The language spoken by the people of Germany has a very unique and lengthy history. There have been many variations of the language spoken over the centuries including old-high German, middle-high German and early modern-high German. It was at the beginning of the 20th century that standard German became the main form of the language used by citizens. If you are interested in learning this language you should consider Rocket German review.
Early German
Over 95 million people in Europe speak German as their primary language. This has allowed German to become the third most commonly taught language in the world behind Spanish and French. Until the 1800s standard German was only seen in written form. This was due to the wide variety of pronunciations that were used in different regions of Europe. The German language remained divided this way until 1901 when they adopted a recognized, uniform pronunciation standard by which to go by.
Where German Is Spoken
The German language is a close relative of both the Dutch and English languages. German is widely spoken by people living all over Europe as a way to communicate with one another. For example, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium all have a great number of German speaking residents. In Austria alone 89% of the population speaks German as their primary language. In the United States, research shows 5% of the population uses German on a daily basis. These numbers highlight how commonplace the German language has become.
European Recognition
With so many people on the planet speaking German on a daily basis it would surely make sense that it was the official language of its home country, Germany. However, the sole location in Germany that recognizes it as the official language of the people is Liechtenstein. The German language is one of only 23 languages officially recognized by the European Union. It is also the second most commonly used language in Europe behind only English.
German In American History
After America’s Revolutionary War the new Continental Congress got together in Philadelphia to decide on the official language of the newly formed country. English beat German by only one vote to become the language of the United States. Traveling to Germany can be a very exciting experience for those looking to explore the German language further. It would certainly be helpful before you go to learn a few common phrases, however.
There are many colleges and universities that require a student to take a German for certain majors. Some of these majors include chemistry, international business, anatomy, and even mathematics. Learning to speak German will give a person a better vocabulary and understanding of many other languages. It also has been shown that studying German increases a person’s literacy. The Rocket German program is a fantastic way to begin your immersion into the German language. Or, if you need to learn Italian there is also a Rocket Italian reviews program.