The Words we Speak
Austrian German. It’s not a nationality, but a language.
Austrian German is standard national version of the German language. It is used widely in Austria and in South Tyrol. Since German language is a Pluricentric language, a language with multiple standard versions, and since Germany has had close ties with Austria ever since the close of World War II, the majority of the Austrian population has chosen to adapt Austrian German as the standard language of Austria.
Take note that Austrian German is not a standardized Austrian language, nor are there any standardized Austrian language in existence. All of the accepted languages in Austria are but varieties of the High German language.
Vocabulary differences between Austrian German and Standard German
“Janner” (Austrian German) for “January” instead of “Januar” (standard German).
“Feber” for “February” instead of “Februar”.
“Heuer” for “this year” instead of “dieses Jahr”.
“Erdapfel” for “potatoes” instead of “Kartoffeln”.
“Faschiertes” for “ground beef” instead of “Hackfleisch”.
“Fisolen” for “green beans” instead of “Gartenbohne”.
“Karfiol” for “cauliflower” instead of “Blumenkohl”.
“Karotte” for “carrot” instead of “Mohre”.
“Kohlsprossen” for “Brussels sprouts” instead of “Rosenkohl”.
“Marillen” for “apricots” instead of “Aprikosen”.
“Paradeiser” for “tomatoes” instead of “Tomaten”.
“Palatschinken” for “pancakes” instead of “Pfannkuchen”.
“Topfen” for “cottage cheese” instead of “Quark”.
“Kren” for “horseradish” instead of “Meerretch”.
Austria and Standard German
Austrian dialects, first and foremost, shouldn’t be confused with the numerous varieties of Standard German used by Austrians from different regions, as they are distinct from that of Switzerland and Germany. Differences in vocabulary are plentiful. For example, an Austrian conversing with a German will have difficulty expressing culinary terms, as evident from the above list of vocabulary.