The official language of Germany is Standard German, with over 95 percent of the country speaking Standard German or German dialects as their first language. This figure includes speakers of Northern Low Saxon, a recognized minority or regional language that is not considered separately from Standard German in statistics. Recognized minority languages have official status as well, usually in their respective regions.
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Minority languages
Recognised minority languages:
- Upper Sorbian and Lower Sorbian (0.09%)
- Romani (0.08%)
- Danish (0.06%)
- North Frisian (0.01%) and Saterland Frisian
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Immigrant languages
Immigrant languages spoken by sizable communities of first and second-generation (dominant origin of the speakers in brackets):
- Turkish (southern Europe and Western Asia) c. 1.8%
- Kurdish (Western Asia) c. 0.3%
- Tamil (South Asia and Southeast Asia)
- Russian (eastern Europe and Northern Asia)
- Arabic (Western Asia and North Africa)
- Greek (southern Europe)
- Dutch (Western Europe)
- Igbo (Nigeria, West Africa)
- Polish (central Europe)
- Serbo-Croatian (Western Balkans, southern Europe)
- Italian (southern Europe)
Second languages
Most Germans learn English as their first foreign language at school. Sometimes French or Latin are taught first, but usually English is, with French and Latin as common second or third foreign languages. Russian, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Dutch, classical Greek, and other languages are also offered in schools, often depending on the school's geographic location.
The recognition of English as an official language is frequently discussed in the German public. According to a representative 2013 survey carried out by the English research firm YouGov, 59 percent of all Germans would welcome the establishment of English as an official language in the whole European Union.
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