Globally, the Germanic language is dominated by three autonomous national varieties in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, dialects within each country and minority languages of ethnic or migrants into other countries where Germanic language is spoken. Although there are diversities, the diversity in the Germanic language is not to the same extent as English. The actual differences between national varieties, in terms of phonology, vocabulary and grammar, are only of flavour rather than substance. It is this difference that becomes a marker of national identity.
OriginStandard German was developed and created over several hundred years into a language that can be understood in most areas in Germany. Although the standard German language did not originate from any dialect in particular, it was learnt and accepted firstly in Northern Germany and then eventually in southern Germany as a standard national language. Presently, the main Standard German national varieties are those in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
German Language - Global Status
The status of national varieties is determined by the a) population size of users, their b) economic and c) political power, d) historical factors (the original heartland of the language), whether the language is the dominant language of the nation, and whether the language is native (as in English in England) or nativized (as English in Singapore).
Size of usersStandard German is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by about 80 million non-native speakers. There are approximately 205 million German speakers in total.
National and Regional size of users Standard German is an official national language in the following 5 countries: 1) Germany ( 81 million Standard German users-65.3 mil in Western States, 15.7 million in Eastern States)
2) Austria (7.5 million users)
3) Switzerland (4.2 million users, other official languages are French, Italian Rhaeto-Romansh)
4) Luxembourg (Total population of 372,000 use German, French and Ltzebuergesch in a complimentary way)
5) Lichtenstein (15,000 users)
German usage has also increased and has been recognised as an official regional language in the following countries: 1) Eastern parts of Belgium (130,000 German speakers)
2) South Tyrol in Italy (200,000)
3) Alsace-Lorraine in France (1.5 million)
4) Namibia, once a German Colony (30,000) In addition to the above, German is spoken as an ethnic minority language in Hungary, Romania, parts of the Russian Federation, US, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Colombia and other immigrant countries. In Europe, the numbers of German native speakers versus other main languages are as follows: 1) German (94 million native speakers)
2) French (62 million native speakers)
3) English (58 million native speakers)
Globally, the numbers of native speakers versus other main languages are as follows: 4) English (320 million native speakers)
5) Spanish (300 million native speakers)
6) German (105 million native speakers)
7) French (90 million native speakers)
Economy
Germany is the largest national economy in Europe, the fourth-largest by nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $3.673 trillion in 2008 in the world with GDP growth of 0.7% in Q3 2009 and GDP per Capita of $44,729 in 2008 and fifth by GDP or purchasing power parity (PPP) of $2.863 trillion (2008 est.). Germany is the world's top exporter with $1,498 trillion exported in 2008 (Euro zone countries are included) and generates a trade surplus of 165 billion. Exports account for more than one-third of national output.
As of September 2008[update], as measured by International Labour Organization standards the German unemployment rate was 6.2 percent (compared with 7.4 percent as measured by German standard). Switzerland is one of the world's most stable economies. It has a long-term policy of monetary security and bank secrecy thus making Switzerland a safe haven for investors, creating an economy that is increasingly dependent on a steady tide of foreign investment. Switzerland has high labour specialisation and has achieved one of the highest per capita income of $41,800 in 2009, GDP of 306.321 billion in 2009. It has low unemployment rate of 3.9 percent in 2009 and a low budget deficit. Austria is one of the 12 richest countries in the world in terms of GDP per Capita of $39,200 (2008 est.). It has a GDP of $432.4 billion (2008 est.), GDP growth of 1.6% (2008 est.) and purchasing power parity (PPP) of $325 billion (2008 est.) Austria, with its well-developed market economy and high standard of living, is closely tied to other EU economies, especially Germany's. Its economy features a large service sector, a sound industrial sector, and a small, but highly developed agricultural sector. It has low unemployment rate of 3.7% (2008 est.)and a low budget deficit of about 0.6% of GDP in 2008.
Politics Germany is a member of the United Nations, NATO, G8, G20, OECD, and the WTO. It holds a key position in European affairs and maintains a multitude of close partnerships on a global level. Germany is recognised as a scientific and technological leader in several fields. Since reunification in 1990, Germany has further extended its commitments and central position in European and global affairs.
Switzerland has a long history of neutrality. It has not been in a state of war internationally since 1815 and was one of the last countries to join the United Nations. Switzerland is home to many international organisations, including the World Economic Forum, the Red Cross, the World Trade Organization and the second largest UN office. On the European level it was a founder of the European Free Trade Association and is part of the Schengen Agreement. Austria maintains as an independent and diplomatic country despite close relations with Germany and is warmer with its relationship with the US, which is reinforced by Austria's role as supplier of small arms to the US Army. Austria is part of the Schengen Convention ending border controls between participating EU members. Its geopolitical position gives it considerable influence in Eastern Europe, and exports to the region trebled in the 1990s.
Historical FactorsThe four states of the region Austria,Lichtenstein, Switzerland and Germany share close historical ties. They formed the core of the medieval German empire (952-1250). This broke up into a number of small states under the political supremacy of the Dukes of Habsburg, who by the 19th Century controlled the Austro-Hungarian empire. Religious wars (The Thirty Years War, 1618-48) left the power of the Roman Catholic Habsburgs greatly reduced among the German states in the West of the region, where Prussia’s rise as a dominant military power created a unified German empire in 1870. Both Austria and Germany were embroiled in the rivalries of World War I (1914-18). With such strong German roots and balancing unity, Austria,Lichtenstein, Switzerland and Germany has made Standard German their original heartland of the language and dominant language of their respective nations. Worth Knowing German language has been used in almost all fields of knowledge. Academic publications published by German language countries are generally done in Standard German especially for scientific publications and restricted for Europe. Foreign authors need to know that most German language publishers are based in German cities such as Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Leipzig and Munich. This means that Austrian and Swiss authors need to submit their manuscripts to editors and publishers whose norms may be determined by German Standard German.
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