Bayrisch – on the Way from Dialect to Regional Language

The objective of the research introduced in the article was to briefly analyze basic viewpoints on the status of Bavarian dialect represented in German current linguistic and sociolinguistic discourse. In the course of the research discourse analysis method, descriptive method as well as method of generalization have been applied. A number of scientific works of modern German linguists exploring problems of dialectology along with regional languages and official information published on the website of the European charter of regional and minority languages have served as research materials. As the result of the research the conclusion about the conformity of Bavarian dialect with main criteria for the recognition of a dialect as regional language is drawn; the necessity for preservation of unique “diglossia” in Bavaria as joint cultural heritage of the mentioned federal state is pointed out.