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Ever criticized for learning German? | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Specific Languages |  | |
| Nanoflare Newbie United StatesRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4801 days ago 5 posts - 6 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German, French | Message 57 of 68 12 October 2011 at 2:52am | IP Logged | ||
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I haven't experienced much criticism, rather more odd looks and curiosity on why I would
learn such a language. They always tell me that I should learn a more popular language like Spanish or French, but I tell them that I love German and people are confused as to why xD. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Remster Diglot Senior Member Netherlands Joined 4806 days ago 120 posts - 134 votes  Speaks: Dutch*, English Studies: German, French | Message 58 of 68 12 October 2011 at 9:24am | IP Logged | ||
I guess that's the difference with the U.S. where you're surrounded by miles and miles of English. If I go even 200km in every direction (Except north, that's the sea) I'll end up in a foreign country. :P 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Median Diglot Newbie Sweden gotmc.se Joined 4794 days ago 12 posts - 12 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English Studies: Spanish | Message 59 of 68 12 October 2011 at 9:57pm | IP Logged | ||
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I'm learning German because i've fallen in love with how it sounds. I like the fact that
it's a lot harsher than other languages :P Also studying Spanish at the same time, i must say German is more interesting. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| ilcommunication Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 6693 days ago 115 posts - 162 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Russian, Portuguese, Mandarin | Message 60 of 68 15 October 2011 at 3:03am | IP Logged | ||
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I think every major language has its own stereotype. For German it's "harsh" and "ugly", at least in the US. It's not seen as very useful, either, so German-learners get confused looks. It is what it is...
But look on the bright side, at least it's not the "hey, isn't that a religion?!" reaction that you get with Hindi :D 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| On_the_road Diglot Newbie Sweden Joined 4757 days ago 23 posts - 29 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English Studies: German, Spanish | Message 61 of 68 19 November 2011 at 4:22pm | IP Logged | ||
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I haven´t really been criticized for learning German. Quite a few people in Sweden are still learning German even though Spanish probably is more popular as a third language nowadays. The only thing people have said that could be considered negative is that they don´t like German because of all the grammar. Edited by On_the_road on 19 November 2011 at 4:26pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Leipzig Hexaglot Newbie Wales Joined 4804 days ago 22 posts - 33 votes Speaks: English*, FrenchC2, Lowland Scots, SpanishC2, Portuguese, Catalan Studies: Welsh, Tok Pisin, German, Italian | Message 62 of 68 19 November 2011 at 9:09pm | IP Logged | ||
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I'm HOD of a secondary languages department where German is one of the languages
offered. A lot of the kids really like it, which is promising - as the clichés associated with what is really a gorgeous tongue are tiresome and dated. However, you get a few kids criticising it who don't want to learn German because 'it will be scary' or 'they'll never go to visit the Nazis.' I used an example of what modern German people can be like to try to persuade them that things are not how they imagine them - how in younger days, I was stranded at Lübeck airport late at night, only for a family to spot me, drive me into Hamburg and put me up for the night out of the goodness of their hearts. I said to them that Nazi rule was one of history's most loathsome developments, but that Germany has moved on, just as the UK has moved on from putting Boers in concentration camps and such. Looking unsure, one of them paused for a moment and said, 'they haven't changed. I've watched the Human Centipede.' My God.. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Rivso Diglot Groupie FranceRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4878 days ago 41 posts - 50 votes Speaks: English*, French Studies: German, Dutch, Japanese | Message 63 of 68 21 November 2011 at 12:12am | IP Logged | ||
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No one at my school questions it as I already speak English plus knowing it already gets my grades up, and German doesn't sound harsh it sounds cool. Edited by Rivso on 21 November 2011 at 12:13am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Delodephius Bilingual Tetraglot Senior Member Yugoslavia Joined 5404 days ago 342 posts - 501 votes Speaks: Slovak*, Serbo-Croatian*, EnglishC1, Czech Studies: Russian, Japanese | Message 64 of 68 21 November 2011 at 2:28am | IP Logged | ||
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Where I live German is the third most popular language, but the second one most studied.
English of course is the first, but Spanish is the second most popular. Very few people study it in college however, most just learn it from watching TV (soap opera), and at my bookstore only look for Spanish courses merely to improve it, while for English, German and then Italian and French courses most inquiries are by students of these languages as well as those who are going abroad to countries where these languages are spoken or to do business from here. Spanish is seen as a pastime language, while German as a business language, so no one will criticize you for learning it, instead they'll see it as a very smart thing to do. 3 persons have voted this message useful |
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