Comment by throwaway2037

I have asked multiple native German speakers about the "linguistic distance" between various styles within the Federal Republic of Germany. It is completely overstated that people don't understand each other or are "annoyed". All German children grow up learning standard German in schools. Yes, they may speak a different at home and in the community, but they are all fluent in standard German. I am pretty sure most standard German speakers can communicate clearly with all of Germany, most of Austria... and Switzerland is a roll of the dice. Still, anyone in the German-speaking half of Switzerland that is university educated will surely speak standard German. Again, they may speak Schweizer Deutsch with their family and friends, but can also speak standard German, especially in a business setting.