I am confused, anons. Are German and Dutch mutually intelligible or not...
Ugh, what could have been (not joking btw)
It's hard to say because almost everyone here has had some german classes, but it's probably safe to say no because with 2 years of class I barely understand it, and feel like that goes for most people. Reading is easier of course
Cope
Then how come Austrian German is considered a dialect and not a separate language?
Depends on where you are from. Most Germans I know can understand it, but the further you go from the regions bordering the Netherlands, the more difficult it becomes for the locals since we all have different dialects. According to my experience, Dutch people have a bit more trouble with understanding German in comparison, but they almost always have a nice basis level of understanding it.
4 years of german in highschool and i still cant understand that shit properly... every listening test we had to take was just guessing the right awnser.
The Dutch left in 1648, the Austrians were kicked out in 1866. Dutch culture developed sooner and so they began thinking of themselves as non-Germans earlier. Also, Austria being the central power of German politics for centuries can't just step out of Germany.
Can Austrians and Swiss understand it, and vice-versa? Do Germans normally have an easier time understanding the southern Alemmanic/Bavarian dialects or Dutch?
Bairisch isn't an official language user.
Again, depends on the region. Swiss German is really hard to understand to me, but I live in North Rhine-Westphalia. People from Baden-Württemberg usually can deal with Swiss German.