Boarisch
Bavarian
Indo-European
Bavarian (Boarisch) is an Upper German variety spoken by around 14 million people across Bavaria, most of Austria (excluding Vorarlberg), and the South Tyrol region of Italy. While politically classified as a German dialect, linguists treat Bavarian as a distinct West Germanic language with its own grammar, lexicon, and phonology — speakers of Standard German typically cannot understand spoken Bavarian without exposure. Linguistically, Bavarian preserves archaic Middle High German features and has innovated unique features like the dual-pronoun "es/enk" (you-two). The language exists in a strong dialect continuum stretching from North Bavarian through Central (Middle) Bavarian (the Munich/Vienna prestige form) to South Bavarian (Tirol/Carinthia/South Tyrol). Despite vibrant numbers, UNESCO classifies it as vulnerable due to relentless Standard German pressure in education and media.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Bavarian
Water
Wåssa
/vɔsɐ/
Fire
Feia
/fɔɪɐ/
Sun
Sun
/sʊn/
Moon
Moo
/moː/
Star
Stern
/ʃtɛɐn/
Mother
Muada
/muɐdɐ/
Father
Voda
/foɐdɐ/
I
i
/i/
You
du
/du/
Name
Nam
/nãː/
Eye
Aug
/aʊɡ/
Hand
Hand
/hɔnd/
Heart
Heaz
/hɛɐts/
Love
Liab
/liɐb/
Tree
Bam
/bãm/
House
Haus
/haʊs/
Dog
Hund
/hʊnd/
Cat
Katz
/kʰats/
Eat
essn
/ɛsn̩/
Drink
dringa
/dɾɪŋɡɐ/
One
oans
/oɐns/
Two
zwoa
/tsvoɐ/
Hello
Servus
/sɛɐvʊs/
Thank you
Vagelts Gott
/fɐɡɛlts ɡɔt/
Good
guad
/ɡuɐd/
Cuckoo
Kuckuck
/ˈkʊkʊk/
Computer
Rechna
/ˈrɛçnɐ/
Sushi
Suschi
/ˈsuʃi/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Indo-European languages
| Meaning | Bavarian | East Franconian | German (Austrian) | Swabian | German (Luxembourgish) | German | Pennsylvania German |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | Wåssa /vɔsɐ/ | Wasser /vasːə/ | Wasser /vasɐ/ | Wasser /vasə/ | Wasser /vasɐ/ | Wasser /vasɐ/ | Wasser /vasər/ |
| Fire | Feia /fɔɪɐ/ | Feier /faɪɐ/ | Feuer /fɔɪɐ/ | Feuer /foiɐ/ | Feuer /fɔɪ̯ɐ/ | Feuer /fɔɪ̯ɐ/ | Feier /faɪər/ |
| Sun | Sun /sʊn/ | Sunn /sʊn/ | Sonne /sɔnə/ | Sonne /sonə/ | Sonne /zɔnə/ | Sonne /zɔnə/ | Sunn /sʊn/ |
| Moon | Moo /moː/ | Maa /maː/ | Mond /moːnt/ | Mond /moːnd/ | Mond /moːnt/ | Mond /moːnt/ | Muun /muːn/ |
| Star | Stern /ʃtɛɐn/ | Stern /ʃtɛrn/ | Stern /ʃtɛʁn/ | Schtern /ʃtɛrn/ | Stern /ʃtɛʁn/ | Stern /ʃtɛʁn/ | Schteern /ʃteːrn/ |
| Mother | Muada /muɐdɐ/ | Mudder /mʊdɐ/ | Mutter /mʊtɐ/ | Mädder /mɛdɐ/ | Mutter /mʊtɐ/ | Mutter /mʊtɐ/ | Mudder /mʊdər/ |
| Father | Voda /foɐdɐ/ | Vadder /fadɐ/ | Vater /fɑːtɐ/ | Vadder /fadɐ/ | Vater /faːtɐ/ | Vater /faːtɐ/ | Daadi /daːdi/ |
