The Austrian National Language Variety in the Framework of the European Union. The Ratification of Protocol No. 10 and its Role in Practice

This essay wishes to give a brief description of the development of the German language in Austria towards its current status, an independent variety in its own right.^[1] The article also aims to discuss the so-called Protocol No. 10 as far as its purposes or circumstances of its coming into being as well as its role in practice are concerned. The results of a linguistic investigation conducted in the Austrian metropolis by the author of this article during a CEEPUS-funded stay can be interesting in this context.

^[1] Single characterisics of the German language in Austria in the fields of lexis, pronunciation or syntax are not the issue in this special paper. In case of interest, the reader is warmly recommended to have a look at the reading list at the end of this article.