Germany
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Germany (DE)
ECRML
Signed
1992
Ratified
1998
In Force
1999
FCNM
Signed
1995
Ratified
1997
In Force
1998
Country Description
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Official Language(s)
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/Glottolog 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
German Sign Language (DGS) Sign Language |
Deutsche Gebärdensprache | Whole country | 2002 | Federal Disability Equality Act Art. 2 § 6 Sign language and communication for people with hearing and speech impairments / Behindertengleichstellungsgesetz Par. 2 § 6 Gebärdensprache und Kommunikation von Menschen mit Hör- und Sprachbehinderungen | / | Approx. 250 000 (not a census) | Language used | 2025 | 5 (Developing) | ||
|
None ('De facto' official language: German) Germanic |
Deutsch | Whole country | / | / | / | Approx. 38 685 700 (estimated, not a national census) | Language Users | 2023 | 1 (National) |
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/Glottolog 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Danish Germanic |
Dansk | Schleswig region in the Kreise of Nordfriesland and Schleswig-Flensburg, in the northern part of the Kreis of Rendsburg-Eckernförde, and in the city of Flensburg | 1955 | Bonn-Copenhagen Declaration, Rights of the Danish Majority, paragraphs 1–12 (Statutory language of provincial identity) | / | 50 000 (estimate, not a census) | Understood and spoken | 2000 (Publication) | 5* (Dispersed) | Part II & Part III | ||
|
Low German Germanic |
Plattdütsch | The entire terrority of Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein, and parts of Brandenburg, North Rhine/Westphalia and Saxony-Anhalt | 1999 | ECRML (6 states concede recognized language status, 2 states, Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, afford special protection in their basic laws) | / | Approx. 1 500 000 (estimate, not a census) | Speakers | 2019 | 7 (Shifting) | Depending on area, Part II OR Part II & Part III | ||
|
Lower Sorbian Slavic |
Serbšćina, Wendish | Lower Lusatia | 1992 | Constitution, Article 25 (Statutory language of provincial identity) | / | 20 000 (estimate, not a census, all Sorbs) | Can speak and write | 2000 (Publication) | 8a (Moribund) | Part II & Part III | ||
|
North Frisian Germanic |
Noordfreesch (many spellings) | Nine local varieties: Six of these [so-called Continental North Frisian] are spoken along the west coast of Schleswig-Holstein (including the holms, or Halligen islands), and three of them [socalled Insular North Frisian] on the offshore islands of Sylt, Föhr, Amrum, and Helgoland | 2014 | Constitution, Article 6(2) (as amended, statutory language of provincial identity) | / | Approx. 30 000 (estimate, not a census) | Speak or understand | 2000 (Publication) | 7 (Shifting) | Part II & Part III | ||
|
Romani Indo-Aryan |
Romani ćhib | Spoken in most of the Länder of the Federal Republic of Germany | 1999 | ECRML | / | Approx. 10 000 (estimate, not a census) | Speakers | 2000 (Publication) | Sinte Romani - 5 (Developing) | Depending on area, Part II OR Part II & Part III | ||
|
Saterland Frisian Germanic |
Seeltersk | Lower Saxony, Saterland in the Oldenburg region, near the border with the Netherlands | 1999 | ECRML | / | Approx. 2 000 (estimate, not a census) | Users | 2000 (Publication) | 7 (Shifting) | Part II & Part III | ||
|
Upper Sorbian Slavic |
Hornjoserbšćina | Upper Lusatia | 1992 | Constitution, Article 6 (Statutory language of provincial identity) | / | 20 000 (estimate, not a census, all Sorbs) | Can speak and write | 2000 (Publication) | 6b (Threatened) | Part II & Part III |
