query: what countries speak german as a first language?

title: The Awful German Language

text: The Awful German Language "The Awful German Language" is an 1880 essay by Mark Twain published as Appendix D in "A Tramp Abroad". The essay is a humorous exploration of the frustrations a native speaker of English has with learning German as a second language. Twain made his first unsuccessful attempt to learn German in 1850 at age fifteen. He resumed his study 28 years later in preparation for a trip to Europe. Upon his arrival in Germany, the fruit of this recent scholarship was attested to in the advice of a friend: "Speak in German, Mark. Some of these

title: What Is a Nation?

text: Language, by contrast, "invites us but does not force us, to unite". Countries which share the Spanish or English language don't merge with one another, while the people of Switzerland speak several languages. Modern nationhood also cannot be based on religion, which Renan observes, is currently practiced according to individual belief. "You can be French, English, German, yet Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, or practicing no religion". Mutuality of interests is fine for corporations and their affiliates, but nationality is based on sentiment. Geography merely leads us astray, and often to violence: "Mountains don't know how to carve out countries". Renan concludes

title: English as a second or foreign language

text: United Kingdom and the United States, this use of English is generally by refugees, immigrants, and their children. It also includes the use of English in "outer circle" countries, often former British colonies and the Philippines, where English is an official language even if it is not spoken as a mother tongue by a majority of the population. In the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand this use of English is called "ESL" (English as a second language). This term has been criticized on the grounds that many learners already speak more than one language. A counter-argument says that the

title: German language

text: replaced the traditional German dialects, especially in Northern Germany. In the German-speaking parts of Switzerland, mixtures of dialect and standard are very seldom used, and the use of Standard German is largely restricted to the written language, though about 11% of the Swiss residents speak "High German" (aka Standard German) at home, but mainly due to German immigrants. This situation has been called a "medial diglossia". Swiss Standard German is used in the Swiss education system, whereas Austrian Standard German is officially used in the Austrian education system. A mixture of dialect and standard does not normally occur in Northern

title: German language

text: dialect of a specific region but as a written language. However, there are places where the traditional regional dialects have been replaced by new vernaculars based on standard German; that is the case in large stretches of Northern Germany but also in major cities in other parts of the country. It is important to note, however, that the colloquial standard German differs greatly from the formal written language, especially in grammar and syntax, in which it has been influenced by dialectal speech. Standard German differs regionally between German-speaking countries in vocabulary and some instances of pronunciation and even grammar and

title: German Sign Language

text: German Sign Language German Sign Language or Deutsche Gebärdensprache is the sign language of the deaf community in Germany and in the German-speaking community of Belgium. It is often abbreviated as DGS. It is unclear how many use German Sign Language as their main language; Gallaudet University estimated 50,000 in 1986. The language has evolved through use in deaf communities over hundreds of years. Germany has a strong oralist tradition and historically has seen a suppression of sign language. German Sign Language was first legally recognised in "The Federal Disability Equality Act (2002)" in May 2002. Since then, deaf people

title: Showing Our Colors: Afro-German Women Speak Out

text: Showing Our Colors: Afro-German Women Speak Out Showing Our Colors: Afro-German Women Speak Out is an English translation of the German book "Farbe bekennen" edited by author May Ayim, Katharina Oguntoye, and Dagmar Schultz. It is the first published book by Afro-Germans. It is the first written use of the term Afro-German. A compilation of texts, testimonials and other secondary sources, the collection brings to life the stories of Black German women living amid racism, sexism and other institutional constraints in Germany. The book draws on themes and motifs prevalent in Germany from the earliest colonial interactions between Germany and

title: Pennsylvania German language

text: who speak Pennsylvania German on the Canadian and U.S. censuses would report that they speak German, since it is the closest option available. Pennsylvania German was reported under ethnicity in the 2000 census. Pennsylvania German speakers live mostly in the United States and Canada, but there are also some speakers who belong to traditional Anapaptist groups in Latin America. Even though most Mennonite communities in Belize speak Plautdietsch, some few hundreds who came to Belize mostly around 1970 and who belong to the Noah Hoover Mennonites speak Pennsylvania German. There are also some recent New Order Amish immigrants in Bolivia

title: Certificate Examinations in Polish as a Foreign Language

text: to have a certificate in Polish as a foreign language at B1 level. According to the Regulation on Civil Service, foreigners applying for jobs in civil service are also required to provide a certificate in Polish as a foreign language at B2 level. The certificate is gaining popularity among the upper-secondary students in several countries, notably in Germany and the United States. In some countries, the certificate can serve as a document certifying the command of an additional foreign language, which entitles students to obtain additional points during a matriculation examination. Certificate Examinations in Polish as a Foreign Language The

title: Opera in German

text: Opera in German Opera in German is that of the German-speaking countries, which include Germany, Austria, and the historic German states that pre-date those countries. German-language opera appeared remarkably quickly after the birth of opera itself in Italy. The first Italian opera was Jacopo Peri's "Dafne" of 1598. In 1627, Heinrich Schütz provided the music for a German translation of the same libretto. Yet during much of the 17th and 18th centuries German-language opera would struggle to emerge from the shadow of its Italian-language rival, with leading German-born composers such as Handel and Gluck opting to work in foreign traditions

title: German Doctors for Developing Countries

text: German Doctors for Developing Countries German Doctors e.V. is a humanitarian aid organization which operates in third world countries, especially in slums and rural areas. About 300 voluntary doctors are sent to Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Sierra Leone and the Philippines each year to help those who cannot help themselves. German Doctors has been awarded with the official donation seal DZI (German Institute for Social Affairs). Since 2013, the headquarters is located in Bonn, Germany. President of the curatorship is German actress Maria Furtwängler. German Doctors e.V. was founded in 1983 as „Ärzte für die dritte Welt“ in Frankfurt am Main,

title: Low Countries

text: the Austrian Netherlands. The United Kingdom of the Netherlands (1815–1830) temporarily united the Low Countries again, before this split into the three modern countries of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. During the early months of World War I (around 1914), The Central Powers invaded the Low Countries of Luxembourg and Belgium in what has been come to be known as the German invasion of Belgium. It led to the German occupation of the two countries. However, the German advance into France was quickly halted, causing a military stalemate for most of the war. In the end, a total of approximately

