The German language (or die Deutsche Sprache, pronounced [diː ˈdɔitʃe ‘ʃprahe] in German) derives most of its vocabulary from the Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family. The first comprehensive guide to the words of the German language was written and published between 1852 and 1860 by Brothers Grimm. German is a pluricentric language, with multiple countries having their own standardised variants (e.g. Austrian German, Swiss Standard German) as well as many dialects. Writing system: Latin (German alphabet) Official language in: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, South Tyrol (Italy), Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Belgium, European Union (official and working language)