GERMAN

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LANGUAGE FACTS

Major Speaking Countries (MSCs): Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Lichtenstein

Native Speakers: 121 million people

Second Language Spekaers: 80 million people

State in MSCs: 

Germany 

• The only official language

Austria

• The only official language

Lichtenstein

• The only official language

Written Forms:

Latin alphabet

German in Hong Kong: about 300 native speakers

 

 

USAGE

"I always speak German with my wife at home."

• Professor Grüenewald taught German courses as a teaching assistant at a university in the US.

• He also taught part-time summer German courses at the Chineses University of Hong Kong.

• He mostly speaks English in his working environment.

 

 

ATTITUDE

"Of course I like German. Well, it is the language with the broadest expressions and vocabularies. It is my mother tongue."

• According to his teaching experience, quite a lot of students find German difficult to learn.

 

"I think the Hongkongers' attitudes towards German is neutral, not very positive nor negative."

• He thinks that not many Hong Kong people are deeply interested in the German language.

 

"I would teach my children German if I had children."

• He is not worried about the prominent status of German in his own country.

 

 

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