Today, the fact that Austria and Germany used to form a political entity and always strived towards one another seems as far-fetched and past as the fact that France and Germany were once a single country under Charlemagne.
The autonomy of the language has almost become a national obsession. When expressions from the north such as the greeting bye invade, it is perceived as a threat to identity. Very few are aware that even the word that the Austrians use to distinguish themselves from the Germans was introduced from Prussia.
