Introduction:
The German language is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Italian province of South Tyrol. It is also a co-official language of Luxembourg, Belgium, and parts of southwestern Poland, as well as a national language in Namibia. German is most similar to other languages within the West Germanic language branch, including Afrikaans, Dutch, English, the Frisian languages, Low German (Low Saxon), Luxembourgish, Scots, and Yiddish. It also contains close similarities in vocabulary to Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish, although these belong to the North Germanic group. German is the second most widely spoken Germanic language after English. One of the major languages of the world, German is a native language to almost 100 million people worldwide and is spoken by a total of over 130 million people. It is the most spoken native language within the European Union. German is also widely taught as a foreign language, especially in Europe, where it is the third-most taught foreign language after English and French, and the United States. The language has been influential in the fields of science and technology, where it is the second most commonly used scientific language and among the most widely used languages on websites. The German-speaking countries are ranked fifth in terms of annual publication of new books, with one-tenth of all books (including e-books) in the world being published in German.
Learning German Can Change Your Life In Many Ways:
- If you love to travel, German will help you get by all across the globe. The ability to speak German while traveling opens up new experiences in all of the countries highlighted on the map above. In German-speaking countries, natives can often steer you towards insider tips and top suggestions for things to do that wouldn’t be possible if you didn’t speak the language.
- Learning German can do wonders for your career. With one of the strongest economies in the world, Germans are all about efficiency, working hard, and saving money. They love to plan and organize their lives to be comfortable, sustainable, and cost-effective. If you’re a professional working in an on-demand field, some German language skills might just open up new career opportunities for you.
- Learning German makes it much easier to learn additional languages. Having a knowledge of one foreign language makes it much easier to grasp the concepts of others. Once you start learning about new grammatical structures, their differences, and similarities, you will have an easier time adapting and applying your learning methods to other languages. Many Indo-European languages have words that are spelled similarly, or share the same roots so you’ll be able to decode simple words in related languages like Dutch or Danish.
- Enjoy Authentic German Culture. Germany has a rich cultural history, and learning the language will allow you to appreciate some of its finest masterpieces in their original state. Some of the greatest philosophical and literary works in the world were written in German and some of the most famous classical music composers come from Germany. German culture has had a tremendous impact on the rest of the world.