Languages of Austria Languages of Austria The languages of Austria include German, the official language and "lingua franca"; Austro-Bavarian, the main dialect outside Vorarlberg; Alemannic, the main dialect in Vorarlberg; and several minority languages. German is the national official language and constitutes a "lingua franca" and "de facto" second language: most Austrians other than (mostly rural) seniors are able to speak it. It is the language used in media, in schools, and formal announcements. The variety of German used, Austrian German, is partially influenced by Austro-Bavarian and uses many "Germanized" words. Alemannic is spoken in Vorarlberg. Vorarlberg uses a High Alemannic, the same
Austria standard form is the country's official language. Other local official languages are Hungarian, Burgenland Croatian, and Slovene. Austria is a federal republic with a parliamentary representative democracy comprising nine federated states. The capital and largest city, with a population exceeding 1.8 million, is Vienna. Other major urban areas of Austria include Graz, Linz, Salzburg and Innsbruck. Austria is consistently ranked as one of the richest countries in the world by per capita GDP terms. The country has developed a high standard of living and in 2018 was ranked 20th in the world for its Human Development Index. The republic declared