Non-ECRML Languages
This includes languages listed with an 'established status' in Ethnologue, the Endangered Languages Project or the UNESCO World Atlas (once it is available again). The data on legal recognition, national number, and endangerment level was taken over from the original source, reflecting these sources’ 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 |
Alemannic Deutschlandic | Baden-Württemberg state | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | 5* (Developing) | |
|
Bavarian Germanic |
Boarisch | Bayern state: Regensburg north to Nuremburg | / | / | / | 5 000 000 | Users | 2024 | 5* (Developing) | ||
|
Eastern Franconian Germanic |
Fränggisch | Bayern state: Mittelfranken, Oberfranken, and Unterfranken districts; Thüringen state: south | / | / | / | / | / | / | / | 6a* (Vigorous) | |
|
Eastern Yiddish Germanic |
Yidish | Widespread | / | / | / | 5 000 | Users | 2000 | 7 (Shifting) | ||
|
English Germanic |
English | Widespread | / | / | / | 46 991 000 | Users | 2021 | 4 (Educational) | ||
|
French Romance |
Français | Scattered | / | / | / | 12 345 000 | Users | 2023 | 5* (Dispersed) | ||
|
Limbourgish Germanic |
Limburgs / Plat | Nordrhein-Westfalen state: Aachen, Cleves, Heinsberg, and Viersen | / | / | / | / | / | / | 8a (Moribund) | ||
|
Low Saxon / East Frisian Germanic |
Oostfräisk | Niedersachsen state: north of a line from Aachen to Frankfurt an der Oder | / | / | / | 2 201 000 | Users | 2016 | 7 (Shifting) | ||
|
Luxembourgish Germanic |
Lëtzebuergesch | Rheinland-Pfalz state: Bitburg area | / | / | / | 23 900 | Users | 2021 | 5* (Dispersed) | ||
|
Palatinate Franconian Germanic |
Pälzisch | Rheinland-Pfalz state: southwest Palatinate, Rheinpfalz | / | / | / | 400 000 (all countries) | / | / | 5* (Developing) | ||
|
Plautdietsch Germanic |
Plautdietsch | Baden-Württemberg state: northwest; Hessen state: south of Frankfurt; Rheinland-Pfalz state: east of Saarbrucken | / | / | / | 90 000 | Users | 1996 | 7 (Shifting) | ||
|
Polabian Slavic |
Slüvensťă rec | Brandenburg; Hamburg; Mecklenburg-Vorpommern; Niedersachsen: eastern area; Sachsen-Anhalt: Wittenberg; Schleswig-Holstein: Lübeck | / | / | / | No known L1 speaker | / | / | 10 (Extinct) | ||
|
Polish Slavic |
Polski | Brandenburg and Sachsen states: Silesia area; Nordrhein-Westfalen state: Ruhr area | / | / | / | 2 200 000 (based on nationality) | Users | 2023 | 5* (Dispersed) | ||
|
Ripuarian Germanic |
Ripwarisch | Nordrhein-Westfalen state: Cologne (Köln) area | / | / | / | 250 000 | Users | 1997 | 6a (Vigorous) | ||
|
Swabian Germanic |
Schwäbisch | Baden-Württemberg state; Bayern state: Schwaben area | / | / | / | 820 000 | Users | 2000 | 5* (Developing) | ||
|
Turkish Turkic |
Türkçe | Baden-Württemberg and Nordrhein-Westfalen states; all major urban areas, particularly in western Germany | / | / | / | 2 677 000 | Users | 2023 | 5* (Dispersed) | ||
|
Upper Saxon Germanic |
Sächsisch / Meissenish | Sachsen state: Chemnitz, Dresden, and Leipzig; Sachsen-Anhalt state: Halle | / | / | / | 2 000 000 | Users | 1998 | 6a* (Vigorous) | ||
|
Western Yiddish Germanic |
Yidish | / | / | / | / | / | No known L1 speaker | / | / | 9 (Dormant) | |
|
Westphalien Germanic |
Westfäölsk | Nordrhein-Westfalen state: south of Dortmund | / | / | / | / | / | / | 6a* (Vigorous) | ||
|
Yeniche Germanic |
Jenisch | Baden-Württemberg state; scattered | / | / | / | 16 000 (based on ethnicity) | Users | 2023 | 7 (Shifting) |
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