The German language is the native language of Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein and parts of Switzerland, northern Italy, Belgium and Luxembourg. About 100 million people speak German as a first language. The Goethe Institute, named after one of Germany's most celebrated poets, is a network of German-language schools and cultural centres, which has offices around the world. There are many German dialects. If a southern Bavarian tried to talk in the Bavarian dialect to a northern Frisian who was using another dialect, they would have great difficulty understanding each other. However, all German people learn Hochdeutsch (High German or standard German) in school. The terms "High German" (Hochdeutsch) and "Low German" (Plattdeutsch or Niederdeutsch) do not refer to the level of formality or sophistication of the language, but to the region in which the language is spoken (lowlands or highlands). German grammar is more complex than English grammar. All nouns have a gender (male, female or neuter). The form of the noun changes depending on how it is used in a sentence. Pronunciation is not difficult. Each letter is always pronounced the same way and there are no silent letters. In German, new words are formed by adding root words together. Sometimes this results in very long words, such as Personenkraftwagen, a word that literally means "personal automobile" or, more simply, car. This is often shortened to Pkw. Many other long words are also shortened to abbreviations or acronyms.
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