Untitled

  • rss
  • archive
  • By degrees: The different German dialects

    German is one of the most popular languages in the world. In fact, the Guinness Book of World Records has listed the German language as one of the three languages that are learned the most by people. It is also included in the ten most spoken languages in the world. In the European Union it is the second most known foreign language.German is also one of the agreed upon official languages of the EU and is also chosen, along with English and French, as one of the three working languages used in the European Commission.

    German is also considered as a pluricentric language much like English and French. With the wide scope of usage for this language, it would be quite expected to think that a person who knows German would be able to go to any part of Germany and be expected to communicate effortlessly. Unfortunately, this is quite far from the truth. In reality, the German language has many dialects that are spoken in a large part of the country (and even in other countries).

    The German dialects are not mutually intelligible to each other. This means that people who only know the different German dialects and not the common German language will not be able to understand each other.

    How did the dialects evolve into this? Each dialect has evolved to contain typical words that are not considered as cognates of the words used in standard German this makes it quite difficult to understand in areas where the dialect is not spoken or an area where a different dialect is used.

    There is a so-called dialect continuum in countries where German is spoken. During normal situations the dialect that is used by a neighbouring region is understood quite well even if it is also distinctly different from the dialect that is used in the adjacent region.

    The so called Low German dialects that are used in the Northern part of Germany are considered mutually intelligible but it still remains not understood in other parts of the country. Of the other remaining dialects, the German dialects used in Switzerland, Southern Bavaria, Austria, and the West Bank of the Rhine are notoriously known for being very hard to understand outside the regions in which these dialects are used. On the other hand, the so called Central and Eastern German dialects are seen to be more understandable in other parts of the country.

    Low Germanic dialects are those dialects that were not affected by the High German consonant shift. The Low Germanic dialect is comprised of two subgroups – Low Franconian and Low German.

    The High Germanic dialects are broken down into Central German and Upper German subgroups. The Central German dialects include Ripuarian, Moselle Franconian, Hessian, Thuringian, South Franconian, Lorraine Franconian and Upper Saxon. Upper German dialects include Alemannic, Swabian, East Franconian, Alsatian and Austro-Bavarian. The Upper German dialects are also used in certain parts of the Alsace, as well as in southern Germany, Liechtenstein, Austria, and in certain parts of Switzerland and Italy where German is spoken.

    • 9 months ago
    • #german dialect
  • McGill Mba Program

    Located in the central part of Montreal, Quebec, McGill University is considered as one of the best institutions in Canada. The university has been recognized by various organizations over the years. It has been one of the top 25 Canadian universities around the globe according to Times Higher Education Supplement. It also ranked number one in the medical doctoral category of McLean’s 2005 Canadian University Rankings.

    The McGill’s University Faculty of Management has a diversified community and maintains international standards. It is the university’s priority to develop superior research programs guided by competitive and experienced professors. The school’s curriculum are structured in a way that it encourages students to study critical thinking in handling present business customs around the globe. With students coming from different countries, global business issues are the main subjects of its curriculum. McGill’s University has hundreds of students from all over the country. Its faculty comprises of professors from different backgrounds as well. This environment enables students to learn business in a global perspective.

    The McGill MBA Program (find out more about what does mba stand for is composed of two-thirds international faculty members from top schools. Around more than half of the population of its students came from different countries across the globe. The gender ratio of the university is about 70% male students while the female comprises the other 30%. There are five key features that differentiate McGill MBA programs from other MBA programs. The university has an integrated approach, innovative curriculum, balanced teaching, flexible curriculum and collaborative teamwork.

    The integrated approach is designed in order to train students to make efficient decisions on different disciplines. The innovative curriculum promotes a good relationship between teachers and students which results to better understanding of each course. The balanced teaching enables students to have a broad understanding of the course by incorporating case studies, exercises, group work, lectures, role playing and discussions in the curriculum. The flexible curriculum, on the other hand, allows an exchange program as well as a summer school abroad to help students in their personal career goals. And lastly, the collaborative teamwork teaches students that cooperation and mutual aid are the key factors to success. This creates a healthy competition among students and emphasizes the importance of teamwork and interdependence. Through this, network of students and different contacts are created within the school grounds and extends for a longer business and personal relationships among students, even after college. This can be depicted in the strong affiliation of the school among its alumni that supports the faculty even after the graduation.

    The McGill University’s MBA program gives students the skills to address complicated multi-disciplinary decisions. It also allows students to adapt to the ever- changing situations in the industry. Strong business fundamental foundations enable students to study at the university as effective as they could possibly be.

    A combined degree is available where in McGill MBA program ties up with the McGill University’s Faculty of Law. This can be completed in a span of four and a half years and the Faculty of Medicine can also be completed in a span of five years.

    • 9 months ago
    • #canada mba
© 2012–2013 Untitled