There seems to be quite a few odd statements being made about Germany.
![[Image: huh.gif]](https://rooshvforum.network/images/smilies/huh.gif)
Unless you're talking about university students, this is not true. Despite the general (educated) population having a good grasp of it, English is still a bit of a pain in the ass for many. If you're in Germany, you're typically expected to speak the language, longterm. An exception is sometimes made for Anglophones, for some reason I can't explain.
Germans generally don't 'dislike' their language either. Sure they may not be extremely proud of it, and that ties in generally with an overall distaste for nationalism, but I've never known anyone to discourage someone from learning the language.
A multitude of dialects is not particular to Germany, and if you're learning a language for the first time, regional dialects will always be a bit difficult to understand. It's true that you seem to have less variety among the major dialects of English, but unless they're speaking Bavarian, Swiss-German, Plattdeutsch or they're from some bumfuck town in the middle of nowhere, you should be able to communicate.
They'll probably know you're a foreigner because you have an accent, not because you're speaking Hochdeutsch.
People switch to their native dialect because that's what they're more comfortable with, so they'll talk that way amongst eachother, while speaking Hochdeutsch to strangers. They're not doing it because they're conspiring to "keep you out of the loop". Sometimes, they're just not used to talking in standard German. This is especially the case with old folks.
No one wants to discourage you from learning the language. Again, sometimes students will speak more English with certain foreigners, especially if you're an Anglophone and have a strong English-sounding accent. Asians will sometimes be spoken to in English because they're more easily mistaken for tourists, but outside of university campuses and tourist centers, there are plenty of people are simply not comfortable with English, and they'll make no hesitation to use German with you.
I'm not entirely sure what you mean by 'language manipulations' and a 'range of variations'. Can you give any examples?
Quote:Quote:
Germans generally dislike their own language and couldn't imagine why a foreigner would bother learning it, particularly an Englishman/American
Unless you're talking about university students, this is not true. Despite the general (educated) population having a good grasp of it, English is still a bit of a pain in the ass for many. If you're in Germany, you're typically expected to speak the language, longterm. An exception is sometimes made for Anglophones, for some reason I can't explain.
Germans generally don't 'dislike' their language either. Sure they may not be extremely proud of it, and that ties in generally with an overall distaste for nationalism, but I've never known anyone to discourage someone from learning the language.
Quote:Quote:
The other problem with German is it isn't just one language. Most people from the German-speaking world speak dialects, some highly divergent from the standard language.
A multitude of dialects is not particular to Germany, and if you're learning a language for the first time, regional dialects will always be a bit difficult to understand. It's true that you seem to have less variety among the major dialects of English, but unless they're speaking Bavarian, Swiss-German, Plattdeutsch or they're from some bumfuck town in the middle of nowhere, you should be able to communicate.
Quote:Quote:
The net result is you can speak perfect hochdeutsch and they will automatically know you are a foreigner.
They'll probably know you're a foreigner because you have an accent, not because you're speaking Hochdeutsch.
Quote:Quote:
If they want to keep you out of the loop, they just switch to their native dialect.
People switch to their native dialect because that's what they're more comfortable with, so they'll talk that way amongst eachother, while speaking Hochdeutsch to strangers. They're not doing it because they're conspiring to "keep you out of the loop". Sometimes, they're just not used to talking in standard German. This is especially the case with old folks.
Quote:Quote:
Like you say, they don't want you to learn the language. Its a strange place...
No one wants to discourage you from learning the language. Again, sometimes students will speak more English with certain foreigners, especially if you're an Anglophone and have a strong English-sounding accent. Asians will sometimes be spoken to in English because they're more easily mistaken for tourists, but outside of university campuses and tourist centers, there are plenty of people are simply not comfortable with English, and they'll make no hesitation to use German with you.
Quote:Quote:
They also use a lot of language manipulations so they do not want the foreigner to be able to do the same or rule over the conversations.It is complicated language.They never want to use the same expressions and have a range of variations.
I'm not entirely sure what you mean by 'language manipulations' and a 'range of variations'. Can you give any examples?