Languages in Germany

Germany is a country located in the Western Central part of Europe. Germany enjoys the status of being the world’s third largest economy. The people in Germany speak a variety of languages. Each state, each province has its different dialect and also often, they are completely different from each other.

The official language of Germany is of course Germany itself and over 95% of the people living in Germany use it as their first language. Other popularly spoken languages are Sorbian, North Frisian, Danish, Romani, Kurdish and Turkish.

Some details about the languages spoken in Germany:

• The German language as spoken today is a mix of various dialects, culled from central, southern and northern districts. The Germans often speak the standard language with the accent that is typical of his native district. 
  
  
• The Danish language is mostly spoken in the Northern parts of the Germany. Though spoken mainly in Denmark, it is also the tongue of many people living in Schleswig Holstein. Also, it is one of the official languages of the European Union.
  
  
• The North Frisian language, spoken by the minority in North Frisia, has two dialectical divisions - the dialect of the mainland and the dialect of the insular districts.
  
  
• More than two million Turkish-speaking people live in Germany. The language originates in Turkey and had been carried to Germany by the immigrants.
  
  
• Kurdish language is an Iranian language and belongs to a place called Kurdistan. There are only a few people in Germany who speak this language.
  
  
• The Sorbian language is the native language of the Sorbs. There are again two varieties of Sorbian language: the Upper Sorbian and the Lower Sorbian. The people in Saxony mostly speak the Upper Sorbian.
  
  
• Romani is often referred to as the language of the Gypsies and consequently the speakers of this language widespread and stateless. There are a very few people in Germany belonging to this tribe who use this language

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Religion in Germany

Religion and its practice form an imporant part of the German Constitution. According to the Constitution of Germany, freedom of faith and religion is guaranteed to every individual. Discrimination based on difference of religious opinion is prohibited by the Constitution.

Germany’s main religion is Christianity, dominated by the two strands of Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.

Roman Catholicism came into Germany through the work of St Boniface. It made a lot of converts and, aided by the Knights of the Teutonic Order, spread rapidly in the twelfth and thirteenth century.

In 1517, Martin Luther protested papal authority and brought about a revolution in the Church by his proclamations. Thus Protestantism came into the world under the leadership of Martin Luther and became the second major religion in Germany.

In the present time, about 68 per cent of the population of Germany is Christian, with the population of Roman Catholics and Protestants evenly divided.

There are several large and small Christian sects in Germany also. There are some hundred thousand Orthodox Christians who are mostly Serb and Greek immigrants. Almost four lakh of New Apostolic Christians form part of the Christian population of Germany. Besides these, there are smaller Christian sects also.

Germany also has a minority population of Muslims who form the largest minority religious group in the country. There is a 3.2 per cent minority population of Muslims in Germany, according to the US Department of State’s report of 2006.

Following Islam in Germany are the minority religious communities of Buddhism and Judaism, each with 0.25 per cent of followers. Germany’s Jewish population is the third largest among that of the European countries. The population of minority Jews and Muslims is mostly concentrated in the big cities of Germany like Berlin.

An interesting fact about religion in Germany is that of the seven Bahá'í Houses of Worship existing in the world, Germany is home to one of these Houses of Worship. Germany’s only Bahá'í House of Worship is at the foothills of the Taunus Mountains in the village of Langenhain near Frankfurt.

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The German economy

The German economy--the fifth-largest in the world in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms and Europe's largest--is a leading exporter of machinery, vehicles, chemicals, and household equipment and benefits from a highly skilled labor force. Like its Western European neighbors, Germany faces significant demographic challenges to sustained long-term growth. Low fertility rates and declining net immigration are increasing pressure on the country's social welfare system and have compelled the government to undertake structural reforms. The modernization and integration of the eastern German economy--where unemployment can exceed 20% in some municipalities--continues to be a costly long-term process, with total transfers from west to east amounting to roughly $3 trillion so far. GDP contracted by nearly 5% in 2009, which was the steepest dropoff in output since World War II. The turnaround has been swift: Germany’s export-dependent economy is expected to grow by 3.5% in 2010 and a further 2% in 2011, with exports to emerging markets playing an increasingly important role. The German labor market also showed a strong performance in 2010, with the unemployment rate dropping to 7.5%, its lowest level in 17 years. Economists attribute the decrease in unemployment to the extensive use of government-sponsored "short-time" (Kurzarbeit) work programs, as well as to structural reforms implemented under the government of former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. Thanks to stronger-than-expected tax revenues, Germany’s deficit will reach €50 billion (U.S. $68.5 billion) in 2010, or roughly 4% of GDP, significantly less than previously forecast. The European Union (EU) has given Germany until 2013 to get its consolidated budget deficit below 3% of GDP, and a new constitutional amendment limits the federal government to structural deficits of no more than 0.35% of GDP per annum as of 2016. The government’s 4-year fiscal consolidation program worth approximately €80 billion (U.S. $109.6 billion) is intended to meet both targets. Positive economic trends make it likely that Germany may achieve its goals ahead of schedule. GDP (2009 nom.): $3.339 trillion. Annual growth rate: (2010 est.) 3.5%; (2009) -4.7%; (2008) 1.7%. Per capita GDP (2009 nom.): $44,525. Inflation rate (September 2010): 1.3%. Unemployment rate (October 2010): 7.5%. Agriculture (0.9% of GDP in 2010): Products--corn, wheat, potatoes, sugar, beets, barley, hops, viticulture, forestry, fisheries. Industry (26.8% of GDP in 2010): Types--car-making; mechanical, electrical, and precision engineering; chemicals; environmental technology; optics; medical technology; biotech and genetic engineering; nanotechnology; aerospace; logistics. Trade (2009): Exports--$1.124 trillion: chemicals, motor vehicles, iron and steel products, manufactured goods, electrical products. Major markets (2009)--France, Netherlands, U.S. Imports--$937 billion: food, petroleum products, manufactured goods, electrical products, motor vehicles, apparel. Major suppliers--Netherlands, China, France.

