r is rolled or tapped, not uvular
ʁ → rHow: Tongue tip trilling against the ridge — or a single tap.
The south never adopted the uvular r that spread from France through the north. It is the Italian r.
| Word | Reference | Accent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| rot | |||
| Bier | |||
| Freund |
Bavarian / Austrian
Southern German colours the standard with a rolled or tapped r, a dark a that leans towards o, and -en endings reduced to a bare n. Consonants are lenis — the p/b, t/d contrast is weaker than in the north — and the melody is broader. This is the accent of the standard language as spoken in Munich and Vienna, not the dialect underneath it.
Where: Bavaria and Austria — the accent when speaking standard German
Try a word
Anything the spelling engine can transcribe, the accent can move. Slow it down to hear the shape.
Reference
Bavarian / Austrian
Which rules fired
Melody and rhythm
Broader and slower than the north, with a sing-song rise and fall. Greeting is 'Grüß Gott' or 'Servus', and the whole tone is softer than the clipped northern standard.
What moves, one rule at a time
In the order the mouth applies them. Every before-and-after is playable — click the IPA. The pattern is the rule as the engine runs it, for the curious.
Consonants
-en loses its vowel
ən → nHow: Close straight onto the n from the consonant before it.
The schwa goes and the n becomes syllabic. 'Haben' is 'habn'.
| Word | Reference | Accent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| haben | the long-a rule runs too | ||
| kommen | |||
| laufen |
Vowels
Short a darkens towards o
a(?!ː) → ɒHow: The a of 'father' with the lips slightly rounded and the tongue pulled back.
The most Bavarian vowel. 'Wasser' comes out close to 'Wosser'.
| Word | Reference | Accent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wasser | |||
| Mann | |||
| Stadt |
…and long a rounds all the way
aː → ɔː'Ja' as 'jo' is the stereotype, and it is accurate.
| Word | Reference | Accent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vater | |||
| Straße | |||
| ja |
Other accents of German: Standard German · Swiss · all accents