To many, the only language spoken in Germany is German. However, what if I told you that the languages of Germany were some of the most diverse, not only in Europe, but also in the world?!
In total, Germany has a population of about 83 million people (as of the time of writing). These 83 million people speak hundreds of different languages, some which are widely spoken, and some that are native to only a small village…
National Language
According to the German Constitution, whilst there are a number of regional languages spoken throughout the country, the only official language spoken throughout the country, is German…
Throughout the country, there are a number of different German dialects, most of which can trace their heritage back to Old High German and/or Old Low German. Ironically, Old Low German is spoken in the north, and vice versa.
However, over the course of the 19th century, the German language as we know it, was standardized. This is the “standard” dialect of German, which is often referred to as “Standard German”.
This is the only officially-recognized variant of German. All official government duties are performed in Standard German, even if done in an area which has a long-standing regional dialect of German.
If you ever learn German, this is the variant of German you’ll likely be taught!
Incidentally, German is also spoken in surrounding countries too, such as Austria, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Belgium and Switzerland. Although the latter speaks a variant of the language known as Swiss German.
Regional Languages
Whilst German is the only official language of Germany, there are also a number of regional languages spoken in different areas of Germany. These languages all have varying degrees of recognition by government bodies.
Danish
Looking at the history of modern Germany, you’ll likely that a lot of it overlaps with the history of Denmark. You see, whilst it’s hard to fathom today, Denmark was once a major regional power.
During the mid-1850’s, Denmark had a large military, and overseas trading outposts well into the Baltic and North Atlantic. This fact caused a number of wars in Europe, primarily between Prussia (Germany) and Denmark.
For most of these wars, Denmark would beat Prussia, with Prussia returning the favor a few years later. However, one of these wars was a resounding Prussian victory, with Denmark ceding its southern-most Schleswig-Holstein region.
Traditionally, the people who inhabited the region were both ethnic Danes and Germans, meaning the inhabitants of the region spoke both languages. Despite the loss of much of Germany’s territory, Schleswig-Holstein is still German.
Despite this, the region still speaks Danish. In fact, more young people speak Danish at home than German, which has seen Danish become an officially-recognized local language (although, only within Schleswig-Holstein).
Frisian
If you’ve ever done any research into the easiest languages for a native English speaker to learn, you’ll probably have heard of Frisian. According to many linguists, it is one of the closest languages to English that’s still spoken!
Whilst traditionally spoken in the Netherlands, a northern dialect of the language (called North Frisian) is native to the aforementioned Schleswig-Holstein. This is mostly the remnants of old trading routes that haven’t be used for years.
According to the German government there are only around 10,000 speakers of North Frisian. This language is expected to become extinct, due to the fact it’s mostly spoken by the elderly, who live in remote villages…
However, North Frisian isn’t the only variant of Frisian spoken in Germany. In the Land (state) of Lower Saxony, there are around 2,000 people who speak Saterland Frisian, the last-remaining dialect of the East Frisian language.
Similarly to North Frisian, Saterland Frisian is spoken primarily by the elderly in small, rural villages. As with North Frisian, Saterland Frisian is also dying, with neither language having any sort of official local recognition whatsoever.
Low Saxon
Do you remember earlier, when I said that Low German and High German combined together over centuries to form what we now call German? Well, I might have left out a few details…
In the south, where High German was spoken, it was entirely replaced by Standard German (in most cases). However, in the north, most still continue to speak a more modern form of Low German, even if they don’t realize it.
For some however, particularly in the Land (state) of Saxony, they don’t even try to hide it. Most people, both old and young, speak what is officially known as Low German. However, most refer to it as Low Saxon instead.
Low Saxon has a mixed status in Germany. In many cities, it is a recongnized regional language, with radio and TV stations, as well as newspapers being published in the language.
Officially, however, the language has only limited recognition. Despite the language of many German’s ancestors, it is not mentioned in the German Constitution, meaning it can’t be used in any real “official” capacity!
As of the time of writing, the German government estimate that there are around 6.7 million Low Saxon speakers in Germany. On top of this, there are also around 10 million second language speakers, mostly in Germany.
Polish
If you are familiar with German history, you’ll know that prior to “Germany” there were hundreds of tiny little German states. By far the two largest were Prussia, and Austria, with the latter traditionally being more powerful.
Prussia, had large portions of territory in what is now-Poland. Whilst the aristocracy spoke Germany, much of the peasantry spoke Polish, this was especially so the further east you went in Prussia.
Eventually, Prussia merged all of these tiny states together, forming what we now call “Germany”. With this, many ethnic Poles were free to migrate from Polish-speaking areas of Prussia, to other areas of Germany.
Following the erection of the Berlin Wall, this was no longer possible. However, when the wall came down, many ethnic Poles left the poorer east, for the much richer west.
On top of this, Germany has also become a popular destination for Polish immigrants, due partly to their intertwined history and pre-existing Polish communities.
In total, there are roughly 2 million Polish speakers spread throughout German (although most are still in the far east of the country!)
Sorbian
Polish, however, isn’t the only Slavic language spoken in Germany. Whilst it is the most well spoken, there is another ethno-linguistic group of Slavs in Germany, commonly known as the Sorbs.
