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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.