Germany and more than 40 other countries including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

Historically, German falls into three main periods: Old German (750 to1050); Middle German (1050 to1500); and Modern German (500 to the present). The earliest existing records in German date back to about AD 750. In this first period, local dialects were used in writing, and there was no standard language. In the middle period, a relatively uniform written language developed within the government, after the various chancelleries of the Holy Roman Empire began to use a combination of certain dialects of Middle High German in place of the Latin that until then had dominated official writings.

Martin Luther adapted the German of the chancellery of Saxony for his translation of the Bible. He chose it because at that time the language of the chancelleries alone stood out amidst a multitude of dialects as the norm, hence Luther thought he could reach many more people through it. The modern period is usually said to begin with the German used by Luther, which became the basis of Modern High German, or modern standard German. Printers, who, like Luther, wanted to attract as many readers as possible, also helped the spread of uniformity in written German.

During the 18th century, a number of outstanding writers gave modern standard German essentially the form it has today. It is now the language of church and state, education and literature. A corresponding norm for spoken High German, influenced by the written standard, is used in education, the theatre, and broadcasting.

The written German is very uniform across Germany and Austria. The spoken German however, presents many dialects which belong to either the High German or to the Low German dialectal groups (note that 'Low German' is not a negative term but simply the name of a dialectal group).

High German and Low German dialectal groups are different mainly in their system of sounds, particularly with respect to the consonants. A generally accepted standard of German pronunciation does not exist, although some norms of pronunciation published in 1957, as Deutsche Hochsprache, were accepted.

Even the pronunciation of highly educated Germans is affected by their native dialects. Some German-speaking groups, such as the Swabians, Saxons, Austrians, and Swiss, can be distinguished readily by their characteristic types of pronunciation.

Some dialects can be even unintelligible for the others. Such is the case of the German spoken in Switzerland.

German dialects that differ substantially from standard German, not only in pronunciation but also in grammar, are found in regions of Germany, France, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. Lëtzeburgesch, an official language of Luxembourg, is a German dialect spoken by about 400,000 people there. Although dialectal differences within both the High German and Low German regions remain, a trend toward uniformity in the direction of the written standard is expected, partly as a result of widespread broadcasting, diminishing isolation, and increased socioeconomic mobility.

German uses the twenty-six letters of the English alphabet. The name of almost every letter in German contains the sound ordinarily represented by that letter. The Roman script contains one additional letter ß (double s).

• English words of German origin include - Ring, hand, name and butter. Schnitzel, poodle, lager, dachshund and pumpernickel are all German words. The word for “German” in other languages varies significantly; in German – deutsch, in Spanish – alemán, in Scandinavian – tysk and in Russian – nemetsky.
  
• Every 10th book published worldwide is in the German language! With regard to translation into foreign languages, German is third after English and French. Additionally, more works have been translated into German than into any other language.
  
• Like English, German is a pluricentric language. It has three major national centres of language usage: Austria, Germany and Switzerland. While the respective languages of these nations are not considered to be dialects; they are, in reality, essentially identical in all contexts. Although, local dialects may vary greatly throughout Germany and Austria, their influence has decreased due to mass media and individual mobility. The differences in grammar are much less significant than differences in vocabulary.
  

When Austria entered the European Union it was a matter of national pride to insist on a unique Austrian language being recognized by EU officials. The attempt failed, as the differences between standard German in Austria and the German used in Germany, south of Benrath line, are largely negligible. The result of the ensuing discussion was a list of some 80 words, most of them referring to food, cooking ingredients and plants. The differences between the national standards of German are often exaggerated.