title: German language

text: German language German ( ) is a West Germanic language that is mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, South Tyrol (Italy), the German-speaking Community of Belgium, and Liechtenstein. It is also one of the three official languages of Luxembourg and a co-official language in the Opole Voivodeship in Poland. The languages which are most similar to German are the other members of the West Germanic language branch: Afrikaans, Dutch, English, the Frisian languages, Low German/Low Saxon, Luxembourgish, and Yiddish. There are also strong similarities in vocabulary

title: German language

text: If a narrow definition of language based on mutual intelligibility is used, many German dialects are considered to be separate languages (for instance in the Ethnologue). However, such a point of view is unusual in German linguistics. The German dialect continuum is traditionally divided most broadly into High German and Low German, also called Low Saxon. However, historically, High German dialects and Low Saxon/Low German dialects do not belong to the same language. Nevertheless, in today's Germany, Low Saxon/Low German is often perceived as a dialectal variation of Standard German on a functional level even by many native speakers. The

title: Speak Your Mind

text: that's what I've been like on this album, so it kinda makes sense." "Alarm" was released as the lead single from "Speak Your Mind" on 20 May 2016. The single became Anne-Marie's first major worldwide hit, peaking at No. 16 on the UK Singles Chart. The single additionally reached the top 20 in as Australia and Scotland, as well as the top 40 in seven countries. It was certified Platinum in the UK, Australia, and Poland, and Gold in the US and Canada. The music video for the song, also released on 20 May 2016, was directed by Malia James

title: German language

text: Germany either. The traditional varieties there are Low German, whereas Standard German is a High German "variety". Because their linguistic distance to it is greater, they do not mesh with Standard German the way that High German dialects (such as Bavarian, Swabian, Hessian) can. German is a member of the West Germanic language of the Germanic family of languages, which in turn is part of the Indo-European language family. The German dialects are the traditional local varieties; many of them are hardly understandable to someone who knows only standard German, and they have great differences in lexicon, phonology and syntax.

title: German Sign Language

text: the exception of verbs) can be topicalised by being moved to the beginning of the sentence and marked with raised eyebrows. Often, a topic doesn't otherwise have any other role in the sentence. In these cases, it represents a limitation of the scope of the sentence. Compare the following three sentences. German Sign Language German Sign Language or Deutsche Gebärdensprache is the sign language of the deaf community in Germany and in the German-speaking community of Belgium. It is often abbreviated as DGS. It is unclear how many use German Sign Language as their main language; Gallaudet University estimated 50,000

title: German Sign Language

text: 18th century; it is related to manual alphabets used across Europe and in North America. Regional variants of German Sign Language include Hamburg, Berlin, and Munich sign. Sign languages of regions in the former East Germany have a greater divergence from sign languages of the western regions; some may be unrelated. Polish Sign Language is descended from German Sign Language. Israeli Sign Language may be as well, as it evolved from the sign language used by German Jewish teachers who opened a school for deaf children in Jerusalem in 1932, and still shows some resemblance to its German counterpart. It

title: German diaspora

text: Asia A visible sign of the geographical extension of German language are the German-language media outside the German-speaking countries. Most numbers are from the www.ethnologue.com (see "See also"), apart from a few from German language and Germans, as well as the following in-line citations: Ethnologue entries: German diaspora German diaspora (; also, under National Socialism: ) are ethnic Germans and their descendants living outside Germany. It also refers to the aspects of migration of German speakers from central Europe to different countries around the world. This definition describes the "German" term as a sociolinguistic group as opposed to the national

title: German language

text: was declared its standard definition. The (literally, German stage language) had established conventions for German pronunciation in theatre (Bühnendeutsch) three years earlier; however, this was an artificial standard that did not correspond to any traditional spoken dialect. Rather, it was based on the pronunciation of Standard German in Northern Germany, although it was subsequently regarded often as a general prescriptive norm, despite differing pronunciation traditions especially in the Upper-German-speaking regions that still characterize the dialect of the area today – especially the pronunciation of the ending as [ɪk] instead of [ɪç]. In Northern Germany, Standard German was a foreign language

title: German language

text: at least some knowledge of German. In Europe, German is the second most widely spoken mother tongue (after Russian) and the second biggest language in terms of overall speakers (after English). The area in central Europe where the majority of the population speaks German as a first language and has German as a (co-)official language is called the "German Sprachraum". It comprises an estimated 88 million native speakers and 10 million who speak German as a second language (e.g. immigrants). Excluding regional minority languages, German is the only official language of It is a co-official language of the Although expulsions

title: Pennsylvania German language

text: and Argentina who speak Pennsylvania German while the great majority of conservative Mennionites in these countries speak Plautdietsch. In Mario Pei's book "Language", a popular poem in the dialect (with significant English influence in the form of loanwords) is printed; the free-translation is, in the main, by J. Cooper. Following the links, there are two examples of spoken Pennsylvania German: (The mother tongue) and (Are you born as a Christian?). More example of spoken Pennsylvania German can be found at the page "American Languages - our nation's many languages online" of the University of Wisconsin. An example of a Pennsylvania

title: German language

text: "languages" or "dialects" is disputed for political and/or linguistic reasons, including quantitatively strong varieties like certain forms of Alemannic (e.g., Alsatian) and Low German/Plautdietsch. Mostly depending on the inclusion or exclusion of certain varieties, it is estimated that approximately 90–95 million people speak German as a first language, 10–25 million as a second language, and 75–100 million as a foreign language. This would imply approximately 175–220 million German speakers worldwide. It is estimated that also including all persons who are or were taking German classes, i.e., regardless of their actual proficiency, would amount to about 280 million people worldwide with

title: German language

text: is used in a wide variety of spheres, especially business and tourism, as well as the churches (most notably the German-speaking Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (GELK)), schools (e.g. the ), literature (German-Namibian authors include Giselher W. Hoffmann), radio (the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation produces radio programs in German), and music (e.g. artist EES). The is one of the three biggest newspapers in Namibia and the only German-language daily in Africa. Mostly originating from different waves of immigration during the 19th and 20th centuries, an estimated 12,000 people speak German or a German variety as a first language in South Africa.

