Languages of Liechtenstein

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Liechtenstein's official language is German, and the principality is the smallest of the four countries in Europe populated by a majority of German speakers. Other languages are also spoken by the foreign-born population, which makes up about 14% of the country (and two thirds of the workforce).

The Highest Alemannic-speaking part of Liechtenstein is marked in red, in the south of the country. The rest of Liechtenstein is High Alemannic speaking.

[edit] German/Alemannic

The local German dialect is Alemannic, a dialect (sometimes considered a language) belonging to a highly divergent group including Swiss German (spoken by all Swiss-Germans, the majority of the country), Alsatian (spoken in the Alsace region of France), some Germans living in Baden-Württemberg and Bavarian Swabia, and Austrians living in Vorarlberg. Eighty-six percent of the country is "ethnic Alemannic", and are speakers of the language. Highest Alemannic is spoken in the south of the country, and High Alemannic in the rest of the country. It can be difficult to achieve mutual intelligibility between Alemannic and High German, especially with the Highest Alemannic variety.

[edit] Other

Foreigners make up around 14% of the population of Liechtenstein, primarily Italians and Turks, meaning that Italian and Turkish both have some presence in the country.

[edit] Reference

• This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook (2006 edition) which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain.