Why study German

Ever wanted to watch and understand Inspector Rex on SBS without reading the subtitles? Perhaps you are planning a visit to Germany to communicate with the locals, sample the beer, or take a leisurely cruise down the Rhine, viewing castles and beautiful scenery while sipping German wine. Ja! Ja! No matter what your interest, you can enjoy learning German at the UNSW Institute of Languages under the guidance of experienced teachers and in a supportive and friendly class atmosphere.

One of the world’s major languages, Modern German is West Germanic in origin and is related to and classified alongside both English and Dutch. Worldwide, the German language is spoken by approximately 100 million native speakers and by an estimated 80 million non-native speakers.

Through history the German language has been subject to a number of changes. Its main eras are called Old High German (Althochdeutsch, AHD), Middle High German (Mittelhochdeutsch, MHD), and New High German (Neuhochdeutsch, NHD). Old High German was spoken until the 10th or 11th century. Middle High German was the language of the minstrels, travelling musicians who wanted their songs to be understood in more than one region.

There was little necessity for a common German language, however, since laws and administrative and judicial documents were written in Latin. In the 13th and 14th centuries, and in particular under the rule of Emperor Ludwig the Bavarian (1314–1347), German became used in law and administration. However, it wasn’t until Johannes Gutenberg's (1400–1468) invention of printing with movable type and Martin Luther's (1483–1546) translation of the Bible that German became more widely used. By changing it from the stilted vocabulary of lawyers to the more colloquial jargon of the ordinary people, Luther carefully crafted the language into one that could be understood throughout Germany.

We integrate active communication skills with the grammatical structure of the language. Students develop proficiency in the language by using it in realistic situations and enjoyable activities. Awareness of cross-cultural communication is also addressed as this is an important factor in language learning.

Areas of study:

• Introductions, greetings, leave-taking etc
• Giving personal details such as address, phone/fax number, occupation
• Small talk, weather, health etc
• Basic telephone skills, ordering food and drinks
• Catching a taxi and using public transport
• Asking for and understanding directions
• Prices, quantification, booking a hotel
• Inviting guests home, dates, months etc
• General knowledge of common practices and customs
• The etiquette of social and formal functions
• Cross-cultural awareness skills