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description: German is a West Germanic language and the most widely spoken native language in the European Union. Its case system, compound nouns, and V2 word order exemplify continental Germanic structure.
llms_summary: "German. (Berlin, Berlin, Germany). Profile. Grammatical Typology V2, Fusional. L1 Native Speakers 95000000 (95M). Language Family Indo-European / Germanic / West Germanic. Language Vitality Index 9/10 (Regional Power) scale. Number of Countries 6 countries. Standard Script Latin (German alphabet). Total Speakers 135000000 (135M). UNESCO Risk Category Safe. Web Domain Share (%) 2.1 %. Writing System Complexity Level 2 (Phonetic Latin) level. Linguistics & Culture. German is a West Germanic language and the most widely spoken native language in the European Union. Its case system, compound nouns, and V2 word order exemplify continental Germanic structure.  canonical profile on Structured Pages"
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# German

German is a West Germanic language and the most widely spoken native language in the European Union. Its case system, compound nouns, and V2 word order exemplify continental Germanic structure.

*Last updated: 2026-08-04*

## Record

- **Title**: [German](https://structuredpages.com/german/?format=md)
- **Place**: Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- **Range**: germany · austria · switzerland · liechtenstein · luxembourg · belgium
- **Use case**: Linguistics & Culture
- **Website**: https://www.rechtschreibrat.com/
- **Contact address**: Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- **Coordinates**: 52.52, 13.405

### Summary

German is a West Germanic language and the most widely spoken native language in the European Union. Its case system, compound nouns, and V2 word order exemplify continental Germanic structure.

### Description

## Historical Evolution

German descends from High German consonant shift dialects, with Martin Luther's Bible translation pivotal for East Central German prestige. Brothers Grimm, Goethe, and industrial unification cemented standard Hochdeutsch, while Low German, Swiss, and Austrian varieties retain distinct norms. Twentieth-century history divided orthography (1996 reform) and diglossia with regional languages.

## Phonology

German maintains rounded front vowels /y/, /ø/, and often /œ/; consonants include affricates /ts/ and /pf/. Final devoicing is systematic (/d/ → [t] in coda). Stress falls on root syllables, driving compound stress patterns in long lexical items.

## Syntax

German is V2 in main clauses (verb second) with verb-final subordinate clauses. Four cases (nominative, accusative, dative, genitive) mark nouns, articles, and adjectives. Separable verb prefixes split in main clauses (aufmachen → macht … auf), a hallmark for learners.

### Categories

- language
- germanic

### Attributes

| Property | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Grammatical Typology | V2, Fusional |
| L1 Native Speakers | 95000000 (95M) |
| Language Family | Indo-European / Germanic / West Germanic |
| Language Vitality Index | 9/10 (Regional Power) scale |
| Number of Countries | 6 countries |
| Standard Script | Latin (German alphabet) |
| Total Speakers | 135000000 (135M) |
| UNESCO Risk Category | Safe |
| Web Domain Share (%) | 2.1 % |
| Writing System Complexity | Level 2 (Phonetic Latin) level |