New Rules and Reforms
about German Spelling
Have you noticed, when leafing through a brand new German book, that some words may not be spelled the way you
remember them? About fifteen years ago, most German-speaking countries agreed to initiate a program of German
Spelling Reform, which was planned to phase in over several years.
Often the changes will be barely noticeable. The distinctly German "ß" appears less often, replaced by a double
S under certain conditions. Compound words composed of double verbs or a noun and a verb are now often separated
into two or more words. It is no longer considered proper to capitalize "du" and "dir," as opposed to the more
formal "Sie" and "Ihnen." Many words imported from other languages have been changed to conform to German spelling
rules.
In German, Spelling Reform is called Rechtschreibreform, and there's no doubt it was intended to change the
language forever. Its designers' goal was to straighten out many centuries-old spelling and grammar inconsistencies
that had arisen between one German-speaking country and another. Many of these inconsistencies amounted to a sort
of border dispute; Switzerland's spelling is a bit different from Austria's, tending to replace the scharfes S or
Eszett (ß) with a double S. Austria, on the other hand, clung to the traditional use of the distinctively German
character.
The differences of opinion raised by the German Spelling Reform movement were not easily resolved. As often
happens in such situations, the resulting compromise wasn't completely satisfactory to either traditionalists or
reformers. Reformers had hoped to simplify the rules governing the use of the Eszett, but unfortunately that didn't
happen; the new rules were no more consistent than the old ones had been. Early reformers wanted to eliminate the
capitalization of nouns, but that did not pass in the end. Yet in 1996, Germany, Switzerland, Austria,
Lichtenstein, and several other countries signed the agreement. By the 2004-2005 school year, all schools would be
teaching the new spelling, and government agencies would adopt German Spelling Reform for all official
documentation.
It's one thing to pass a resolution to standardize spelling in education and government; it's another to get the
average person in the street to go along with it. The new spelling is being used in schools and government offices,
but few other people have warmed to German spelling reform. It's too soon to fully assess the effect the German
Spelling Reform will have on the German language; for now, students of German should simply be aware that
discrepancies exist, and understand why.
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