The Sorbs, speak a series of languages known as Sorbian. Primarily, Sorbian is made up of two main languages: Upper and Lower Sorbian. Whilst they are called “languages” they are more like dialects of one another in reality.
For the most part, Upper Sorbian is spoken in present-day Saxony. At one point in time, a part of Saxony was called Upper Lusatia, and was governed and ran by the Sorbs, thus why the region today speaks Sorbian.
Lower Sorbian, however, is spoken in present-day Brandenburg. This too was a part of an ancient Sorbian kingdom, Lower Lusatia, which has since become lost to history. However, the Sorbs have remained, still speaking their language.
According to the most recent German government data, there are around 30,000 to 35,000 native speakers of Sorbian, most of whom speak Upper Sorbian. Only around 7,000 people speak Lower Sorbian.
However, much like many of the other regional languages of Germany, Sorbian is dying, mostly due to the fact that it is considered by many young Sorbs to be completely useless.
Immigrant Languages
Beyond the numerous regional and official languages of Germany, the country has also become a popular destination for immigrants, who have likewise brought their cultures and languages to the country.
Arabic
Over the past 30 years or so, Germany (as with many other western countries) has seen an influx of Arabic-speaking immigrants. Often, these immigrants come to German in hope of a better life for themselves and their children.
Whilst France has seen an influx of Arabic-speaking immigrants from its former North African holdings, Germany has seen Arabic-speaking immigrants from war-torn nations like Afghanistan and Syria.
For many of these immigrants, they have migrated to Germany’s largest cities, with the largest populations being just outside Berlin, Frankfurt and Münster. Here, they often live in the same sort of areas as one another.
With this, Germany’s Arabic-speaking immigrants often create their own mini-Middle East, with halal butchers, food as well as building things like Mosques too!
Unlike many other European countries, the influx of Arabic-speaking immigrants is actually welcomed! This is mostly because these immigrants are often highly-trained and are very productive for the famed German economy.
Romani
If you were to ask any German person, whether Romani was an immigrant language or not, chances are that you’d get a rather mixed response. Many would say yes. Others, would say no. Regardless, the official answer is “kind of”.
The Romani people (sometimes known as Gypsies), are spread all throughout Germany. North and south. East and west. Here, they are mostly isolated from most others in German society.
Mostly, this is down to their nomadic lifestyle. Whilst a few have begun to buy houses, and settle in one place permanently, most still roam the country, moving from one place to another, week after week.
The Federal German government have recognized Romani as a minority language, with roughly 0.8% of the population speaking Romani as a native language (around 700,000 people).
Due in part to this, there are a number of non-Romani speakers of the language. However, these speakers are quite isolated, usually only using the language to communicate with members of the Romani community.
English
Since the end of WWII, Germany has become one of the world leaders in terms of engineering. Due to this, there has been a steady stream of English-speaking engineers in the country.
Primarily, these immigrants are from the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Oftentimes, they are experts in their fields, who usually work for engineering firms like Siemens or the German division of planemaker, Airbus.
As many of them serve in wildly different roles, many are spread out across the country. However, most are located in and around the Frankfurt area, where both Siemens and Airbus have research centers.
Today, there are around 900,000 English speakers throughout Germany (most of whom are engineers of some sort), or about 1.2% of Germany’s population.
On top of the English-speaking immigrants in German, most schoolchildren will also learn English at school. Many of them speak it to a high degree of fluency, even well into adulthood.
Serbo-Croatian
Starting in the mid-to-late 1990’s, Yugoslavia began to break up. With this, there were a series of ethnic-wars, with one ethnicity going to war with another.
Naturally, these wars were quite bloody, with millions dying on both sides. However, these wars in particular, were especially bloody, leading to even more people becoming refugees.
Here, many of them fled to neighboring, more stable, European countries. Whilst many of them went to countries such as Switzerland and France, the overwhelming majority went to Germany, where they’d bring their language and culture.
However, Serbo-Croat isn’t one language. Part of the reason why they all these ethnic groups were put into Yugoslavia, was because they shared a common language, which all of them could understand.
Linguists call this language “Serbo-Croat” or occasionally, “Serbo-Croatian” due to the two largest ethnic groups who speak the language. However, the language is also spoken by Serbs, Bosnians and Montenegrins too!
Portuguese
During the 1960’s and 1970’s, Portugal was among the poorest countries in the world. With this, many Portuguese people wanted to leave the country in order to give their children a better standard of living.
Eventually, many Portuguese people were able to do this, with many migrating all across Europe. Whilst some settled in Switzerland, others settled in France, a few even settled in Spain and the UK.
The majority, however, chose to migrate to Germany. Here, many of the could continue to do much of the same work they had been doing in Portugal, without needing to be retrained.
Primarily, these Portuguese-speaking immigrants are located in and around the Frankfurt, where much of the countries factories remain. A small minority are also located around Berlin too.
In recent years, Germany has also seen an influx of Portuguese speakers from Brazil and Macau too. All in all, roughly there are roughly 175,000 Portuguese speakers in Germany.
Which are your favorite languages of Germany? Do you speak any of them? Tell me in the comments!