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Ever criticized for learning German? | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Specific Languages |  | |
| SmilingStraw Diglot Newbie United States Joined 4860 days ago 35 posts - 37 votes Speaks: English*, German Studies: Arabic (Written) | Message 41 of 68 16 June 2011 at 11:19pm | IP Logged | ||
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When I started learning German, my friends were confused, often asking "Why learn German instead of French? Spanish? Latin?" and "Isn't that the language of Hitler?"
Later on, though, some found it interesting. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Witproduct Triglot Newbie Belgium Joined 5629 days ago 19 posts - 20 votes Speaks: Dutch*, English, German Studies: French | Message 43 of 68 26 June 2011 at 3:42am | IP Logged | ||
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The age-old law of Godwin. When will it ever grow old ? Of course it all depends of which
circles you're brought up in, but generally people tend to be shamelessly ignorant about languages. I guess you have to endure it and stand strong, take the high-ground and all the jazz. German is a great language, I neither understand why it's so unpopular. Edited by Witproduct on 26 June 2011 at 3:48am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| zekecoma Senior Member United StatesRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5294 days ago 561 posts - 655 votes  Speaks: English* Studies: German, Spanish | Message 44 of 68 26 June 2011 at 4:58am | IP Logged | ||
I agree. I wish people would get over that Nazi crap. It's been what, almost 80 years later since that has happened? I mean, look at the US. They had put Japaneses, Italians, Germans in their concentration camps (interment camps). Yet, they only see Hitler as the only bad one? If you go to any German or Japanese video on YouTube. They complain about Hitler and Pearl Harbour. It had gotten worst when that Earthquake happened in Japan. People on Twitter and Facebook, kept saying Japan got what they deserved because of Pearl Harbour. This world is has ignorant people and really there is nothing you can do about it. But then again Hitler wasn't German, he was actually Austrian. I guess they don't even realise that. Edited by zekecoma on 26 June 2011 at 4:59am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Deerhound Triglot Newbie England Joined 4855 days ago 30 posts - 46 votes Speaks: English*, German, Toki Pona Studies: French, Mandarin, Esperanto, Greek, Latin, Welsh | Message 45 of 68 26 June 2011 at 10:05am | IP Logged | ||
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I love German and find it such a beautiful language. Thankfully, although my parents were a bit curious about my wanting to learn it, and one of my friends occasionally ribbing me about it, I haven't had any problems. That several of my friends are German might explain that :) I get the most problems with Latin. People demand of you why you want to learn it and say they just don't understand the purpose. They think you're doing it to show off or be a snob, when I simply find it interesting and an intellectual challenge, while also being an important academic tradition in this country. The people who demand and mock the most are the blacks at work (not so much the Asians). They often attack our language and culture when we're supposed to respect them and theirs. Everyone turns a blind eye or is black themselves (there is a far greater proportion of blacks to whites in our office than in our city). I hope it's alright to post that here - I'm just stating facts, I don't feel I'm being racist. I apologise if it's seen as such :-/
3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Elexi Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 5515 days ago 938 posts - 1840 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French, German, Latin | Message 46 of 68 07 July 2011 at 11:27pm | IP Logged | ||
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If think it is a bit too soon to get over the 'Nazi crap' - Hitler was an Austrian, but the German people of only 3 generations back voted him in, saluted him in their streets, served in his armies and factories and were proud to be part of his vision for their Reich - and the result was the extermination of millions of people in a 5 year period. That's a pretty tall order to get over - and to do so would insult the memory of those whose lives were cruelly cut short by the mixture of fear and nationalism in an overwise cultured and civilised people.
What we should get over is the silly argument that there is some determinist connection between the German language and the Nazis mentality, or that the modern generation of Germans are tainted with some kind of blood guilt from the past and thus the stigma that learning German is somehow connected to being a Nazi. 8 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| strummer Diglot Newbie Switzerland Joined 4872 days ago 38 posts - 53 votes Speaks: Italian*, English Studies: German, Mandarin, Japanese | Message 47 of 68 09 July 2011 at 5:01pm | IP Logged | ||
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I live in Switzerland so German is mandatory at school, and if one wants to make career
MUST learn German, cause 70% of swiss people speak German. And after studying it for some time i start to like it, is a really nice language. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| strummer Diglot Newbie Switzerland Joined 4872 days ago 38 posts - 53 votes Speaks: Italian*, English Studies: German, Mandarin, Japanese | Message 48 of 68 09 July 2011 at 5:03pm | IP Logged | ||
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Hitler, Holocaust, etc... are events of the past, really horrible but past and should
never be forgotten, but we can't demonize/hate a country/people/culture/language because of this, cause those things are'nt Hitler, those things did'nt kill people, we can't demonize everything, we can not stuck in the past, we must appreciate the good side of germany and it's culture. Edited by strummer on 09 July 2011 at 5:05pm 3 persons have voted this message useful |
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