A dwarf state on the border of Austria and Switzerland, the Principality of Liechtenstein attracts tourists with ancient small towns with princely castles and the Rhine valley where grapes grow. The only state language of Liechtenstein is German and the absolute majority of citizens of the principality prefer it in everyday life and at work.
Some statistics and facts
- The population of Liechtenstein is about 37 thousand people, of which 85.5% are Liechtenstein or Alemanni.
- The Alemannic dialect is a version of the German language spoken in Liechtenstein. Belongs to the South German subgroup.
- In addition to the Alemanni, ethnic Swiss, Italians, Germans, Turks and Austrians live in the principality.
"All people" from Germanic tribes
The self-name of the native Liechtenstein is Alemanni. Translated from German, it means "all people". This is how the representatives of the ancient German union of tribes began to call themselves, who later became known under the name of the Swabians and inhabited the territory of the historical region of Swabia in Germany. The Alemannes were known even during the reign of the Roman emperor Caracalla. Like most of the Germanic tribes, the Alemanni participated in the campaigns against the Roman Empire.
10 million modern Alemanni
This is the number of people in the world who speak the Alemannic dialect, which actually serves as the state language of Liechtenstein. It is distributed in the southern regions of Germany, in Austria and Switzerland, in some Italian regions and in French Alsace.
The dialect is gradually losing ground and is being replaced by literary German. This is facilitated by the development of the media and the education of the inhabitants of mountainous regions that were once remote.
Alemannic German is divided into several types and in different parts of the Alpine region you can hear the Lower Alemannic, Upper Alemannic and Mountain Alemannic dialects.
Tourist notes
When traveling to Liechtenstein, there is no need to worry about translation difficulties. Residents of the European principality everywhere have a minimum level of English for understanding, and in tourist places menus in restaurants and other important tourist information are translated into English. In museums and sightseeing, you can always use the services of an English-speaking guide or rent an audio guide in the required language.
