Foreign language

A foreign language is a language that is not the mother tongue of a person. Such a foreign language is a person only through conscious learning - be it in school, language courses or self-taught - or playful than in the foreign language area living child.

Mastery of at least one foreign language is in professional life in many sectors of the economy now as a key qualification, eg in the hotel industry, commerce and in research.

Language learning in schools

In Germany

The most common foreign languages ​​taught in Germany at public schools are English, usually as a first foreign language, as well as Latin, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Danish and Dutch. Most students learn from the 5th grade English. Increasingly, an earlier start of teaching English is introduced: In elementary school, or even kindergarten children are first fun introduction to the first foreign language. In the 6/7 and 9th grade and then again in high school (grade 11), each one more language to be learned. For obtaining the baccalaureate a second foreign language is required. Specific rules depend on the type of school and the state. In the GDR was the acquisition of the Russian language in secondary schools from 5th grade duty from 7th grade was optional teaching is mostly in English or French.

In a survey, conducted by the IfD Allen Bach between 2006 and 2007, gave nearly half (45 %) of the 14 - year-old German, to speak or understand any foreign language.

In Switzerland

In the Swiss school system one of the three most widely spoken of the four national languages ​​is most often taught as a first foreign language, ie German or Italian for children with French mother tongue, German or French for children of Italian mother tongue and French or Italian for German -speaking children ( de facto for swiss German children who taught in the first grade high German already the first foreign language, see diglossia ). Romansh children often grow up bilingual already. Which foreign language is learned as the first, is decided by the various cantons. Furthermore, it is now learned English in almost all cantons, at least from the 7th grade.

In Luxembourg

In order to preserve the multilingual and multicultural identity of the country, foreign language teaching begins in the school system of Luxembourg in the first class. Up to the first language teaching in Luxembourgish ( Luxembourgish ) the lesson is taught entirely in German. From the second class occurs French added than already a second language. French solves German in secondary school (7th / 8th grade level) as the language from. The mother language teaching in Luxembourgish is optional from Grade 8, but the students choose English as the third compulsory foreign language. While there are in the Classical Lyceum and the opportunity to study Latin from Grade 8, but then English from the 9th grade must be learned as a fourth foreign language. In addition, the section A can be selected in upper secondary education and other languages ​​(such as Portuguese, Italian or Spanish ) are occupied.