title: German language in Namibia

text: English as a working language of the government. Only in 1984 would German officially be added as an official language. After independence in 1990, English became the sole official language of Namibia, and German thus lost its official status, but German today continues to be used in a wide range of spheres of Namibian life. German is more widely used than may be assumed by its lack of official status. About 31,000 Namibians speak German as a mother tongue, and several tens of thousands of Namibians, either white native speakers of English or Afrikaans or well-to-do black Namibians, speak German

title: English as a second or foreign language

text: state school curriculum in countries where English has no special status (what linguistic theorist Braj Kachru calls the "expanding circle countries"); it may also be supplemented by lessons paid for privately. Teachers of EFL generally assume that students are literate in their mother tongue. The "Chinese EFL Journal" and "Iranian EFL Journal" are examples of international journals dedicated to specifics of English language learning within countries where English is used as a foreign language. The other broad grouping is the use of English within the English-speaking world. In what Braj Kachru calls "the inner circle", i.e., countries such as the

title: English as a second or foreign language

text: Educational programs for students who want to move to English-speaking countries, and other programs for students who do not intend to move but who want to understand English content for the purposes of education, entertainment, or conducting international business. The differences between these two models of English language education have grown larger over time, and teachers focusing on each model have used different terminology, received different training, and formed separate professional associations. English is also taught as a second language for recent immigrants to English-speaking countries, which faces separate challenges because the students in one class may speak many different

title: Geographical distribution of German speakers

text: Geographical distribution of German speakers This article details the geographical distribution of speakers of the German language, regardless of the legislative status within the countries where it is spoken. In addition to the German-speaking area () in Europe, German-speaking minorities are present in many countries and on all six inhabited continents. Mostly depending on the inclusion or exclusion of certain varieties with a disputed status as separate languages (e.g., Low German/Plautdietsch), it is estimated that approximately 90–95 million people speak German as a first language, 10-25 million as a second language, and 75–100 million as a foreign language. This would

title: German language

text: and Minority Languages; however, they are widely considered separate languages and neither German nor Dutch dialects. Namibia was a colony of the German Empire from 1884 to 1919. Mostly descending from German settlers who immigrated during this time, 25–30,000 people still speak German as a native tongue today. The period of German colonialism in Namibia also led to the evolution of a Standard German-based pidgin language called "Namibian Black German", which became a second language for parts of the indigenous population. Although it is nearly extinct today, some older Namibians still have some knowledge of it. German, along with English

title: German language in the United States

text: difference in language. Pennsylvania "Dutch" is sometimes used in worship services, though this is more common among the Amish than the Mennonites. More mainstream (city) Mennonites may have a working knowledge of the language, but it is not frequently used in conversation or in worship services. Old Order Amish, Old Order Mennonites and other Pennsylvania Germans speak a dialect of German known as Pennsylvania German (widely called "Pennsylvania Dutch", where "Dutch" is used in its archaic sense, thus not limited to Dutch but including all variants of German). It is a remnant of what was once a much larger German-speaking

title: French language

text: second language in the German "land" of Saarland, with French being taught from pre-school and over 43% of citizens being able to speak French. The majority of the world's French-speaking population lives in Africa. According to the 2007 report by the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, an estimated 115 million African people spread across 31 Francophone countries can speak French as either a first or a second language. This number does not include the people living in non-Francophone African countries who have learned French as a foreign language. Due to the rise of French in Africa, the total French-speaking population

title: Speak Your Language

text: Speak Your Language Speak Your Language is the second album by Five O'Clock Heroes, released on July 7, 2008 via Glaze Records. The album was leaked on the Internet in the first week of June 2008. The song "Who" was the first single taken from the album, and is a duet recorded with Agyness Deyn. The video of this single was ready in the beginning of May 2008 and posted on Five O'Clock Heroes' website on May 5, 2008. The single itself was released on June 23, 2008. The single was poorly received by "NME", giving it a 2/10 rating.

title: Speak Your Language

title: In What Language?

text: is being able to watch TV and play video games at the same time, so be it. We can only hope it inspires real discourse and real thought." Lyn Horton of All About Jazz noted "A concrete lesson seems to emanate from "In What Language?" and it is this: that no matter what language distinguishes the nature of the present global geo-political culture, the language spoken has a clear and consistent meaning borne in its content. The language transcends any dialect. And if we are determined enough, within our commonly shared humanity, we can speak the same language. In our

title: German language

text: association of citizens in the world. The VDS has more than thirty-five thousand members in over seventy countries. Its founder, statistics professor Dr. Walter Krämer, has remained chairperson of the association from its beginnings. The German state broadcaster is the equivalent of the British BBC World Service and provides radio and television broadcasts in German and 30 other languages across the globe. Its German language services are tailored for German language learners by being spoken at slow speed. also provides an website to learn German. German language German ( ) is a West Germanic language that is mainly spoken in

title: German language

text: at primary school level (but third after English and French at lower secondary level), the fourth most widely taught non-English language in the US (after Spanish, French and American Sign Language), and the second most commonly used scientific language as well as the second most widely used language on websites after English. The German-speaking countries are ranked fifth in terms of annual publication of new books, with one tenth of all books (including e-books) in the world being published in the German language. In the United Kingdom, German and French are the most-sought after foreign languages for businesses (with 49%

title: German language in Namibia

text: as a second language. German is taught in many schools, and is the medium for a daily newspaper, the "Allgemeine Zeitung", as well as daily programming on the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation. Although German (and for that matter English) is not common as a mother tongue among the black population, a number of public servants especially in the tourism sector speak German to various degrees. However, there are many spheres in which the German language is not or barely present at all — spheres with a small number of white people, especially in the north part of the country, but also

title: German language

text: three years and other estimated parameters. According to a 2012 survey, 47 million people within the EU (i.e., up to two thirds of the 75–100 million worldwide) claimed to have sufficient German skills to have a conversation. Within the EU, not counting countries where it is an official language, German as a foreign language is most popular in Eastern and Northern Europe, namely the Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Sweden and Poland. German was once and, to some extent, is still, a lingua franca in those parts of Europe. Standard German originated not as a traditional

