Austria/ 4.2 Specific policy issues and recent debates  

4.2.5 Language issues and policies

The dominant language spoken in Austria is German. Minority languages covered by the Volksgruppengesetz (Ethnic Groups Act) are Croatian and Hungarian (found mostly in Burgenland) and Slovene (found mostly in Carinthia). In Burgenland, the language of instruction in a school depends on the number of students in that school speaking a second language. Hungarian language instruction at the elementary level is provided for the Hungarian minority in Burgenland. For the largest ethnic minority in Austria, the Carinthian Slovenes, secondary education is provided in Slovene; a so-called "minority education right" (see also chapter 4.2.4).

Since 2008 the Ministry for Education, the Arts and Culture, together with the Vienna adult education institutes, invites language institutions from all over Austria to participate in projects and events in a Long Night of Languages once a year. The promotion of multilingualism is an important issue for cultural policy for the personal, occupation and social field as well as for the cultural and social participation and political involvement of many people.

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