Why would one choose German as a foreign language?

[praisefor3]

My ds11 would like to learn German. We don't live in a foreign country, don't know anyone who speaks German, and are much more likely to utilize Spanish. His older sister is planning on fluency in Spanish (already taken a college Intermediate Spanish course) so they would be able to support each other. HOWEVER, I want to honor his request...if I can find some good reasons to learn German. I doubt that he will go in to a Science field. So...can anyone help me out with pros or cons?

[krisp]

My friend who has his PhD in church history had to take German. I guess a lot of church history is in German.

 

Umm...it's also easy. (IMO as someone who's TERRIBLE at languages. I thought German was much easier than Spanish.)

 

In my engineering degree, there was no particular foreign language that was helpful. So, I'm not any help there ;)

[Chris in VA]

It is good for science, since you can then do research in the original language of some of the best scientists EVER. (Ok, that was so Valley Girl...)

 

It's fairly close to English, some say, and pretty easy to understand, once you get the different word order thingy down. German will allow you to travel extensively, but I like French better for that (there are tons of francophone countries).

 

I think the best reason is that your son wants to learn it. Every foreign language is a good one to learn--just the fact that it's foreign is reason enough. If he's more motivated to learn one over another, I say go for the one he wants to learn. Of course, learning one often makes learning another easier--it does help if they are the same "branch of the tree," but the exercise of learning foreign language is so good for the brain that it doesn't really matter.

[EKS]

My son told me he wanted to learn German because it is "just like English". I vetoed that.

[Chris in VA]

Oh and reading the other poster's answer made me remember--Dh had to take German, French, Greek and Hebrew for his PhD. He had to have a working knowledge of all 3--be able to pronounce, read, and write in each--this was for a New Testament major.

[nukeswife]

We are planning to start German soon, granted the Rosetta Stone tech support can help me get the thing installed (that's another post which I already wrote LOL) The reason, I took a basic intro to German and French in 8th grade and then took 2 years of High School Spanish (german was full) I much preferred German. My dh's High School only offered German when he went and he still remembers quite a bit, but all those reasons aside the biggest reason we're going with German is because that's what my kids want to learn. We do know a few German speaking aquaintances from my youngest son's tumbling class, but they asked to do this before we met them.

 

I think it will be much easier to teach the kids something they have an interest in then forcing them to learn something "I" think is more appropriate or useful in our area.

[EmilyK]

Depending on the field, for some science, history, art history areas it could be important.

 

I wish I'd taken more German because I'd love to be able to research my German ancestors more easily, and converse with the distant relatives there I've met through the internet. Right now I'm limited to the ones that have good English.

 

My son is taking it because he's passionate about it. That's what led his dad to learn Japanese and study there, and his grandfather to learn Chinese, and study there. So we are thinking supporting a passion is more important than what we think is practical, especially since learning languages can require real perseverance. But mileage varies.

[Mama Lynx]

My oldest may take it, instead of Spanish. He is very, very interested in WWII, and would like to study history in college. German would be more useful in studying WWII in-depth than Spanish, especially if he goes on to higher degrees in history.

[Renee in NC]

Because he wants to?:D My ds wanted to learn Gaelic and I tried to facilitate that (never could find anything much for it, unfortunately.) I don't think it has to be practical to be worth doing (not saying that German is not practical, but rather that you don't think it is.)

[cathmom]

Here's some reading material for you:

 

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=why+study+german&aq=0&oq=why+study+g&aqi=g10

[In The Great White North]

My son told me he wanted to learn German because it is "just like English". I vetoed that.

 

He would have had quite the surprise!

 

German is a good foreign language to learn even if you never plan on speaking it because it is inflected (like Latin but not as much) and, therefore, helps with English grammar and English has some Germanic roots. If a child learns Latin and German, he should be able to figure out most English words, even if he had never seen them before.

[aggieamy]

In my engineering degree, there was no particular foreign language that was helpful. So, I'm not any help there ;)

 

I'm an engineer too and haven't used my three years of high school Spanish at all. I wish I had taken German instead because I love the culture and the language.

 

My oldest may take it, instead of Spanish. He is very, very interested in WWII, and would like to study history in college. German would be more useful in studying WWII in-depth than Spanish, especially if he goes on to higher degrees in history.

 

I'm also very interested in WWII and wish I could speak German when I was touring Germany. If it interests your son then I'd let him take it. Everything we do doesn't have to be practical. (Believe me, it kills me to say that because I'm a very practical person.)

[iwka]

So he can read Goethe in original.

[Brindee]

Because he wants to?:D My ds wanted to learn Gaelic and I tried to facilitate that (never could find anything much for it, unfortunately.) I don't think it has to be practical to be worth doing (not saying that German is not practical, but rather that you don't think it is.)

I THINK I saw some kind of Gaelic Language Learning program in Barnes & Noble last week. If he's still interested I bet you could find something!