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Climate and Weather in Germany

The weather in Germany is not as stable and predictable as it is in southern Africa. Low and high pressure systems change much quicker, due to the fact that Germany is influenced by dry continental air masses from Eastern Europe and by maritime air masses from the Atlantic. This, generally, leads to a moderate climate with good rains throughout the year. Extreme temperature lows and highs are rare. The weather varies from year to year, so rainy summers can be followed by spectacular sunshine in the next year.

Spring

April - May. In April, the weather is most unpredictable in Germany. It can be sunny and warm or rainy, windy and cold. Even hail or snowshowers are possible, especially at the higher elevations. "April, April, der macht, was er will!" goes the saying. May is usually a beautiful month as plantlife starts again and the country turns green. The days get longer and you can smell spring in the air. It can be a rather mild and warm month with little precipitation. People swing onto their bicycles and enjoy the singing of the birds and the awakening of nature.

Summer

June - September. Precipitation in Germany peaks in the summer months. Humidity levels can be high and there is always a chance of an afternoon thunderstorm, especially during July and August. Summer temperatures usually range between 22 and 30°C. Prolonged heat waves with temperatures up to 35°C are rare. It is - usually - warmer in southern Germany. The particularly pleasant climate in the Rhine and Moselle regions allows for successful cultivation of vine.

Autumn

October - November. In October, weather can still be sunny and warm. People are sitting in the beer gardens and street cafés, enjoying the "Altweibersommer" (Indian summer). In November, however, the scene changes. Days are getting noticeably shorter, and even in the midday hours the distinction between sky and land becomes difficult. It usually is misty, foggy and cool, uniformly grey - a time to appreciate a cozy home and start engaging in pre-Christmas crafts and light some candles.

Winter

December - March. Winters are rather mild with daytime temperatures averaging between 0 and 5°C. However, temperatures can fall far below zero, especially at night. It is - usually - colder in eastern and southern Germany and warmer in the North and in the Rhine regions. Snowfall normally occurs in December, January and February. The amount of snowfall is influenced mainly by altitude. Apart from the Alpine regions, the Bavarian Forest receives the most snow.

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History Of Germany

Germany as a region

Although less clearly defined by geography than the other natural territories of western Europe (such as Italy, the Spanish peninsula, France or Britain), the area broadly identified as Germany has clear boundaries on three sides - the Baltic to the north, the Rhine to the west, the Alps or the Danube to the south. Only to the east is there no natural border (a fact which has caused much strife and confusion in European history). 

The region becomes associated with the name Germany in the 1st century BC, when the conquest of Gaul makes the Romans aware for the first time that there is an ethnic and linguistic distinction between the Celts (or Gauls) and their aggressive neighbours, the Germans. 

 

Celts, Germans and Romans: 2nd - 1st century BC

The Celts themselves, in earlier centuries, have moved westwards from Germany, crossing the Rhine into France and pushing ahead of them the previous neolithic inhabitants of these regions. More recently the Celts have been subjected to the same westward pressure from various Germanic tribes. The intruders are identified as a group by their closely related languages, defined as the Germanic or Teutonic subdivision of Indo-European language. 

From the 2nd century BC the Germans exert increasing pressure on the Roman empire. The reign of Augustus Caesar sees a trial of strength between the empire and the tribes, leading to an uneasy balance of power. 

 

 The region in which Augustus makes the most effort to extend the empire is beyond the Alps into Germany. By 14 BC the German tribes are subdued up to the Danube. In the next five years Roman legions push forward to the Elbe. But this further border proves impossible to hold. In AD 9 Arminius, a German chieftain of great military skill, destroys three Roman legions in the Teutoburg Forest. 

The Romans pull back (though they return briefly to avenge what seems a shameful defeat). The conclusion, bequeathed by Augustus to his successors, is that the Roman empire has some natural boundaries; to the north these are the Rhine and the Danube. 

 

German and Roman Europe: from the 5th century AD

The Germanic tribes continue to raid, often deep into the empire. But their base remains north of the Rhine and Danube until the 5th century - when the Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Vandals, Burgundians and Franks move in vast migrations through Italy, France and Spain. 

Their presence becomes part of the history of these regions. France and Spain - prosperous and stable parts of the Roman empire - have becomes almost as Romanized as Italy itself. Culturally they are strong enough to absorb their new Germanic masters, as is revealed by the boundary line of Europe's languages. French, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian are known as the Romance languages because they share a Roman, or Latin, origin. 

 

Northern Europe, by contrast, speaks Germanic languages. Scandinavia does so because it is the region from which the German tribes migrate southwards. Britain does so because tribes invading from the 5th century (Angles and Saxons) are able to dominate a culture less fully Romanized than Gaul. And Germany, with the Netherlands, does so because here the tribes are relatively unaffected by Roman influence - secure in a region which Tacitus describes as 'covered either by bristling forests or by foul swamps'. 

By the same token the tribes in the German heartland are backward. For the first few centuries of the post-Roman era they are no match for the more sophisticated Franks, who have established themselves in Gaul.

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