I can of course write in German about this topic, but it would take much longer time and my thoughts would be interrupted by all the vocabulary and grammar questions over and over again. So it is easier to put it in English still, at least for now. I am hoping that I can write in German very soon, within this year, much faster, so do my speaking in German.
Well, why do people learn another language other than their mother tongue? There are many reasons. But I believe for most people it is because they are required to do so, in school for example. Other than that, one usually has a strong motivation to learn a second or even a third foreign language well. I like language learning, but not EVERY language. I only like learning the languages that I feel I have a connection with.
It is very strange to say, I think I am more connected to German than to Taiwanese (Southern Min), not to mention those Austronesian languages which I came across in graduate school. I am not ethnically Austronesian nor am I interested in what their culture is about. However, I am curious about so many things in German speaking culture. First comes my favourite musician/composer, J.S. Bach, and come other numerous great composers like Beethoven, Mozart, Wagner, etc. all from Germany or German speaking countries. On the other hand, I have been very fascinated about western arts, history and civilization since my teens. German played one of the important roles in the development of western civilization for sure, for which it had Martin Luther, Goether, Schiller and many others. Apart from that, there are just too many historical buildings, churches, castles or houses, in German that one can visit. Even though those cobblestone pavements have had my luggage damaged and are very high-heels unfriendly, I still insist we cannot do without them on the earth (or at least in Europe). I can still list many other reasons that I feel like learning German. But I think what mentioned above are more than enough. :p
Well, back in my high school I wanted to learn French more and never thought about German. But somehow, perhaps because there were too many people signing up for French at the time, I decided to take German instead. And that was why I became totally overwhelmed by German and German culture, through the lecture from my German teachers (they are Germans) and my previous contact with Germans and the short stay in Hamburg. Now German is still the No. 1 second foreign language that I would like to be able to speak fluently, even before Japanese, which I think is much more useful in Asia than German. And on the contrary, I don't know why, I just have no interest at all in learning Spanish, though it is such an important and practical language in today's world.
To be honest, speaking good German is not very helpful in finding a good job in Taiwan. If one insists in finding a job in which German can be used, they may have to wait for quite a while until a good one is available, or perhaps never. Many people I know that can speak very good German in Taiwan ended up doing a job in which totally NO German would be used. What a shame. However, learning German is what I love, so I have a strong motivation to improve my German in all aspects. And this is the only goal I have set for myself in this year. Just set all those worries aside and focus on my learning!
Viel Spaß beim Deutschlernen und viel Glück vielleicht? Ich brauche doch viel Glück!
Well, why do people learn another language other than their mother tongue? There are many reasons. But I believe for most people it is because they are required to do so, in school for example. Other than that, one usually has a strong motivation to learn a second or even a third foreign language well. I like language learning, but not EVERY language. I only like learning the languages that I feel I have a connection with.
It is very strange to say, I think I am more connected to German than to Taiwanese (Southern Min), not to mention those Austronesian languages which I came across in graduate school. I am not ethnically Austronesian nor am I interested in what their culture is about. However, I am curious about so many things in German speaking culture. First comes my favourite musician/composer, J.S. Bach, and come other numerous great composers like Beethoven, Mozart, Wagner, etc. all from Germany or German speaking countries. On the other hand, I have been very fascinated about western arts, history and civilization since my teens. German played one of the important roles in the development of western civilization for sure, for which it had Martin Luther, Goether, Schiller and many others. Apart from that, there are just too many historical buildings, churches, castles or houses, in German that one can visit. Even though those cobblestone pavements have had my luggage damaged and are very high-heels unfriendly, I still insist we cannot do without them on the earth (or at least in Europe). I can still list many other reasons that I feel like learning German. But I think what mentioned above are more than enough. :p
Well, back in my high school I wanted to learn French more and never thought about German. But somehow, perhaps because there were too many people signing up for French at the time, I decided to take German instead. And that was why I became totally overwhelmed by German and German culture, through the lecture from my German teachers (they are Germans) and my previous contact with Germans and the short stay in Hamburg. Now German is still the No. 1 second foreign language that I would like to be able to speak fluently, even before Japanese, which I think is much more useful in Asia than German. And on the contrary, I don't know why, I just have no interest at all in learning Spanish, though it is such an important and practical language in today's world.
To be honest, speaking good German is not very helpful in finding a good job in Taiwan. If one insists in finding a job in which German can be used, they may have to wait for quite a while until a good one is available, or perhaps never. Many people I know that can speak very good German in Taiwan ended up doing a job in which totally NO German would be used. What a shame. However, learning German is what I love, so I have a strong motivation to improve my German in all aspects. And this is the only goal I have set for myself in this year. Just set all those worries aside and focus on my learning!
Viel Spaß beim Deutschlernen und viel Glück vielleicht? Ich brauche doch viel Glück!
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