Germany is spoken as a main language in Germany, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. There are several cultural differences between Germany and England regarding education, food, and clothing. German is also spoken in parts of other countries. There are regional differences within Germany as well as various traditions and festivals. Famous German industries, people, buildings, and musicians are also discussed.

1. GERMANY

2. WHERE IS GERMAN SPOKEN?
 Germany
 Switzerland
As a main language
 Lichenstein
 Luxembourg
 Belgium
As a secondary/tertiary language
 Namibia

3. C U LT U R A L D I F F E R E N C E S
BETWEEN
GERMANY AND ENGLAND
EDUCATION
 In Germany, children don‟t have to start school until they are 6 years old. Up
until then, school (Kindergarten) is optional. However, in England, compulsory
school starts at 4 years old.
 At the end of „Grundschule‟, aged 11, the parents and teacher of the child meet
to discuss which school the child will attend from then on. They have four
options: Gymnasium (a school with an entrance exam for more able students),
Gesamptschule (a school, which, like the Gymnasium, does final exams, but
accepts anyone), Hauptschule (children leave school at 15/16 to start a
vocational training course or work) and Realschule (children gain a certificate
when they leave in year 10 and allows them to: have vocational training, work in
public service at secretarial and executive level, or continue to further their
education in school.)
 When children start school, they are given a Schultüte, a large cone full of sweets
and toys.

4. C U LT U R A L D I F F E R E N C E S
BETWEEN
GERMANY AND ENGLAND
FOOD
Many famous dishes have originated from Germany. For example;
 Bratwurst and currywurst. These are both traditional German sausage, but the latter
is covered with curry powder and spicy ketchup.
 Marzipan. A ground almond paste.
 Sauerkraut. Pickled, shredded cabbage.
 Spätzle. Home made noodles.
 Stollen. A cake usually eaten at Christmas that contains dried fruit and covered in a
thick layer of icing sugar.
 Pretzels. Bread shaped in a particular knot shape, normally with salt crystals mixed in.

5. C U LT U R A L D I F F E R E N C E S
BETWEEN
GERMANY AND ENGLAND
CLOTHING
 Lederhosen – these are leather breeches, worn by men. They can have suspenders
attached and are any length from short to knee-length.
 Dirndl – this dress consists of a bodice, blouse, knee-length to full-length skirt and an
apron. It originates from Southern Germany, mainly Bavaria, and was originally made
of plain and simple fabrics. It is only worn by women.
Lederhosen Dirndl

6. C U LT U R A L D I F F E R E N C E S
BETWEEN
D I F F E R E N T PA R T S O F G E R M A N Y
 Different states have a reputation for being more or less friendly than
others. (Namely the people South being more welcoming than those in
the North)
 Different states in Germany use language differently to one another;
all have different dialects and accents.
 The food in the North is mainly focused around fish; at least, they eat
more fish than anywhere else in Germany, due to the fact they‟re located
next to the North Sea. This is different to the food eaten in other states.
 The South is said to be more conservative than the North, which is
usually more liberal.

7. GERMAN TRADITIONS
CHRISTMAS
 Nikolaustag, 5th -6th December, is a night where children leave out their shoes by
the front door in order for Saint Nikolaus to fill them with chocolate, fruits and
nuts if the child has been good. However, if the child has misbehaved Knecht
Ruprecht leaves the child with sticks.
 Different parts of Germany believe in different gift-bearing visitors on
Christmas Eve. Some parts think it‟s Christkind, Christ child, others believe in
Weihnachtsmann, a figure quite similar in appearance to Santa Claus.
 The main Christmas meal is eaten on Christmas Eve in Germany, and many
people attend midnight mass that night.

8. WEIHNACHTSMANN AND
CHRISTKIND
Weihnachtsmann Christkind

9. GERMAN TRADITIONS
 Silvester, New Year‟s Eve. On this day, many people send cards to one another. This is
usually in lieu of Christmas cards. Also, people can buy marzipan pigs from a bakery. If
you find a pig with a penny in its mouth, it will bring you wealth over the coming year.
 Oster, Easter. There are many traditions in Germany that surround Easter. Firstly,
there is the Osterbaum, a tree that is decorated with painted eggs which are hung from its
branches. Secondly, chocolate eggs are brought by the Osterhase (the Easter Bunny), or
Osterfuchs (the Easter Fox). Less widely represented gift-bearers are the Easter Rooster (in
Saxony) and the Stork (in Thuringia). Also, cakes are made in the shape of lambs. These
cakes, or Gebackene Osterlamm, are usually made with a rich, creamy filling, or just made of
a bread-like dough. Bonfires are usually lit to celebrate Easter in most parts of Germany.

10. GERMAN TRADITIONS
 Birthdays – on a child‟s 16th birthday, their friends will pour flour over their
head. On their 18th birthday, eggs will usually be smashed on their head.
Geburtstagskränze may also be used instead of candles on a cake. These are
wooden rings which have 10-12 holes in which candles are placed: one for each
year of a child‟s life. A Lebenskerze is placed in the middle of the ring, a bigger
candle usually presented to the family at the child‟s Christening.
 Celebrating someone‟s birthday before the actual day is considered bad luck
in Germany, so no cards or presents should be given before the day.

11. WHAT ASPECT OF GERMAN CAN BE
F O U N D I N T H E E N G L I S H L A N G UA G E ?
 The English borrow many words from the German language, such as:
“fest”, “doppelganger”, “diesel”, “blitz”, “hamburger”, “poltergeist” and
“waltz”.
 Also, the German invasion of Britain in the 5th century has led to
many of the roots of English words being Germanic, as they are in
Germany. This would explain some of the similarities in our languages :
“hello” and “hallo”, “glass” and “glas” and “angel” and “engel”, for
example.

12. FAMOUS GERMAN PEOPLE
 Anne Frank, who wrote a diary surrounding her time in hiding from the Nazis
 Til Schweiger, a German actor from films such as “This Means War” and
“Inglorious Basterds”
 Claudia Schiffer, an actress and supermodel
 Albert Einstein, a world famous physicist
 Boris Becker, a tennis player
 Heidi Klum, an actress, supermodel and reality television star
 Pope Benedict XVI, the current Pope of the Catholic Church
 Levi Strauss, a fashion designer
 Albrecht Durer, a 13-14th Century painter

13. FAMOUS GERMAN
INDUSTRIES
 Birkenstock, a sandal company
 Hugo Boss, who make clothing, accessories and scents
 Mercedes Benz, Porsche, BMW and Audi, all car manufacturers
 Faber-Castell and Staedtler, who make art supplies
 Adidas, a sport clothing manufacturer
 Miele, a white goods company
 Sennheiser and Siemens, electrical goods manufacturers
 Haribo, a leading sweets producer
 Wella, a cosmetics supplier

14. 1. 4.
FAMOUS GERMAN
BUILDINGS
2. 1. The Brandenburg Gate, Berlin
5.
2. The Reichstag, the German Parliament building
3. BMW Group Building
4. The Fernsehturm, Berlin
5. Koln Catherdral, Cologne
3. 6. Neuchwanstein Castle, Schwangau 6.

15. FAMOUS GERMAN
MUSICIANS
 Lena Meyer-Landrut, who won The Eurovision Song Competition
in 2011 for Germany with her song “Satellite”
 Felix Mendelssohn, Richard Wagner, Ludwig Van Beethoven and
George Handel, all composers
 Cascada, who had hit singles in the UK such as “Evacuate the
Dancefloor” and “Every Time We Touch”
 Tokio Hotel, a rock band who won Best Interact in 2007 in the
MTV Europe Music awards