Austria
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Austria (AT)
ECRML
Signed
1992
Ratified
2001
In Force
2001
FCNM
Signed
1995
Ratified
1998
In Force
1998
Country Description
Important foundations for Austrian German were laid between 1770-1780 when Habsburg sovereign Maria Theresia introduced mandatory schooling and a new bureaucratic linguistic standard based on Upper Saxon, which mixed with local Austrian Bavarian and Alemannic varieties over time. There is no systematic data on deaf sign language users in Austria, thus the common estimate of 0.01% of the population is applied, coming up to 8,000. Together with hearing, hard-of-hearing and learning users, this results in approximately 10,000 ÖGS sign language users. There is a marked shortage of ÖGS translators (approx. 100 at the moment), which has been flagged as an issue. The last "traditional" language census in Austria took place in 2001 (and every ten years before that), when a switch was made from respondent-based questionnaires to register-based administrative data. Over time, some Austrian minoritised language communities have established sizable sub-communities in larger cities and commute back and forth, e.g. between Vienna and Burgenland in the case of many Burgenland Croats.
Pan-National Official Language(s)
This category only includes languages that are official throughout the whole country (with the exception of Belgium) - languages that are e.g. regionally 'co-official' are not listed here but can be identified in the categories below wherever a relevant legal document is listed. A future update could include lists of co-official languages, as well.
To increase their visibility, recognised Sign Languages are always listed as official languages even if they are not yet technically official. The data on legal recognition was aggregated from legal documents and official sources. Wherever possible, the national number was taken from a national census or recent study/official estimate – sources are listed. The endangerment level is adopted from Ethnologue and further estimates of endangerment can be found on the individual language profile (e.g. by clicking on 'Italian').
| Language | Endonym | Geographic Area | Source | Legal Recognition | Legal Document | Source | National Number | Bases for Calculation | Estimation Date | Source | Endangerment Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Austrian German
Germanic
|
(Österreichisches) Deutsch | Whole country | 1920 | Federal Constitutional Law / Bundes-Verfassungsgesetz, Article 8 (1) | 7 808 837 (given) | Colloquial language | 2001 | 1 (National) | |||
|
Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS)
Sign Language
|
Österreichische Gebärdensprache, ÖGS | Whole country | 2005 | Recognition of Austrian Sign Language (89/A(E)) / Anerkennung der Österreichischen Gebärdensprache (89/A(E)) | Approx. 10,000 (not a census) | Language used | 2021 | 5 (Developing) |
ECRML-Recognised Languages
This includes languages recognised under the European Charter of Regional and Minority Languages (ECRML). The data on legal recognition was aggregated from legal documents and official sources. Wherever possible, the national number was taken from a national census or recent study/official estimate – sources are listed. The endangerment level is adopted from Ethnologue and further estimates of endangerment can be found on the individual language profile (e.g. by clicking on 'Czech').
| Language | Endonym | Geographic Area | Source | Legal Recognition | Legal Document | Source | National Number | Bases for Calculation | Estimation Date | Source | Endangerment Level | ECRML level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Burgenland Croatian
Slavic
|
Gradišćanskohrvatski | Regions in Burgenland (Co-Official) | 1955 | State Treaty Article 7 (Rights of the Slovenian and Croatian minorities) / Staatsvertrag Artikel 7 (Rechte der slowenischen und kroatischen Minderheiten) | 19 412 (given) | Colloquial language | 2001 | 6b (Threatened) | Part II & Part III | |||
|
Czech
Slavic
|
Čeština | Vienna | 1976 | Ethnic Groups Act Section III (Assistance for Ethnic Minorities) / Volksgruppengesetz Abschnitt III (Volksgruppenförderung) | 17 742 (given) | Colloquial language | 2001 | 5* (Dispersed) | Part II | |||
|
Hungarian
Uralic
|
Magyar nyelv | Burgenland, Vienna (Co-Official) | 1976 | Ethnic Groups Act Section V (Official Language) / Volksgruppengesetz Abschnitt V (Amtssprache) | 40 583 (given) | Colloquial language | 2001 | 4 (Educational) | Depending on area, Part II OR Part II & Part III | |||
|
Romani
Indo-Aryan
|
Rromani ćhib | Burgenland | 1993 | Ethnic Group Recognition 1993 | 6 273 (given) | Colloquial language | 2001 | Sinte Romani - 5* (Developing), Vlax Romani - 6b* (Threatened) | Part II | |||
|
Slovak
Slavic
|
Slovenski jezik | Regions in Carinthia (Co-Official) | 1976 | Ethnic Groups Act Section III (Assistance for Ethnic Minorities) / Volksgruppengesetz Abschnitt III (Volksgruppenförderung) | 24 855 (given) | Colloquial language | 2001 | 5* (Dispersed) | Depending on area, Part II OR Part II & Part III | |||
|
Slovenian
Slavic
|
Slovenský jazyk | Vienna | 1955 | State Treaty Article 7 (Rights of the Slovenian and Croatian minorities) / Staatsvertrag Artikel 7 (Rechte der slowenischen und kroatischen Minderheiten) | 10 234 (given) | Colloquial language | 2001 | 5* (Dispersed) | Part II |
Non-ECRML Languages – Source Overview
Languages marked with ✓ appear in that source.
Languages listed in multiple sources may have differing data – see the detail tables below.
Non-ECRML Languages (Ethnologue)
Languages listed with an 'established status' in Ethnologue. The data on legal recognition, national number, and endangerment level was taken from Ethnologue, reflecting its current state and gaps of knowledge.
| Language | Endonym | Geographic Area | Source | Legal Recognition | Legal Document | Source | National Number | Bases for Calculation | Estimation Date | Source | Endangerment Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alemannic
Germanic
|
Vorarlbergerisch / Alemannisch | Vorarlberg state; Western Tyrol | / | / | / | 300 000 | Users | 1991 | 5* (Developing) | ||
|
Bavarian Austrian
Germanic
|
Bairisch-Österreichisch | Lower Austria and Salzburg states; Burgenland, Carinthia, and Styria (Northern Bavarian dialect) | / | / | / | 8 310 000 | Users | 2012 | 5* (Developing) | ||
|
Croatian
Slavic
|
Hrvatski | Burgenland, Lower Austria and Vienna states | / | / | / | 121 000 | Users | 2021 | 6b (Threatened) | ||
|
English
Germanic
|
English | Widespread | / | / | / | 6 514 700 | Users | 2018 | 4 (Educational) | ||
|
French
Romance
|
Français | Scattered | / | / | / | 1 181 300 | Users | 2021 | 5* (Dispersed) | ||
|
Italian
Romance
|
Italiano | / | / | / | / | 815 900 | Users | 2021 | 5* (Dispersed) | ||
|
Swabian
Germanic
|
Schwäbisch | Tyrol state: Reutte district, Reutte town area | / | / | / | / | / | / | 5* (Developing) | ||
|
Walser
Germanic
|
Walscher / Galtürer Dialekt | Tyrol state: Paznauntal area, Brandnertal, Galtür, Lech, Reintal, Schricken, Silbertal, and Warth; Vorarlberg state: Grosses Walsertal, Kleinwalsertal, Tannberg areas | / | / | / | 9 000 | Users | 2022 | 6b* (Threatened) |
Recognised Minorities
Further Reading
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