Is the main language in Austria English? Do they have a British accent?

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bayernfan00

Actually, according to my Austrian wife, students are allowed to study British English or American English, which is why many have British accents when they speak English. Also, I have to disagree with a previous answer...many, many Austrians speak very good English. I have alot of conversations with Austrians in English. Heck, my 5 year old nephew sang Happy Birthday to me in English this past summer.

AmyL

I think you may be confusing Austria and Australia. The official language of Austria is German. The official language of Australia is English, and it's spoken with an Australian accent. To our American ears, that often sounds British, but it wouldn't sound British to a British person.

christina p

they speak German. in the movie,The Sound of Music they talk on the set in English while the natives speak German.

David M

They speak German but its different from the German spoken in Germany. Very few speak English. Thats my experience after living there six months and travelling all over the country.

globallylegal

No, it's Austrian German - also known as low-German. the difference between high german (spoken in germany) and low-German is not that dramatic, they just have some words that are different. It's kind of like the difference between British English and US English. trunk v. boot, diaper v. nappie, underware v. pants, a beer v. a pint, welfare housing v. cousel houses, bullocks v. bull ****. also, like the difference between the brits and U.S. english, the high German tends to be better enunciated and they speak a bit slower than low-German

old lady

The main language in Austria is German. If the Sound of Music dialogue was done in German (and in the original story, it was all in German as that is where the event took place) not very many people would understand it. The reason for the British accent is because the two stars are products of the British theatre system and that's the way they speak.
The funniest version of the Sound of Music I ever saw was in Argentina, which is a stronghold of Germans who left Germany after the war to avoid capture and reprisals. The ending was tidied up so the Germans were good guys after all! It took a bit of a credibility hit......

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