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Why Should You Learn German?

The German language is the third most taught foreign language in the United States, behind French and Spanish, and there are many people in North America that can trace their ethnic heritage back to the German fatherland. Whether you are interested in learning the German language for academic reasons or for professional reasons, or even if you are interested in learning how to speak German for an upcoming vacation, knowing another language is an intellectually and personally stimulating achievement that will open your eyes up to new experiences and a new culture. German is also among most widely spoken languages in the world. It is also important as a language of science, and especially as the language of philosophy.

The German language is a leading world language; the mother tongue of almost 100 million speakers worldwide. It is an important language of trade, since Germany is the third or fourth largest economy in the world. To be exact, it is spoken by approximately 120 million people. It is the official language of 6 countries and is spoken as a minority language of more than 25 countries. German is not that common in many countries outside Europe, and there is usually no national exam for students to take that demonstrates their language ability. The main goal of learning a new language like German should be to develop your interest in exploring other languages, as well as the German culture itself.

German is mainly spoken by millions of people of Europe, including people that live in the two major German states -- Austria and Switzerland, as well as various regions of East European countries. Furthermore, the language has a significance beyond its everyday use. It is believed to have undergone several linguistic shifts during its history, which would explain the development from Old High German to the more Modern High German. During the Old High German period, many of the words were still being borrowed from Latin, and old written documents show what appear to be monastery dialects.

German can be divided into Standard German (the written language), High German and Low German, with each classification encompassing an array of regions speaking that particular dialect. However, written text in a particular dialect other than Standard German is rare. The German language can be studied at private language institutions or through language courses offered by many distinguished universities in each country. German can really be a lot of fun once you get going.

About the Author

Julie Landry is a fluent German speaker that has written a popular Rocket German Review on her site. Learn to Speak German is a site dedicated to helping people learn German. You can learn more about Rocket German there.

Author Profile: JohnWL23

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