title: Community of Portuguese Language Countries

text: in schools so that a higher degree of fluency is achieved and young Africans will be able to speak a world language that will help them later in life. Angola has not yet signed the most recent accord on the orthography of the Portuguese language, and has asked other PALOP countries to support it in discussions on various points of that accord with Portugal. The Organization's Executive Secretariat is responsible for designing and implementing the CPLP's projects and initiatives. It is located in Lisbon, Portugal. The Executive Secretary has a two-year mandate, and can be re-elected once. The CPLP's guidelines

text: Portuguese overseas territory to be decolonized, and returned to China in 1999. It still retains traces of the Portuguese culture and Portuguese is one of the official languages of the territory. Despite that, the majority of the population in Macau do not speak and understand Portuguese. Cantonese language is the main language. In 2006, during the II Ministerial meeting between China and Portuguese Speaking Countries, the CPLP Executive Secretary and Deputy ambassador Tadeu Soares invited the Chief Executive of the Government of the Macau Special Administrative Region, Edmund Ho Hau Wa, to request the Associate Observer status for Macau. The

title: English as a Second Language Podcast

text: States, Latin America, Asia, and Europe. iTunes Japan named ESL Podcast one of the Best 20 podcasts in Japan in 2007. ESL Podcast has consistently been ranked the number one English language learning podcast in iTunes since its launch in 2005, and among the Top 20 podcasts for all categories in several European, Asian, and Latin American countries with a dedicated iTunes Store in 2011. English as a Second Language Podcast English as a Second Language (ESL) Podcast is a web-based English language-learning podcast. It is the first and longest-running English language learning podcast on the Internet. It was launched

title: German language in Namibia

text: German language in Namibia Namibia is a multilingual country wherein German is recognised as a national language (a form of minority language). While English is the sole official language of the country since 1990, in many areas of the country German enjoys official status at a community level. German is especially widely used in central and southern Namibia and was until 1990 one of three official languages in what was then South West Africa, alongside Afrikaans and English. German is the main or mother tongue of about 30,000 Namibians, a number composed roughly equally of German Namibians as well as

title: German language in the United States

text: survey, German was taught in 24% of American schools in 1997, and only 14% in 2008. German is third in popularity after Spanish and French in terms of the number of colleges and universities offering instruction in the language. German language in the United States Over 50 million Americans claim German ancestry, which makes them the largest single ethnic group in the United States. Around 1.06 million people in the United States speak the German language. It is the second most spoken language in North Dakota. In 16 states, it is the most spoken language other than English and Spanish.

title: German language in the United States

text: German language in the United States Over 50 million Americans claim German ancestry, which makes them the largest single ethnic group in the United States. Around 1.06 million people in the United States speak the German language. It is the second most spoken language in North Dakota. In 16 states, it is the most spoken language other than English and Spanish. German became the second most widely spoken language in the U.S. starting with mass emigration to Pennsylvania from the German Palatinate and adjacent areas starting in the 1680s, all through the 1700s and to the early 20th century. It

title: First language

text: first used by Catholic monks to designate a particular language they used, instead of Latin, when they are "speaking from the pulpit". That is, the "holy mother the Church" introduced this term and colonies inherited it from Christianity as a part of colonialism. In some countries, such as Kenya, India, and various East Asian countries, "mother language" or "native language" is used to indicate the language of one's ethnic group in both common and journalistic parlance ("I have no apologies for not learning my mother tongue"), rather than one's first language. Also, in Singapore, "mother tongue" refers to the language

title: First language

text: about what exactly bilingualism is. One definition is that a person is bilingual by being equally proficient in both languages. A person who grows up speaking English and begins learning Spanish for four years is not necessarily bilingual unless they speak the two languages with equal fluency. Pearl and Lambert were the first to test only “balanced” bilinguals—that is, a child who is completely fluent in two languages and feel that neither is their “native” language because they grasp the two so perfectly. This study found the following: balanced bilinguals perform significantly better in tasks that require flexibility (they constantly

title: German language in Namibia

text: (s.) Werft (w.) Winkel (m.) wundern (v.) wüst (adv.) zu (adv.) zünden (v.) German language in Namibia Namibia is a multilingual country wherein German is recognised as a national language (a form of minority language). While English is the sole official language of the country since 1990, in many areas of the country German enjoys official status at a community level. German is especially widely used in central and southern Namibia and was until 1990 one of three official languages in what was then South West Africa, alongside Afrikaans and English. German is the main or mother tongue of about

title: Speak & Spell (toy)

text: Compact (a version lacking a visual display), and in 1989 the Super Speak & Spell was released to replace the original vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) with a liquid crystal display (LCD). Between 1989 and 1992 the Super Speak & Spell would see three redesigns as well. The 1992 Super Speak & Spell would mark the last release of the series. Regional variations with different speech libraries and different games were released in at least 9 countries with seven language variations. Because the linguistic aspect of the games played on the Speak & Spell are of central importance to Speak &

title: German language

text: spoken language. There is also an important German creole being studied and recovered, named , spoken in the former German colony of German New Guinea, across Micronesia and in northern Australia (i.e. coastal parts of Queensland and Western Australia), by a few elderly people. The risk of its extinction is serious and efforts to revive interest in the language are being implemented by scholars. Like French and Spanish, German has become a classic second foreign language in the western world, as English (Spanish in the US) is well established as the first foreign language. German ranks second (after English) among

title: German language

text: and (forced) assimilation after the two World Wars greatly diminished them, minority communities of mostly bilingual German native speakers exist in areas both adjacent to and detached from the Sprachraum. Within Europe and Asia, German is a recognized minority language in the following countries: In France, the High German varieties of Alsatian and Moselle Franconian are identified as "regional languages", but the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages of 1998 has not yet been ratified by the government. In the Netherlands, the Limburgish, Frisian, and Low German languages are protected regional languages according to the European Charter for Regional

title: Swedish as a foreign language

text: an "equal status" as an official language of the state. This situation remains to this day, despite the near-complete switchover to Finnish in practical usage in governmental affairs. There is compulsory teaching and language testing at all levels of education, and a basic working knowledge of Swedish is required for state government officials. Swedish as a foreign language Swedish as a foreign language is studied by about 40,000 people worldwide at the university level and by over one million people on Duolingo. It is taught at over two hundred universities and colleges in 38 countries. Swedish is the Scandinavian language

