Why Study German?

The spectacular and unanticipated event of 9 November 1989, the opening of the Berlin Wall, focused world-wide attention on reunited Germany that is bound to play an increasingly important role in a united Europe and in the world. As a result of Germany's increased role, the German language will become more important, particularly in Eastern Europe. Although some seem to think that, according to an article in the New York Times (11 November 1990), "English [is] Uber Alles," the following response to that article should give one pause:

[The article] expresses angst for the future of German. The Sturm und Drang with which English is spreading through the world is in line with the Zeitgeist and should not cause anyone Weltschmerz. ... [W]hen such melancholy sets in, it is best to put on your lederhosen, go to a nice Oktoberfest, eat some sauerbraten and kraut, or if you like Kultur, go to the opera and listen to a couple of good heldentenors. The best way to correct this language process is to teach children love of their native tongue, as early as kindergarten.

Apart from the general importance of Germany and the German language as subjects of study, some specific advantages of learning German will be mentioned in the following:Travel: Nowadays it's common to find young Americans on the bum in Europe, shunning the tourist centers and instead seeking real contact with the people. If you want to clink steins with German students in taverns, or join a hiking group in the Bavarian Alps, your ability to speak the language will make it clear that you are not one of those "ugly Americans" trying to see everything while understanding nothing.Enrichment through literature: German literature is truly a "world literature" with its translated works winning large audiences all over the world. To read books in translation is fine; yet how much better it is to read the work in the author's own language! The Grimms' fairy tales are known everywhere; there are many writers of recent decades who have had much to say to American audiences: Günter Grass's The Tin Drum won a place on the best-seller list in our country, the Marat/Sade play by Peter Weiss has been widely performed in many cities and on college campuses, and Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse, gained an enormous following among young Americans who look away from American values toward the more ascetic East. Heinrich Böll gained world prominence well before he was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature. Thomas Mann, Franz Kafka, and Bertolt Brecht, brilliant analyzers of the human condition, wrote works that are now considered classics in world literature.Heightened awareness of cultural variety: While language is primarily a tool of communication, it is also an embodiment of the attitudes of human beings, a reflection of their way of analyzing the world about them. No two cultures view the world from precisely the same vantage point, a fact which is revealed in the languages of the many cultures around the world. When we learn German we see how Germans approach each other differently--how close, how personal can one get with a stranger upon first encounter? How does a friend in America differ from a Freund in Germany? How does male-female interaction differ in Germany? What is this feeling of Gemütlichkeit which Americans have so much trouble defining in their own language? Can it possibly be that the values we have established in America are not necessarily essential to the well-being of the human race, or do we sometimes have a definite edge over the Germans? The study of the German language, or of any foreign language, brings to the student, often for the first time, a realization that there are many models for a "successful" society in this world, and the acquisition of the language gives the student the tool necessary to investigate for him- or herself the essence of the foreign culture, thus providing by contrast a heightened understanding of his/her own culture.Career advantages: Learning German can help one's career or enhance one's flexibility in making career choices. Some jobs have linguistic skill as the main requirement, such as positions with the US State Department, National Security Agency, and US Information Service. There are jobs involving a combination of German skills with other specialties such as business and economics, legal training, and journalism. One UNC graduate became director of the Associated Press in Germany. Several German majors from UNC stepped into jobs as flight attendants, opening opportunities for world travel. A person combining knowledge of German with other skills is especially "marketable" in these times when most large businesses (and many smaller ones) have international connections. North Carolina now has probably over one hundred German and Swiss companies with branches located here. North Carolina has in fact sent trade delegations to West Germany several times, to win even more German participation in the commercial life of the state. And the time has at last arrived when the number of German tourists coming to America equals the number of Americans traveling to Germany. We need more German-speakers here, and fast!