| I | i /i/ | i /i/ | ich /ɪç/ | i /i/ | ich /ɪç/ | ich /ɪç/ | ich /ɪç/ |
| You | du /du/ | du /du/ | du /duː/ | du /du/ | du /duː/ | du /duː/ | du /du/ |
| Name | Nam /nãː/ | Nama /ˈnamɐ/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ | Nama /ˈnamə/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ | Naame /ˈnaːmə/ |
| Eye | Aug /aʊɡ/ | Aach /aːx/ | Auge /aːɡə/ | Aug /aʊɡ/ | Auge /aʊ̯ɡə/ | Auge /aʊ̯ɡə/ | Aag /aːk/ |
| Hand | Hand /hɔnd/ | Hand /hand/ | Hand /hɑnt/ | Hand /hand/ | Hand /hant/ | Hand /hant/ | Hand /hant/ |
| Heart | Heaz /hɛɐts/ | Herz /hɛrts/ | Herz /hɛɐts/ | Herz /hɛɐts/ | Herz /hɛʁts/ | Herz /hɛʁts/ | Hatz /hats/ |
| Love | Liab /liɐb/ | Liebe /liːbə/ | Liebe /liːbə/ | Liab /liə̯b/ | Liebe /liːbə/ | Liebe /liːbə/ | liewe /liːvə/ |
| Tree | Bam /bãm/ | Bauma /baʊmaː/ | Baum /baːm/ | Baum /baum/ | Baum /baʊ̯m/ | Baum /baʊ̯m/ | Baam /baːm/ |
| House | Haus /haʊs/ | Haus /haʊs/ | Haus /haʊs/ | Hous /haus/ | Haus /haʊ̯s/ | Haus /haʊ̯s/ | Haus /haʊs/ |
| Dog | Hund /hʊnd/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hond /hond/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ |
| Cat | Katz /kʰats/ | Katz /kats/ | Katze /kɑtsə/ | Katz /kats/ | Katze /katsə/ | Katze /katsə/ | Katz /kats/ |
| Eat | essn /ɛsn̩/ | esse /ɛsə/ | essen /ɛsn̩/ | essa /ɛsə/ | essen /ɛsn̩/ | essen /ɛsn̩/ | esse /ɛsə/ |
| Drink | dringa /dɾɪŋɡɐ/ | trinke /trɪŋkə/ | trinken /tʁɪŋkŋ/ | drengga /dɾɛŋɡə/ | trinken /tʁɪŋkn̩/ | trinken /tʁɪŋkn̩/ | drinke /dɾɪŋkə/ |
| One | oans /oɐns/ | ans /ans/ | oans /ɑːns/ | oine /ɔinə/ | eins /aɪ̯ns/ | eins /aɪ̯ns/ | eens /eːns/ |
| Two | zwoa /tsvoɐ/ | zwaa /tsvaː/ | zwei /tsvai/ | zwoi /tsvoɪ̯/ | zwei /tsvaɪ/ | zwei /tsvaɪ/ | zwee /tsveː/ |
| Hello | Servus /sɛɐvʊs/ | Grüß Gott /ɡrʏs ɡɔt/ | Servus /zɛɐvʊs/ | Grüß Gott /ɡryːs ɡɔt/ | Hallo /haloː/ | Hallo /haloː/ | Hallo /haloː/ |
| Thank you | Vagelts Gott /fɐɡɛlts ɡɔt/ | Vergelt's Gott /fɛɐɡɛlts ɡɔt/ | Danke /daŋkə/ | Danggschee /daŋkʃeː/ | danke /daŋkə/ | danke /daŋkə/ | Denki /dɛŋki/ |
| Good | guad /ɡuɐd/ | guad /ɡuə̯d/ | gut /ɡuːt/ | guad /ɡuə̯d/ | gut /ɡuːt/ | gut /ɡuːt/ | gut /ɡuːt/ |
| Cuckoo | Kuckuck /ˈkʊkʊk/ | Gutzgauch /ˈɡʊtsɡaʊx/ | Kuckuck /ˈkʊkʊk/ | Guckguck /ˈɡʊkɡʊk/ | Kuckuck /ˈkʊkʊk/ | Kuckuck /ˈkʊkʊk/ | — |
| Computer | Rechna /ˈrɛçnɐ/ | Computer /kɔmˈpjuːdɐ/ | Computer /kɔmˈpjuːtɐ/ | — | — | Computer /kɔmˈpjuːtɐ/ | Computer /ˈkɔmpjuːtɐ/ |
| Sushi | Suschi /ˈsuʃi/ | Sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | Sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | — | — | Sushi /ˈzuːʃi/ | — |
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