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Glite Dictionary
German language

German language

1 1.8
A language spoken in Germany, Austria, and parts of Switzerland
  • noun
  • /ˈɡɜrmən ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ/
translation icon : idioma alemán
  • Understanding the German language can enhance your experience when traveling through Germany and Austria.
  • German language and culture

Examples

  • But after 1808, with the introduction of the German language in church services, Catholicism, as practiced at Saint Peter's, furthered their sense of nationalism.

    Academic text (1993)

  • The Hungarian and German governments have provided financial support for organized efforts to cultivate the German language and culture.

    Academic text (2001)

  • Lane had two years of the German language in high school.

    Doc Hollywood (1991)

  • I did not know, that there are such great words ... in the German language.

    Altered Spirits (2016)

  • I should think I'd be the authority in this room on the German language.

    The Grey Zone (2001)

  • Sorry, Mr Leland, but the German language is very specific.

    Shining Through (1992)

  • I could not freely conduct or comprehend written communication in the German language.

    Blog text (25)

  • His Bible translation laid the foundation-stone for a common German language.

    Luther (2003)

  • During World War I, German Americans experienced a culture of intolerance, culminating in public and official sanctions against the German language and culture in the United States.

    Academic text (2016)

  • Many people in Europe speak the German language as their first tongue.

Synonyms

German
vsGerman language
1 1.0

The language spoken in Germany, Austria, and parts of Switzerland

is the full formal phrase used to name the same standard language
High German
vsGerman language
1 4.8

A standard form of German used for writing and formal speaking in Germany, Austria, and parts of Switzerland

is instead the general named standard with emphasis on historical origin

Surface Forms

German language singular
German languages plural

Morphology

German + language

This is a fully compositional noun phrase: the meaning is directly derived from combining 'German' (the name of the language) with 'language' (a system of communication). The same naming pattern exists across many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the intended meaning.

Etymology

German language simply means the way people called Germans speak. Over time this shared way of speaking spread across Germany, Austria and parts of Switzerland, so today German language refers to the 'standard' language used in those places.