My Experience as a German Language Learner - Battling the stereotypes!

                                                         

 My Experience as a German Language Learner - 

Battling the Stereotypes! 

"What languages are you studying?"

"I study Italian and German"

"Wow.. Italian is such a beautiful and romantic language, I would love to be able to speak it... but... why are you studying German? It is such an angry sounding language and all the words are really long and complicated- it looks really hard"

Every German language learner will have had this conversation at some point in their German speaking life. Many people have the assumption that German is an angry language, which is impossible to learn and sounds nothing like any other language. However, over the years, I have come to realise that German is actually a beautiful, flowing language. Which makes me think, could German actually be easier to get a grip of than other European languages, due to its rigid syntax and logical grammar rules?

What intimidated me the most when I began learning German, was the need to join various words together to make one word - also known as compound nouns. German is known for its excessive use of compound nouns. However, if you look closely, these compound nouns are very logical and can help a language learner break down the meaning. Take, for example, the daunting 25 letter german monster that is:

Naturwissenschaftenlehrer

Horrible, right?

However, at a closer look, this word is actually very cleverly put together. Natur means “nature”; Wissenschaften is “knowledge”; Lehrer is “teacher.” The word means “science teacher”! 

Moreover, German and English also have a lot in common. The language belongs to the West Germanic language which is related to Dutch and English. As someone with an English mother tongue and a Scottish accent, I have always found the German pronunciation to be a lot easier than that of French or Spanish. 

German is also a language which likes to keep up with the times. If you listen to modern day German, you will find that many words have been borrowed from the English and French language. I firmly believe that once people have gone past the assumed complexities of the language, they will find that it is actually quite easy to learn, once you get a hang of the rules. 

As well as this, many believe that the German language could be the key to success... that is once you overcome the many barriers of its syntax and 3 genders. The EU is at an all time shortage of German speakers as schools in Europe opt for other languages such as English, French and Spanish. Germany homes the headquarters of a number of large international business' that could be a make or break career move for many. As well as this, the languages' reputation may be beneficial when it comes to employment. If you can survive learning, what is considered to be one of Europes' most difficult language, then you are a committed, strong and smart employee.

So next time you consider learning a new language, be sure to give German a chance... after all, as the old german saying goes"

"Übung macht den Meister!” - practice makes perfect!