title: Norwegian language

text: Nordic Council. Under the Nordic Language Convention, citizens of the Nordic countries who speak Norwegian have the opportunity to use their native language when interacting with official bodies in other Nordic countries without being liable to any interpretation or translation costs. Like most of the languages in Europe, the Norwegian language descends from the Proto-Indo-European language spoken about 5500 years ago on the Pontic–Caspian steppe north of the Black Sea. As early Indo-Europeans spread across Europe, they became isolated and new languages evolved. In the northwest of Europe, the West Germanic languages evolved, which would eventually become English, Dutch, German,

title: German language

text: to most inhabitants, whose native dialects were subsets of Low German. It was usually encountered only in writing or formal speech; in fact, most of Standard German was a written language, not identical to any spoken dialect, throughout the German-speaking area until well into the 19th century. Official revisions of some of the rules from 1901 were not issued until the controversial German orthography reform of 1996 was made the official standard by governments of all German-speaking countries. Media and written works are now almost all produced in Standard German (often called , "High German") which is understood in all

title: First language

text: First language A first language, native language, or mother/father/parent tongue (also known as arterial language or L1) is a language that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term "native language" or "mother tongue" refers to the language of one's ethnic group rather than one's first language. Children brought up speaking more than one language can have more than one native language, and be bilingual or multilingual. By contrast, a "second language" is any language that one speaks other than one's first language. One of the more widely accepted definitions

text: have seen no other black person throughout your childhood?" Although this composition of the work was meant to be an empowering space, it would be a failure to not acknowledge that the entire process was mitigated & assembled by white Germans; therein lies an inherent power dynamic. Showing Our Colors: Afro-German Women Speak Out Showing Our Colors: Afro-German Women Speak Out is an English translation of the German book "Farbe bekennen" edited by author May Ayim, Katharina Oguntoye, and Dagmar Schultz. It is the first published book by Afro-Germans. It is the first written use of the term Afro-German. A

title: English as a second or foreign language

text: as teaching assistants in Chilean public schools. English Opens Doors requires only a bachelor's degree in order to be considered for acceptance. Note that some of the terms below may be restricted to one or more countries, or may be used with different meanings in different countries, particularly the US and UK. See further discussion is Terminology and types above. English as a second or foreign language English as a second or foreign language is the use of English by speakers with different native languages. Language education for people learning English may be known as English as a second language

title: Swedish as a foreign language

text: Swedish as a foreign language Swedish as a foreign language is studied by about 40,000 people worldwide at the university level and by over one million people on Duolingo. It is taught at over two hundred universities and colleges in 38 countries. Swedish is the Scandinavian language which is most studied abroad. Svenska Institutet ("The Swedish Institute") plays a key role in organising the learning of Swedish abroad. In addition to collaborating with universities where Swedish is taught, the Institute organises summer courses for students and conferences for teachers, as well as publishing a textbook called "Svenska utifrån". In 2013

title: Low German

text: rather socio-political and build mainly around the fact that Low German has no official standard form or use in sophisticated media. The situation of Low German may thus be considered a "pseudo-dialectized abstand language" ("scheindialektisierte Abstandsprache"). In contrast, Old Saxon and Middle Low German are generally considered separate languages in their own rights. Since Low German has undergone a strong decline since the 18th century, the perceived similarities with High German or Dutch may often be direct adaptations from the dominating standard language, resulting in a growing incapability of speakers to speak correctly what was once Low German proper. Others

title: German language

text: with Danish, Norwegian and Swedish, although those belong to the North Germanic group. German is the second most widely spoken Germanic language, after English. One of the major languages of the world, German is the first language of almost 100 million people worldwide and the most widely spoken native language in the European Union. Together with French, German is the second most commonly spoken foreign language in the EU after English, making it the second biggest language in the EU in terms of overall speakers. German is also the second most widely taught foreign language in the EU after English

title: German language

text: continued to be used as a first language into the twentieth century but now its use is limited to a few older speakers. German migration to New Zealand in the 19th century was less pronounced than migration from Britain, Ireland, and perhaps even Scandinavia. Despite this there were significant pockets of German-speaking communities which lasted until the first decades of the 20th century. German-speakers settled principally in Puhoi, Nelson, and Gore. At the last census (2013), 36,642 people in New Zealand spoke German, making it the third most spoken European language after English and French and overall the ninth most

title: Teaching English as a second or foreign language

text: and ESL (English as a second language, a term typically used in English-speaking countries, and more often referring to the learning than the teaching). Teaching English as a second language (TESL) refers to teaching English to students whose first language is not English, usually offered in a region where English "is" the dominant language and natural English language immersion situations are apt to be "plentiful". The teaching profession has historically used different names for TEFL and TESL; however, the more generic term teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) is increasingly used to describe the profession. Both native speakers

title: How to Speak Hip

text: How to Speak Hip How to Speak Hip is a comedy album by Del Close and John Brent, released by Mercury Records in 1959. The album is designed as a satire of language-learning records, where the secret language of the 'hipster' is treated as a foreign language. Part of the joke, however, is that it actually does a good job of describing the Beat Generation/Beatnik sub-culture: Basic concepts such as "cool" and "uncool" are taught, as well as vocabulary building ("dig", "dig it", "dig yourself, baby", "dig the chick", "dig the cat", "What a drag!"). Many of the phrases and

title: What Is a Nation?