 

 

To the OP: My oldest tried French, but didn't like it, then decided he wanted to try German. He thought it sounded more MANLY than French! :tongue_smilie: We just got stuff from B&N--books and programs, and he did very well on his own! I was okay with it, since we have German ancestry, and thought it would be neat for him to speak the language! When he went to school as a Junior, there were a large amount of Spanish-speaking kids, and the school only offered Spanish. He didn't want to learn Spanish before that, but once he was around it, he really liked it. Now he's close to fluent in it because he decided he wanted to learn, and really worked at it! He's heading off to college in September as a Spanish major, with maybe an education minor. He'd like to live in a foreign country (or maybe here in the US) and be an interpretor.

 

So, you never know what he could do with it, there are many possibilities!

[Ibbygirl]

In addition to what everyone else has said let me just say that German is a funny language too! :p I took 2 years of it in college. I worked in a preschool for a time and the kids would line up at the swings and I would push them for a count of 20 and then they had to get off and let someone else have a turn for the count of 20. I would ask them if they wanted me to count to them in English, Spanish or German and unanimously they all wanted German. They said that "it sounds funny" and they loved it! :) hehe Welche farbe hat die Jacke? is much more fun to say than Que color es la chaqueta? ;) :p hehe

[ElizabethB]

I took 3 years of Spanish in high school and 2 years of German in college.

 

The German turned out to be more useful, actually! We lived in Germany for 4 years.

 

I also took 1 semester of Russian in college. I don't speak enough to be useful, but it is fun to be able to read Cyrillic, that always impresses people. (For some reason, many people find my ability to read Russian more impressive than an actual ability to speak and understand a more commonly learned language like Spanish or German.)

 

I think German is more difficult than either Spanish or Russian, especially spoken German, because of the word order. Russian wasn't that hard once you learned the letters. (And while they are a bit tricky at first, they are entirely phonetic, with a set of short vowels and a set of long vowels, no vowel pronunciation rules to learn.)

[IsabelC]

My ds11 would like to learn German. We don't live in a foreign country, don't know anyone who speaks German, and are much more likely to utilize Spanish. His older sister is planning on fluency in Spanish (already taken a college Intermediate Spanish course) so they would be able to support each other. HOWEVER, I want to honor his request...if I can find some good reasons to learn German. I doubt that he will go in to a Science field. So...can anyone help me out with pros or cons?

 

Generally, I would not recommend German. Firstly, because it is not spoken in very many countries, and secondly, because so many people in German speaking areas learn English as their second language.

 

The main reason why I am planning on doing German for my children is because our family is from German heritage. Other reasons could be because it is more logical and easier to pronounce than latinate languages and many other language groups. (Once you learn the basics of German pronunciation, you can pronounce almost any German word reasonably correctly, because it is very regular. In English, there are about 8 different ways to say 'ough', in German, there is usually only one way to say any given combination of letters). Because some of the seminal texts in many college subjects were written in German. Because it complements Latin quite well (although not a latinate language, it has a similar grammar with the different endings and cases that have long left our language). Your child might want to sing in German (Wagner! :lol)

[....]

I have a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Germanic Studies. I always took German because there is an INCREDIBLE amount of literature that is awesome to read in its original language. When I asked the other students about their language choice, it was a general consensus that if you were going into International Business, German was one of the languages that employers were looking for. German is actually spoken in Germany (obviously), Czechoslovakia (parts of), Switzerland, Austria, Belgium (parts of), Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, parts of France and Poland, and I thought Namibia used German in some capacity. You're talking about a part of the world that has a LOT of money and business.

 

While, yes, most German-speaking people also speak English, part of the culture has a lot of respect for foreigners who can speak the language (I'm drawing this on personal experience) and that can have a huge bearing on business dealings.

 

I think German is a great pick as a foreign language.

[calandalsmom]

This is a timely thread. For some reason my son wants to learn german. I have been encouraging him to try something different. Never thought about all the lit he might later read in german. hmmmmmm....

 

 

I speak (or spoke) german fairly fluently and learnt it very quickly, but that was due to living in Switzerland. But my german wasnt at all good high german but the weird and wooly swiss german of the area north of Zurich.

[Linda1951]

how to speak it. She has done well with it.

[pooh bear]

I wish now I had paid more attention in school. We had a German lady teaching us, but her English was not very good. All I can remember from German lessons is

 

"My car and glasses are broken, where is the hospital"

[....]

:lol: ROFL!!

 

I remember the wonderful day we learned: Ich bin gefallen und kann nicht aufstehen! HA ha ha!! :lol:

 

(translation: I have fallen and can not get up.)

