Languages of Germany
| Languages of Germany | |
|---|---|
| Official languages | German (95%) |
| Regional languages | Low Rhenish; Limburgish; Luxembourgish; Alemannic; Bavarian; Danish; Upper Sorbian, Lower Sorbian; North Frisian, Saterland Frisian; Romani, Low German |
| Main immigrant languages |
Turkish, Arabic, Russian, Polish, Serbo-Croatian, Dutch, Greek, Spanish; and others see also:immigration to Germany |
| Main foreign languages |
English (56%) French (15%) Russian (5%) |
| Sign languages | German Sign Language |
| Common keyboard layouts |
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| Source | ebs_243_en.pdf (europa.eu) |
| This article is part of a series on the |
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The official language of Germany is Standard German, with over 95 percent of the country speaking Standard German or German dialects as their first language.[1] This figure includes speakers of Northern Low Saxon, a recognised minority or regional language that is not considered separately from Standard German in statistics. Recognised minority languages have official status as well, usually in their respective regions.
Minority languages
Recognised minority languages:[2][1]
- Upper Sorbian and Lower Sorbian (0.09%)
- Romani (0.08%)
- Danish (0.06%)
- North Frisian (0.01%) and Saterland Frisian
Immigrant languages
Immigrant languages spoken by sizable communities of first and second-generation (dominant origin of the speakers in brackets):
- Turkish (southern Europe and Western Asia) c. 1.8%[1]
- Kurdish (Western Asia)
- Russian (eastern Europe and Northern Asia)
- Arabic (Western Asia and North Africa)
- Greek (southern Europe)
- Dutch (Western Europe and southern Africa)
- Igbo (Nigeria, West Africa)
- Polish (central Europe)
- Serbo-Croatian (Western Balkans, southern Europe)
- Italian (southern Europe)
Second languages
Most Germans learn English as their first foreign language at school. Sometimes French or Latin are taught first, but usually English is, with French and Latin as common second or third foreign languages. Russian, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Dutch, classical Greek, and other languages are also offered in schools, often depending on the school's geographic location.
The recognition of English as an official language is frequently discussed in the German public.[3] According to a representative 2013 survey carried out by the English research firm YouGov, 59 percent of all Germans would welcome the establishment of English as an official language in the whole European Union.[4]
References
- 1 2 3 "BBC - Languages across Europe". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
- ↑ National Minorities in Germany. BMI. 2010. p. 44..
- ↑ English should become an administration language in Germany (German), Die Welt, Essay by Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, 15 December 2014
- ↑ "Umfrage: Mehrheit der Deutschen für Englisch als zweite Amtssprache". Yougov.de. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
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