text: the stage for nationalism. Renan also asserts that neither language nor religion are basis for solidarity because language “invites people to unite, but does not force them to do so” and "religion has become an individual matter" For example, the United States and England both speak English but do not constitute a single, united nation and countries no longer operate on the notion of religions operating against each other, forcing people to choose between one or the other. Renan noted that a unique element of the European nation-forming experience was the mixture of races, origins and religions, where conquering people

text: and because of this they still speak their home language while their descendants who were born in Argentina speak primarily Spanish. According to Deutsche Welle, there are some twelve million people of German ancestry in Brazil. Nevertheless, the number of people speaking any sort of German (Standard German, Hunsrückisch or East Pomeranian) is on the decrease, with 3 million speaking German as a first language today. The main variety of German in Brazil is Riograndenser Hunsrückisch which is to be found in the southern states. This version of German there has changed over 180 years of contact with Portuguese as

title: German language

text: Duden is updated regularly, with new editions appearing every four or five years. , it is in its 27th edition and in 12 volumes, each covering different aspects such as loanwords, etymology, pronunciation, synonyms, and so forth.The first of these volumes, (German Orthography), has long been the prescriptive source for the spelling of German. The "Duden" has become the bible of the German language, being the definitive set of rules regarding grammar, spelling and usage of German. The ("Austrian Dictionary"), abbreviated , is the official dictionary of the German language in the Republic of Austria. It is edited by a

title: First language

text: of native speakers is that they were born in a particular country raised to speak the language of that country during the critical period of their development. The person qualifies as a "native speaker" of a language by being born and immersed in the language during youth, in a family in which the adults shared a similar language experience as the child. Native speakers are considered to be an authority on their given language because of their natural acquisition process regarding the language, as opposed to having learned the language later in life. That is achieved by personal interaction with

title: Romansh language

text: German is also acquired in two varieties: Swiss German and Standard German. Additionally, in Val Müstair many people also speak Bavarian German as a second language. Aside from German, many Romansh also speak additional languages such as French, Italian, or English, learned at school or acquired through direct contact. The Swiss census of 1990 and 2000 asked for the "language of best command" as well as for the languages habitually used in the family, at work, and in school. Previous censuses had only asked for the "mother tongue". In 1990, Romansh was named as the "language of best command" by

text: By 1979 it was estimated that 90% of schools had been destroyed and 75% of teachers were no longer working and foreign languages were not being taught. However, in Cambodian schools today, English as a foreign language is taught from Grade 7 onwards and is the most popular foreign language studied. Adults are also able to learn English through other non-formal English language education programs. Currently in Cambodia, there are professional, institutional, and governmental motivations for both teaching and learning English as a foreign language. Results from studies on Cambodia show that the ability to speak English is an important

title: English as a second or foreign language

text: based on Latin grammar hence it suffers inconsistencies. The major engines that influence the language are the United States and the United Kingdom and they both have assimilated the language differently so they differ in expressions and usage. This is found to a great extent primarily in pronunciation and vocabulary. Variants of English language also exist in both of these countries (e.g. African American Vernacular English). The English language has great reach and influence, and English is taught all over the world. In countries where English is not usually a native language, there are two distinct models for teaching English:

title: Namibian Black German

text: Namibian Black German Namibian Black German, also NBG, (, "kitchen German") is a pidgin language of Namibia that derives from standard German. It is nearly extinct. It was spoken mostly by Namibians who did not learn standard German during the period of German rule. It was never a first language. It is currently spoken as a second language by people over 50 years old, who these days usually also speak German, Afrikaans, or English. Colonial acquisition of German in Namibia often took place outside of formal education and was primarily self-taught. Like many pidgin languages, Namibian Black German developed through

title: A Dream, What Else?

text: A Dream, What Else? A Dream, What Else? () is a 1995 Austrian-German drama film written and directed by Hans-Jürgen Syberberg. It stars Edith Clever as Sybille von Bismarck, the daughter-in-law of Otto von Bismarck. The film consists of a monologue where the main character, aged and widowed, mourns the defeat of Prussia at the end of World War II. She recites from "The Trojan Women" by Euripides, "The Prince of Homburg" by Heinrich von Kleist and "" by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The monologue was first performed on stage in Berlin in 1990 and toured several countries during the

title: Memoni language

text: its alphabetical system of reading and writing, nor having its literature and dictionary. This is one of the reasons the disorientation among the speakers themselves for deciding which words are better for what, as there is a wide variety of vocabulary available. Haji Mohammed Husein Abdel Kareem Nagani invented the alphabet of Memon language. The Memon community is generally divided into three major subgroups: Kathiawadi Memons, Sindhi Memons (who speak the Sindhi language) and Kutchi Memons (who speak Kutchi) The first category (Memons originating in Kathiawar) are simply called "Memons", and they speak the "Memon" language, the subject of this

title: German language

text: was the predominant language not only in the larger towns – such as (Timișoara), (Sibiu) and (Brașov) – but also in many smaller localities in the surrounding areas. The most comprehensive guide to the vocabulary of the German language is found within the . This dictionary was created by the Brothers Grimm and is composed of 16 parts which were issued between 1852 and 1860. In 1872, grammatical and orthographic rules first appeared in the "Duden Handbook". In 1901, the 2nd Orthographical Conference ended with a complete standardization of the German language in its written form and the "Duden Handbook"

title: Nordic countries

text: per cent of population of Finland speak Swedish as their mother tongue. In the Finnish-Sami group of the Finno-Ugric languages, Finnish is the most widely spoken language in the Nordic countries. However, other languages in this family are also spoken in the region. Various Sami languages are spoken in northern Finland, Norway and Sweden. Karelian is spoken a little in Finland, the Kven language in Norway and Meänkieli or "Torne Valley Finnish" in Sweden. Finns are also the largest immigrant group in Sweden, around 4.46 per cent of the total population; and Finnish is an official minority language of Sweden.

