As of: February 21, 2024, 8:44 a.m
By: Dieter Dorby
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The Bavarian dialect must be spoken and passed on to the younger generation, otherwise it will die out.
© dpa
Today, Wednesday, is Mother Language Day, and it is a good opportunity for the Bavarian Language Association and the Bavarian State Association for Homeland Preservation to bring up a rather unknown topic, namely Standard German.
Fischbachau – The association has developed an information brochure for this purpose.
In videos, the qualified speech scientist Stefanie Prochazka from Fischbachau also explains the correct pronunciation of the southern German standard language, because standard German does not actually sound the same everywhere.
We asked the 34-year-old what our dialect and language are like.
Ms. Prochazka, the dialect is quite lively here in the Oberland. Is it really threatened with extinction?
Unfortunately I think so.
In general, there are optimistic and pessimistic assessments, but I am not that optimistic.
I recently rode with a train full of students and only one in 20 spoke Boarisch.
Many say the dialect cannot be saved.
Stefanie Prochazka, speech scientist from Fischbachau.
© private
In the official and formal area, High German prevails.
But there isn't just one universal standard German: Bavaria's former Prime Minister Horst Seehofer was always said to speak the dialect.
But that's not correct.
It is High German, which still reveals the speaker's regional origins.
It is easily understandable throughout Germany - otherwise it would not be standard German.
In an essay you explained the distinction between dialect, standard southern German and standard German as follows: Bua – Bub – Junge.
True.
There are differences in the choice of words, sometimes even in the grammar, but especially in the sounds.
Sometimes you say chemistry, sometimes chemistry, sometimes chemistry - they are all equivalent.
Hanover, it is said, has the best standard German.
This is mandatory on the theater stage, but completely unnecessary for the general population.
The Duden pronunciation dictionary, which defines how a word is pronounced, included variations in 2015 for regional differences such as “sunny” and “sonnich”.
Rolling r, voiceless s – there are many regional peculiarities and they are worth preserving.
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“Entertaining traditional costume carnival”
With the loss of the dialect there is fear of a loss of identity. On the other hand, the traditional costume is omnipresent, especially at folk festivals. That should increase awareness of native identity, right?
Customs and costumes are still alive in the countryside.
At the same time, there is a tendency for it to no longer be the normal festive attire, but to become event fashion.
My mother always says: You'll always look good in a dirndl.
You buy a traditional costume for this or that occasion for which you wear traditional costume.
I don't even include Oktoberfest anymore.
This is more of a very entertaining traditional costume carnival.
Why does North German High German prevail in the south?
You probably get the impression that it makes you sound educated.
Added to this is the media dissemination of the North German High German variant.
And you ask yourself: Am I saying something wrong?
The south of Germany has a self-confidence problem.
He is much more vulnerable than you think.
When I asked someone whether it was correctly called corridor or hallway, I got the answer hallway.
The reasoning behind this was: I say corridor, so it must be hallway.
Some non-Bavarians try to speak Bavarian - with usually moderate success. Welcome or illicit cultural appropriation?
Maybe it's technically cultural appropriation, but I don't care.
If you like, you can speak Bavarian.
I would like to see southern German being more accepted on the radio.
We talk so much today about tolerance and making diversity visible - just not when it comes to our domestic German language forms.
It is not appropriate to make our origins no longer audible.
And there is no reason to hide it as long as what is said in the dialogue is understandable.
Furthermore, our constitution says that no one should be discriminated against because of their language.
You are not only an advocate of Bavarian, but of all German dialects.
That's correct.
There is a great diversity that the German language has to offer.
A sterile, uniform German is unnecessary – except on stage.
If regional language forms disappear, we will lose a cultural asset.
Language gives us profile and makes our lives more colorful.
And we have to be careful not to lose that.
I can put an old sewing machine in the museum.
I can't do that with a language.
If it disappears, it will be lost forever.
ddy