Bavarian Dialect

The Bavarian dialect is very different from Standard German. In fact, Bavarian can even be considered a language, but it is rarely written. Bavarian shares many similarities with Austrian German.

In Bavarian, the /s/ is voiceless in all positions. The word Rose (rose) is pronounced with an /s/ rather than a /z/. Word-initial /p/, /t/ and /k/ are not aspirated, i.e., Polizei (police), Tee (tea) and Kaffee (coffee). The consonants pf are always pronounced as written, unlike in the rest of Germany where the p is often dropped. Most Germans do not pronounce the p in Pferd (horse).The /r/ is often realized as an alveolar trill, especially in syllable-initial position. Double consonants are often pronounced long as in Suppe (soup), unlike in Standard German.

Bavarian also have different vowel qualities. The low vowel of Sand (sand) tends to be more retracted than in Standard German and the high front vowel of mich (me) is usually higher and of longer duration than in other varieties of German.

Bavarian differs significantly from Standard German. Though Bavarians learn Standard German in school, they usually speak Standard German with a Bavarian accent. Bavarian differs not only in pronunciation, but also in grammar and vocabulary.