title: German language

text: umlauts and not capitalizing nouns): The use and learning of the German language are promoted by a number of organisations. The government-backed (named after the famous German author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe) aims to enhance the knowledge of German culture and language within Europe and the rest of the world. This is done by holding exhibitions and conferences with German-related themes, and providing training and guidance in the learning and use of the German language. For example, the teaches the German language qualification. The Dortmund-based , which was founded in 1997, supports the German language and is the largest language

title: Test of Russian as a Foreign Language

text: countries. By that SPbU cooperates with more than 50 organizations around the world. The full lists of test centres where the TORFL test is conducted can be found on the Universities’ websites. Test of Russian as a Foreign Language The Test of Russian as a Foreign Language (TORFL or TRKI) ( or ) is a contemporary test of Russian language for foreign citizens compliant with the best European quality standards. Levels of the Test of Russian as a Foreign Language are matched to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment (CEFR). The TORFL test consists of

title: German language

text: connotations from their Germanic counterparts and are usually perceived as more scholarly. The size of the vocabulary of German is difficult to estimate. The ("The German Dictionary") initiated by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm already contained over 330,000 headwords in its first edition. The modern German scientific vocabulary is estimated at nine million words and word groups (based on the analysis of 35 million sentences of a corpus in Leipzig, which as of July 2003 included 500 million words in total). The Duden is the "de facto" official dictionary of the German language, first published by Konrad Duden in 1880. The

title: German language

text: areas where German is spoken. Due to the German diaspora as well as German being the second most widely spoken language in Europe and the third most widely taught foreign language in the US and the EU (in upper secondary education) amongst others, the geographical distribution of German speakers (or "Germanophones") spans all inhabited continents. As for the number of speakers of any language worldwide, an assessment is always compromised by the lack of sufficient, reliable data. For an exact, global number of native German speakers, this is further complicated by the existence of several varieties whose status as separate

title: German language

text: and 50% of businesses identifying these two languages as the most useful, respectively). German is an inflected language with four cases for nouns, pronouns and adjectives (nominative, accusative, genitive, dative), three genders (masculine, feminine, neuter), two numbers (singular, plural), and strong and weak verbs. German derives the majority of its vocabulary from the ancient Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family. A portion of German words are derived from Latin and Greek, and fewer are borrowed from French and Modern English. With slightly different standardized variants (German, Austrian and Swiss Standard German), German is a pluricentric language. It is also

title: English as a second or foreign language

text: as in Australia and New Zealand. British English uses "ELT" (English language teaching), because TESOL has a different, more specific meaning; see above. Several models of "simplified English" have been suggested or developed for international communication, among them: Language teaching practice often assumes that most of the difficulties that learners face in the study of English are a consequence of the degree to which their native language differs from English (a contrastive analysis approach). A native speaker of Chinese, for example, may face many more difficulties than a native speaker of German, because German is more closely related to English

title: English as a second or foreign language

text: word "a" in the phrase "a second language" means there is no presumption that English is "the" second acquired language (see also "Second language"). "TESL" is the teaching of English as a second language. There are also other terms that it may be referred to in the US including: ELL (English Language Learner) and CLD (Culturally and Linguistically Diverse). In the UK and Ireland, the term ESL has been replaced by "ESOL" (English for speakers of other languages). In these countries "TESOL" (teaching English to speakers of other languages) is normally used to refer to teaching English only to this

text: Community of Portuguese Language Countries The Community of Portuguese Language Countries (Portuguese: Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa; abbreviated as CPLP), occasionally known in English as the Lusophone Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organization of Lusophone nations across four continents, where Portuguese is an official language, mostly of former colonies of the Portuguese Empire. The CPLP operates as a privileged multilateral forum for the mutual cooperation of the governments of its members, on both executive and ministerial levels, non-governmental organizations, and the various branches of the CPLP itself. CPLP is a multilateral forum created to deepen mutual friendship and cooperation among

title: Certification of Italian as a Foreign Language

text: whilst the most advanced level is C2. As such the qualification resembles the DELF/DALF used for recognizing French language ability. This said, however, the qualification is often seen as comprising four levels (from CILS Uno to CILS Quattro, B1 to C2 according to the European Framework) as the Italian required becomes more advanced. All examinations cover what are viewed as the most important elements in language acquisition: speaking, reading, written composition, analysis of structures of communication, and listening. CILS Uno The first (B1) of the more advanced levels requires the passing of a three-hour-long examination, testing an applicant's knowledge of

title: German Sign Language

text: Sign Language uses a "subject object verb" strategy. Thus, the two have very different grammars, though as the dominant language of the region, German has had some influence on German Sign Language. A signed system that follows German grammar, Signed German ("Lautsprachbegleitende Gebärden" or "Lautbegleitende Gebärden", "sound-accompanying signs"), is used in education. It is not used as a natural means of communication between deaf people. Another system of manually representing German is cued speech, known as "Phonembestimmes Manualsystem" (Phonemic Manual System). German Sign Language uses a one-handed manual alphabet ('Fingeralphabet' in German) derived from the French manual alphabet of the

title: German language

text: centuries were marked by mass education in Standard German in schools. Gradually, Low German came to be politically viewed as a mere dialect spoken by the uneducated. Today, Low Saxon can be divided in two groups: Low Saxon varieties with a reasonable Standard German influx and varieties of Standard German with a Low Saxon influence known as . Sometimes, Low Saxon and Low Franconian varieties are grouped together because both are unaffected by the High German consonant shift. However, the proportion of the population who can understand and speak it has decreased continuously since World War II. The largest cities

title: Chinese as a foreign language

text: students from the communist countries (in Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa) from the 1950s onwards. Foreign students were forced to leave the PRC during the Cultural Revolution. Taiwan has long been a place for students to study Mandarin. Popular choices for Westerners who want to study Chinese abroad include the Beijing Language and Culture University in Beijing, the Mandarin Training Center (MTC) and International Chinese Language Program (ICLP, formerly the Stanford Center) in Taiwan, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Many online courses in Standard Mandarin, Standard Cantonese and some other varieties are available through commercial, governmental and nonprofit

text: Certificate Examinations in Polish as a Foreign Language The Certificate Examinations in Polish as a Foreign Language (Polish: "Egzaminy Certyfikatowe z Języka Polskiego jako Obcego"), also referred as State Certificate Examinations in Polish as a Foreign Language (Polish: "Państwowe Egzaminy Certyfikatowe z Języka Polskiego jako Obcego"), are standardized tests of Polish language proficiency for non-native Polish speakers. The examinations are held by the State Commission for the Certification of Proficiency in Polish as a Foreign Language (Polish: "Państwowa Komisja Poświadczania Znajomości Języka Polskiego jako Obcego") starting from 2004 in Poland as well as in foreign countries. Candidates passing the examinations

title: German language newspapers of Oregon

text: Joseph's Blatt", and "Armen Seelen Freund" (the latter two being Catholic publications issuing from Mount Angel, both established in 1887). In all, there were nine German language papers published in Oregon between 1866-1904. "St. Joseph's Blatt" began in Portland, but soon moved to Mt. Angel, where it became the state's longest-running German language newspaper, lasting until the late 20th century. In 1917, the "Oregon Zeitung" was revived: a newly-established paper was published in English and German. The editor was condemned in the national press for what have been described as "bitter attacks" on U.S. president Woodrow Wilson in the run-up

