The Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesrepublik Deutschland) uses Standard German as its national or official language. The number of languages listed for Germany is 27 with 25 listed as living languages and the other 2 extinct. Literacy rate in Germany is 99%.

Although the national language as stated above, is the Standard German, it is important that you have an idea of what the other languages spoken in Germnay are. Usually foreign students opt to learn Standard German but if your purpose for learning is to visit a specific area in Germany it might be more useful for you to learn the language spoken more prevalently in that area, which may or may not be Standard German. Information for this section is from Ethnologue

Living Languages – ALEMANNISCH
Region in Germany Used – Southwestern, southern Baden-Wuerttemberg; A language of Switzerland

Living Languages – BAVARIAN
Region in Germany Used – Bavaria (Spans different countries)

Living Languages – DANISH
Region in Germany Used – South Schleswig; A language of Denmark

Living Languages – FRISIAN, EASTERN
Region in Germany Used – Saterland, Eastern Frisia

Living Languages – FRISIAN, NORTHERN
Region in Germany Used – Schleswig-Holstein, on the coastal strip between the rivers Eider in the south and Wiedau in the north,
and adjacent islands of Föhr, Amrum, Sylt, Norstrand, Pellworm, the ten islands of the Halligen group, and Helgoland.

Living Languages – STANDARD GERMAN
Region in Germany Used – National language

Living Languages – KÖLSCH
Region in Germany Used – Cologne and surrounding areas

Living Languages – LUXEMBOURGEOIS
Region in Germany Used – Bitburg area in western Germany; Language of Luxembourg;

Living Languages – MAINFRÄNKISCH
Region in Germany Used – Spoken mostly along the River Main, including the city of Mainz.

Living Languages – PFAELZISCH
Region in Germany Used – Southwest Palatinate, Rheinpfalz

Living Languages – PLAUTDIETSCH
Region in Germany Used – All over Germany; Language of Canada

Living Languages – POLISH
Region in Germany Used – All over Germany; Language of Poland

Living Languages – ROMANI, BALKAN
Region in Germany Used – Random parts of Germany plus Arlija and Dzambazi; Language of Yugoslavia

Living Languages – ROMANI, SINTE
Region in Germany Used – Hamburg and colonies in the south; Language of Yugoslavia

Living Languages – ROMANI, VLAX
Region in Germany Used – Random parts of Germany plus Lovari and Kalderash; Language of Romania

Living Languages – SAXON, LOW
Region in Germany Used – Northern Germany; The Lower Rhine region below a line from Aachen to Witenberg

Living Languages – SAXON, UPPER
Region in Germany Used – Eastern Germany; Southeast – Sachsen with Dresden, Leipzig, Chemnitz, Halle in Sachsen-Anhalt

Living Languages – SILESIAN, LOWER
Region in Germany Used – Gorlitz, eastern Germany; Language of Poland

Living Languages – SORBIAN, LOWER
Region in Germany Used – Niederlausitz (Dolna Luzica) in eastern Germany

Living Languages – SORBIAN, UPPER
Region in Germany Used – Upper Saxony, Eastern Germany

Living Languages – SWABIAN
Region in Germany Used – Southwest, Wuerttemberg, the eastern part of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Schwaben, Western Bavaria

Living Languages – WESTPHALIEN
Region in Germany Used – Northwestern, Westphalia

Living Languages – YENICHE
Region in Germany Used – All over Germany

Living Languages – YIDDISH, WESTERN
Region in Germany Used – West Germany with different dialect in the Northwestern, Southwestern, and Midwestern parts. Near
Extinction

Living Languages – GERMAN SIGN LANGUAGE
Region in Germany Used – Western Germany