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Article: Bonn Is Promoting Study Of German Language Abroad; Program Has Reached Tokyo, U.S. Cities
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- December 11, 1987
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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For centuries the German language has terrified even the most
conscientious of pupils. Mark Twain called it "awful."
Alarmed by that kind of thinking, the West German government is
promoting the study of the language around the world.
Already, the program run by the government-supported Goethe
Institute has reached Tokyo, Buenos Aires, Paris, Rome and some
cities in the United States. Early next year, the Goethe Institute
will open its doors in Beijing, the Chinese capital.
The campaign, begun three years ago, is intended to combat
notions that German is both hard to learn and little-spoken, Foreign
Ministry spokesmen say.
The number of foreign students learning German dropped from ...