title: German language

text: and Afrikaans was a co-official language of Namibia from 1984 until its independence from South Africa in 1990. At this point, the Namibian government perceived Afrikaans and German as symbols of apartheid and colonialism, and decided English would be the sole official language, claiming that it was a "neutral" language as there were virtually no English native speakers in Namibia at that time. German, Afrikaans and several indigenous languages became "national languages" by law, identifying them as elements of the cultural heritage of the nation and ensuring that the state acknowledged and supported their presence in the country. Today, German

title: English as a second or foreign language

text: native languages. The many acronyms and abbreviations used in the field of English teaching and learning may be confusing and the following technical definitions may have their currency contested upon various grounds. The precise usage, including the different use of the terms ESL and ESOL in different countries, is described below. These terms are most commonly used in relation to teaching and learning English as a second language, but they may also be used in relation to demographic information. English language teaching (ELT) is a widely used teacher-centered term, as in the English language teaching divisions of large publishing houses,

title: Pennsylvania German language

text: German speakers to understand. A word beginning in generally becomes (which is more easily pronounced), so that German > > and German > > . Likewise, German > > (as if it were English *"chite"). German > > (exactly as in American English "trick" but with an extra ). This shift is rather common with German children learning to speak. The softened after guttural consonants has mixed with the guttural of earlier generations and also turned into an American , so that German > > and German > > (spoken as *"trint" would be in American English). These changes in

title: German Venezuelans

text: a minority of its people speak the Colonia Tovar dialect, a German dialect said to be difficult to understand for native standard German speakers. Most of them have lost their language and culture over the years, keeping only some customs that have remained through programs to promote tourism in the region, considering it a differentiated area of Venezuela. The Germans that arrived to Colonia Agrícola de Turén and the first generation of descendants still keep the language as they hold church masses at Lutheran Church in Turén. German schools: Uslar, Müller, Leitner, Hacker, von Schuckmann, Kameka, Helmeyer, Groskopf, Hausmann, Adler,

title: German language

text: One of the largest communities consists of the speakers of "", a variety of Low German, concentrated in and around Wartburg. The small town of Kroondal in the North-West Province also has a mostly German-speaking population. The South African constitution identifies German as a "commonly used" language and the Pan South African Language Board is obligated to promote and ensure respect for it. The community is strong enough that several German International schools are supported such as the Deutsche Schule Pretoria. In the United States, the states of North Dakota and South Dakota are the only states where German is

title: First language

text: in India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Kenya, Malaysia, Singapore, and South Africa, where most people speak more than one language. The designation "native language," in its general usage, is thought to be imprecise and subject to various interpretations that are biased linguistically, especially with respect to bilingual children from ethnic minority groups. Many scholars have given definitions of 'native language' based on common usage, the emotional relation of the speaker towards the language, and even its dominance in relation to the environment. However, all of three criteria lack precision. For many children whose home language differs from the language of the

title: German language

text: sound shift involved a drastic change in the pronunciation of both voiced and voiceless stop consonants ("b", "d", "g", and "p", "t", "k", respectively). The primary effects of the shift were the following: While there is written evidence of the Old High German language in several Elder Futhark inscriptions from as early as the 6th century AD (such as the Pforzen buckle), the Old High German period is generally seen as beginning with the "Abrogans" (written c.765–775), a Latin-German glossary supplying over 3,000 OHG words with their Latin equivalents. Following the "Abrogans" the first coherent works written in OHG appear

title: Let's Speak English

text: provincial citizenship division, and the federal Department of Citizenship and Immigration. Peggy Nairn Liptrott produced the first four episodes, then Rena Elmer served as producer for the remainder of the series. English language concepts were communicated with sketches and mimicry, demonstrating language use in ordinary situations. This half-hour series was broadcast on three days per week, on Saturdays and Sundays at 12:00 p.m. and on Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m. between 7 October 1961 to 11 April 1962. The Wednesday episodes provided a review of material from the weekend episodes. Let's Speak English Let's Speak English was a Canadian language instruction

text: instability in some African countries has made it difficult to attract foreign teachers. There has been increasing government investment in education and a growing private sector. Additional English instruction takes place at levels of public and private schools. Beginning as early as 1759, English language teaching in India has been occurring for more than two hundred and fifty years. After Hindi, English is the most commonly spoken, written and read language of India, as it is used most commonly for inter-state and intrastate communication, acting as a ‘link’ language. In India, it is a very important language in some fields

title: German youth language

text: German youth language German youth language or youth communication is a term used to describe the linguistic patterns and characteristics used by various groups at different ages, time periods and locations. According to Helmut Glück (2005) the term is not strictly defined. Heinrich Löffler refers to Jugendsprache as a transitory non-standard language (“Lebensalter-Sprache”: “age-language”) specifically with attention to the time limitation of linguistic patterns in one’s life. In German and West European philology Jugendsprache is considered to be not only a non-standard language but a complex subform of the base language, and is specifically defined as the style of a

title: German language

text: translations of Latin originals; as a result, the surviving texts are written in highly disparate regional dialects and exhibit significant Latin influence, particularly in vocabulary. At this point monasteries, where most written works were produced, were dominated by Latin, and German saw only occasional use in official and ecclesiastical writing. The German language through the OHG period was still predominantly a spoken language, with a wide range of dialects and a much more extensive oral tradition than a written one. Having just emerged from the High German consonant shift, OHG was also a relatively new and volatile language still undergoing

title: German language

text: of the population of Europe in the Black Death of 1346–1353. Modern German begins with the Early New High German (ENHG) period, which the influential German philologist Wilhelm Scherer dates 1350–1650, terminating with the end of the Thirty Years' War. This period saw the further displacement of Latin by German as the primary language of courtly proceedings and, increasingly, of literature in the German states. While these states were still under the control of the Holy Roman Empire and far from any form of unification, the desire for a cohesive written language that would be understandable across the many German-speaking