LYCOS RETRIEVER 
German: Standard German
built 634 days ago
Media and written works are almost all produced in standard German (often called Hochdeutsch in German) which is understood in all areas where German is spoken, except by pre-school children in areas which speak only dialect, for example Switzerland and Austria. However, in this age of television, even they now usually learn to understand Standard German before school age.
Source:
Only the traditional regional varieties are called dialects, not the different varieties of standard German. This is because standard German has originated not as a traditional dialect of a specific region, but as a written language. However, there are places where the traditional regional dialects have been replaced by standard German (especially in the cities and in northern Germany). However, the use of Standard German itself ... differs regionally, especially between German-speaking countries. E.g. the pronunciation and vocabulary at public occasions used in Austria is quite different from the one used in Germany, but also from any dialect. German is thus considered a pluricentric language.
Source:
Along the coastline in the north of Germany, some people speak a related language called Plattdüütsch ("Plattdeutsch" in German). It is strongly related to Dutch or Danish and German; and all Platt speakers will understand standard German.
Source:
The varieties of standard German refer to the different local varieties of the pluricentric language standard German. They only differ slightly in lexicon and phonology. In certain regions, they have replaced the traditional German dialects, especially in Northern Germany.
Source:
The VDA President ... emphasized that "the German brands are the first to actively seize the huge opportunities clean diesel opens up in the United States. They are also pioneering new standards. Here in Detroit they are introducing new models that comply with the toughest emission limits. As a result, clean diesel is marketable in all 50 U.S. states, including California."
Source:
Even in recent years there has been great debate over what is standard German. The spelling reform of 1996 separated the population. Some newspapers blatantly refused to adhere to the new rules and initially this seemed to make the situation worse. Only recently in 2006 did the federal parliament intervene to make the law official and spelling was standardised. Such recent laws altering a fundamental structure of the German language illustrates that language is constantly changing.
Source:
MORE ABOUT
Standard German