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Standard High German | |
---|---|
Standard German, High German, also often simply German | |
Standardhochdeutsch, Standarddeutsch, Hochdeutsch | |
Region | German-speaking Europe |
Speakers | L1: 76 million (2019)[1] L2: 59 million Total: 130 million |
Indo-European
| |
Early forms | |
Standard forms | |
Signed German | |
Official status | |
Regulated by | Council for German Orthography[2] |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-1 | de |
ISO 639-2 | ger (B) deu (T) |
ISO 639-3 | deu |
Glottolog | stan1295 |
Linguasphere | 52-ACB–dl |
Standard High German (SHG),[3] less precisely Standard German or High German[a] (German: Standardhochdeutsch, Standarddeutsch, Hochdeutsch or, in Switzerland, Schriftdeutsch), is the umbrella term for the standardized varieties of the German language, which are used in formal contexts and for communication between different dialect areas. German is a pluricentric Dachsprache with currently three codified (or standardised) specific national varieties: German Standard German, Austrian Standard German and Swiss Standard German.[4]
Regarding the spelling and punctuation, a recommended standard is published by the Council for German Orthography which represents the governments of all majority and minority German-speaking countries and dependencies.[5] Adherence is obligatory for government institutions, including schools. Regarding the pronunciation, although there is no official standards body, there is a long-standing de facto standard pronunciation (Bühnendeutsch), most commonly used in formal speech and teaching materials. It is similar to the formal German spoken in and around Hanover. Adherence to those standards by private individuals and companies, including the print and audio-visual media, is voluntary. Austrian German has had standard pronunciation exceptions since 1904 (Luick's österreichische Bühnenaussprache).[6] In Switzerland, no such official pronunciation codex exists, yet most Standard Swiss German speakers are markedly different sounding from Hanover-type phonetic targets.
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