German Spelling Debate Reignites

"I would rather decline two drinks than one German verb," Mark Twain famously wrote in his essay The Awful German Language. But Germans don't need an American to tell them that their language is difficult -- they know it themselves.

And they're working on it. Several years ago, amid much controversy, Germany (and Switzerland and Austria) decided to tackle the problem. In 1998, after decades of failed attempts, a committee pushed through a raft of changes known as the Rechtschreibreform (spelling reform.)

The new rules were first applied in a transition phase, but are slated to become mandatory on August 1, 2005. The changes aim to iron out some of the quirks in the language, and include various spelling changes such as using "ss" instead of the "ß" character. They also thin out the hundreds of complex rules regarding the use of commas.

'Unnecessary as gout'

But what started out as a simple effort to make life easier for the masses seems to have turned into a political hot potato. The premiers of five German states -- all of them members of the conservative opposition -- have gone on record in recent weeks saying they want the government to reconsider the reforms. Common complaints: the new rules are confusing, and people aren't putting them into practice.

Along with the politicians, several well known German writers, including Nobel Prize winner Günther Grass and poet and essayist Hans Magnus Enzensberger have come out against the reform. Swiss author Adolf Muschg told the Bild-Zeitung newspaper: "The spelling reform must be stopped immediately. It is as unnecessary as gout, has brought no improvement, and instead made people more uncertain."

The German government has stuck to its guns, however, saying the reforms will go through as planned. Thomas Steg, deputy spokesman for the government, told the dpa press agency that it would be "nonsense" to revisit the issue now. After years of debate, "now the decisions that have been made should be put into effect consistently," he said, and added: "The reaction of certain of the (state) premiers seems strange to me."

For the most part, publishers, schools, and civil servants have long since adapted to the new system. Some 90 percent of new books are published using the reformed spelling rules.

Felizitas Liemersdorf, the principal of an elementary school in Cologne, said it would be "nonsense" for the reforms to be rescinded now.

She admitted that the reforms were problematic from the get-go, saying they were "neither logical nor far reaching enough." However, like educators throughout the country, Liemersdorf had no choice other than make sure the new rules were being applied in the classroom.

High cost of change

"The first problem is, they weren't mandatory for everyone. Just take a look at our good old FAZ!" she said, referring to the leading German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, which continues to publish under the old style.

But nonetheless, to go back to the old ways after six years would be "absurd," Liemersdorf said.

"Can you imagine the cost? There would be a huge outcry. We already replaced books -- readers, worksheets, dictionaries, reference books. All the new books for classrooms are in the new style."

Too many critics to ignore

To date, just one member of the federal government -- Culture Minister Christina Weiss -- has spoken out in favor of reviewing the reform issue. In a conversation with the FAZ, Weiss said it makes sense to give the rules another look before they become final.

She called the new rules "confusing and nonsensical," and noted that "there are too many critics to just ignore them."

"Until the transition phase is over, on July 31, 2005, we still have the chance to think about the new rules. I see a chance to clarify problematic issues," Weiss told the FAZ -- the same newspaper that refuses to adopt the new spelling.

Weiss suggests throwing the issue in the lap of the KMK, or Kultusministerkonferenz -- the group in charge of education policy on issues that go beyond state. And indeed, because a conservative committee member has requested it, the issue will stand on the agenda when the group next meets, in October.

Debate a 'senseless waste'?

Noting that the group just voted unanimously in favor of the reforms in June, KMK President Doris Ahnen told the ddp news agency she finds it "somewhat strange" that one of her colleagues requested bringing the topic back to life.

Moreover, she said, she doesn't believe anything will change, even after another debate. "Most of the ministers in the committee are still in favor of the reforms, and are in favor of making them mandatory next August," she stressed.

A representative of the German Journalists' Association (DJV) told news agencies that his group is in favor of keeping the reform. Rescinding it at this point would be "a senseless waste of money," DJV Chairman Michael Konken said.

Konken said the whole debate should go back to where it came from: the "sommerloch" -- the big summer news hole that German politicians know is always good for press in the slow season.