionary, later simply known as the Duden, in 1880. The first spelling reform, based on Duden's work, came into effect in 1901. The orthographical standards predating 1901 are now known as "classical orthography" (Klassische deutsche Rechtschreibung), while the conventions in effect from 1901 to 1998 are summarized as "old orthography" (Alte deutsche Rechtschreibung). A failed attempt at another reform dates to 1944, delayed on the order of Hitler and not taken back up after the end of the World War II. In the following decades German spelling was essentially decided de facto by the editors of the Duden dictionaries. After the war, this tradition was followed with two different centers: Mannheim in West Germany and Leipzig in East Germany. By the early 1950s, a few other publishing houses had begun to attack the Duden monopoly in the West by putting out their own dictionaries, which did not always hold to the "official" spellings prescribed by Duden. In response, the Ministers of Culture of the federal states in West Germany officially declared the Duden spellings to be binding as of November, 1955. Konrad Alexander Friedrich Duden (January 3, 1829 - August 1, 1911) was a Gynasium (high school) who became a philologist. ... The Duden () is a German dictionary, first published by Konrad Duden in 1880. ... 1880 (MDCCCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. ... 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... Mannheim is a city in Germany. ... [] (Sorbian/Lusatian: Lipsk) is the largest city in the Federal State (Bundesland) of Saxony in Germany. ... GDR redirects here. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

From 1996, another reform was attempted, based on an international agreement signed by the governments of the German-speaking countries Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland. The acceptance of the reform was limited. While, as of 2004, most German print media use rules that to a large extent comply with the reform, some newspapers, such as Die Zeit, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, or Süddeutsche Zeitung, created their own in-house orthographies. 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... The German spelling reform (Rechtschreibreform) is based on an international agreement signed in 1996 by the governments of the German-speaking countries Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Die Zeit (pronounced ) is a German nationwide weekly newspaper (literally translated: Time). ... The Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) is a major Swiss daily newspaper based in Zürich. ... The Süddeutsche Zeitung is a quality German newspaper. ...

In 2006 there was another spelling reform because there were disagreements like capitalizing or separating German words. Also reformed were the rules governing punctuation marks. 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Standard language
• History of the German language