Why Learn German

Why Learn German?

OK, so you’ve been studying German for several weeks now and having a phantastische time! It’s fun, it’s easy, your classmates are all echt super, and Frau Cook is, well, you know, a few eggs short of a carton, nicht wahr? J

BUT, you may be asking yourself, DOES ANYBODY HAVE A LEGITIMATE USE FOR THIS LANGUAGE???

Are you ready to discover just how popular and practical Deutsch really is? OK, jetzt geht’s los!

Frage Nummer Eins: In the world of languages, where is German ranked? How many people speak German as a native language? How many more learn German as a second language? The following sites may be of assistance to you:

Standard German at Ethnologue.com

Languages of the World

Table of World Languages

Frage Nummer Zwei: How important is German in Europe? How important is Germany in the European Union? What is the future of the German language? See if you can find any information about these questions at the following sites:

The European Union at a Glance

Why Learn German / Concordia College

Reasons to Learn German / McKinnon Secondary College

Frage Nummer Drei: How much business does the United States do with Germany? What kind of business opportunities exist for US students of German? The sites listed below may have information for you:

NC Instructional Services

German Bridge

Dartmouth German Department

Frage Nummer Vier: The US is not the only country where German is studied as a second language. See if you can identify some other countries where learning German as a foreign language is considered important!

Frage Nummer Fünf: There are many other significant reasons to study German that we have not focused on. Use the links from the questions above or more links listed below to identify 3 more reasons that, in your opinion, make learning German a worthwhile endeavor.

Urbana Middle School German Department

Radford University

Germanic Languages / University of Oregon

German School of Canada

I hope that you have learned a lot about how widespread and useful the German language is in today’s world! Everywhere you go, sie sprechen Deutsch! Auf Wiedersehen! Bis später!