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WHY LEARN
GERMAN?
In
Mark Twain's account of his European travels, A Tramp Abroad (1880), he
includes the following comment about what he terms "The Awful
German Language":
My philological
studies have satisfied me that a gifted person ought to
learn English in 30 hours, French in 30 days, and German
in 30 years. It seems manifest then, that the latter tongue
ought to be trimmed down and repaired. If it is to remain
as it is, it ought to be gently and reverently set aside
among the dead languages, for only the dead have time to
learn it.
Twain is dead wrong! Every
year over 100 Northwestern students disprove Twain's contention
by succesfully completing their second year of German language
instruction: they have the ability to converse with native
Germans, write letters or read short stories. And they do this
after a little over 200 hours in the classroom - 9.24 days
to be exact. Which also proves that it is easier to learn German
than it is to learn any other language ....
Those of you who like
languages and have decided to begin or continue the study
of German will most enjoy courses which equally emphasize
all four language skills (understanding, speaking, reading,
writing), such as First Year German (101)
and Second Year German (102).
Selected readings, documentaries, and authentic videos will
enrich your knowledge of the culture and people of German
speaking countries. Students who have fulfilled the language
requirement may want to sign up for one of the many courses
the German department offers on the third and fourth year
level, including Business
German, and culture and literature
courses.
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