The South Tyrolean Dialect

Three main languages are spoken in South Tyrol: German, Italian and Ladin. The distribution of these languages varies depending on the region and municipality within South Tyrol. You have surely already seen bilingual or even trilingual place name and signposts.German is the most widely spoken language in South Tyrol, although this is South Tyrolean and not Standard German. The South Tyrolean dialect has been characterised by various influences over the course of history and is an important part of the regional and cultural identity.

The South Tyrolean dialect has many local variants. For example, ‘Eisacktalerisch’ is spoken in the Eisacktal valley and ‘Vinschgerisch’ in the Vinschgau valley.
Ladin is spoken in some valleys of the Dolomites, particularly in Val Badia, Val Gardena and Val di Fassa, although the variant of Ladin differs depending on the valley.
The dialect spoken in our holiday region is part of the Eisacktal dialect. Preserving and maintaining the dialect is important for the locals and is part of their culture.

Here are some examples of expressions in the South Tyrolean dialect that might be useful for your next holiday in South Tyrol:

• Grias di! = Hello! (Griast enk! = when greeting multiple people)
• a bissl = a little bit
• magari = maybe (Italian influence)
• Ischs do schian! = Isn't it beautiful here!
• Kriag i no a Glaggele? = Can I have another little sip of wine?
• Pfiat di! = Bye! (Pfiat enk! = when saying goodbye to multiple people)