[Audrey]

My ds11 would like to learn German. We don't live in a foreign country, don't know anyone who speaks German, and are much more likely to utilize Spanish. His older sister is planning on fluency in Spanish (already taken a college Intermediate Spanish course) so they would be able to support each other. HOWEVER, I want to honor his request...if I can find some good reasons to learn German. I doubt that he will go in to a Science field. So...can anyone help me out with pros or cons?

 

 

I am of the opinion that is someone wants to learn a language (any language) there doesn't have to be any reason or "use" for it. If he wants to learn German, why not?

[Nicole M]

I don't think anyone has mentioned this yet, so I will throw it out there (though I agree with Audrey that one should not need a reason).

 

I was just talking with a colleague today who is bilingual, German and English, and who is married to a German woman. They spend every summer in Germany with her family. He mentioned that he was surprised that there hasn't been more interest in learning German in the US since the fall of the Wall, because Germany is the economic engine of Europe.

 

This subject came up because I'm killing myself trying to find a second year German class for my rising high school senior. He took first year at the local community college, but the program was eliminated because of budget cuts. There is only one high school in our area that offers German, and that will probably go the wayside when the teacher retires.

 

My son is interested in vocal performance or choral conducting, so German is an excellent language to have for that field.

[stripe]

If he is interested, he will find a use for the language, even if it's just for fun. I studied a language in high school that everyone assured me was useless, because only Spanish was "useful."...But the world has changed, and I am certain that people would not react the same way today. Medical, history, art, religion, interest in Germany, and so on.

 

And I am positive (mind you, I know zero German, although members of my family have studied it) that just because it sort of looks and sounds like English will not be enough to make it a slam-dunk to speak and write in German, so I wouldn't worry about it being a lazy choice. But given that many in education push Latin for its benefit to students' English, what's wrong with embracing Germanic language roots?

[Nicole M]

If he is interested, he will find a use for the language, even if it's just for fun. I studied a language in high school that everyone assured me was useless, because only Spanish was "useful."...But the world has changed, and I am certain that people would not react the same way today. Medical, history, art, religion, interest in Germany, and so on.

 

And I am positive (mind you, I know zero German, although members of my family have studied it) that just because it sort of looks and sounds like English will not be enough to make it a slam-dunk to speak and write in German, so I wouldn't worry about it being a lazy choice. But given that many in education push Latin for its benefit to students' English, what's wrong with embracing Germanic language roots?

 

I'm confused as to why folks would think it's an easy language. My son had years of Latin, and felt that German was much harder. Interesting.

[stripe]

Having never studied German, I can't say, but several of the comments on this thread indicated that others thought it was easy OR that someone was under the impression, before beginning studying German, that it was sort of English with K's instead of C's or something (Amerika, diktat, kultur, realpolitik, and then there's always kindergarten).

[LanaTron]

Music, too!

[skaterbabs]

Honestly, yes, Spanish is more practical, but if he wants German, let him do German. there's no rule that says he can ONLY do German, you can require he have at least a working knowledge of Spanish.

Barnes and Noble has a series called "____ in Ten Minutes a Day". You can have him work through both the German and the Spanish books this year, and he can choose which (or both) he prefers for next year.

 

Wacko also wants German this year, and I have no clue why. :confused: But we've found some great German resources (cheap), so he can have German if he likes. Next year he and Yacko will be doing Spanish and Latin, and continueing German if they decide they like it.

[Guest mom2caleb+micah]

Chris in VA -- I just have to laugh at your "thingy" response in that answer. My MIL is of German descent, and she uses "thingy" all the time. LOL! Sorry...that cracked me up! :)

[Krissi]

I have a good working knowledge of German and Spanish...learning any foreign language is a broadening experience. It gives perspective into people, traditions, worldview, etc. that is not possible without learning the language.

And to clarify-it is SO not just like English. Some similarities because they are both Germanic language, along with Dutch. But, that said, still a clearly a foreign language.

I find it highly motivating to learn something one is interested in!

And as for all the info you've been given so far as to what the German language is good for, I concur. There is also a lot of German history in America. It's a good language to learn. (Even the public school my kids attended teaches German in elementary because there is a rich German history here)!

[Cinder]

Haven't read all the responses but had this to share. I just learned from my sil that her daughter will have to take German in college for her art history degree. Apparently the Germans have researched and written much on art history.

 

 

Cinder

[Michele B]

Because it is an incredible language.

 

Because there is great literature, philosophy, etc. to be read in German.

 

Because English has Latin on one side and German on the other.

 

Because you love it!

:001_smile:

[Emily in IL]

dear son in CC is doing German with Rosetta Stone, self motivated, but his choice due to chemical engineering, many companies in Europe in the field and many are German and English speaking so he thought it would be more helpful in his field than the Spanish......though other son wants to be a landscaper and lawn maintenance company owner, so in our area....spanish is a must and it's even listed at the CC as a course for the lawn maintenance and contractor specific. Go with his interests and let him explore another language, it's fun as you all learn alongside each other and become multilingual families.

Emily