Hochdeutsch is the modern standard form of this language
[DOC] [TLE] German language, alphabets and pronunciation - Omniglot [PAR] Information about German, a West Germanic language spoken in Germany, 
Austria, ... Standard German (Hoch Deutsch) has around 90 million native 
speakers, and other ... German literature started to take off during the 12th and 
13th centuries in the form of poems, epics and romances.