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Not 10 years, but yeah, German was completely reformed some 24 years ago. It is still pretty major as several countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland and other

Not 10 years, but yeah, German was completely reformed some 24 years ago. It is still pretty major as several countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland and others with german-speaking minorities) had to coordinate and consent. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_orthography_reform_of_1996 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_orthography_reform_of_1... I as a child started learning the old orthography in school, was taught the "new" one later on and had to use it and even the "new new" one (there was basically a version 2.1 minor update). To this day I am confused about how to correctly spell and write words, and I always end up mixing old/new orthography. The fact that almost all major newspapers refuse to fully adhere to the new orthography and use custom deviations every here and there does not exactly help. Lessons learned: It is a mess, don't do it.

ajmurmann 6y ago
I was in school during this time as well and before the reform had an entire grade point deducted from most exams because of my bad spelling. The new spelling immediately made sense to me and the issue went away. So much less learning of exceptions that made only historical sense. But then I'm also the kind of person who thinks we should embrace the positivist calendar and agree on a single language.
majewsky 6y ago
> even the "new new" one (there was basically a version 2.1 minor update) As far as I remember, the update to the update was only about allowing some old forms as valid alternates. Which I like very much. I'm mostly on board with the new style (partly based on upbringing, partly because it makes much more sense), but you'll never see me write "Portmonee".
imedadel 6y ago
I learned German in high school so I knew a bit about the reform. Compared to French, learning how to read German didn't take more than an hour. French is another one, however, the transition to the new orthography is still incomplete around the world. I think Frank lately enforced it at schools. Other examples include the Berber language in Morocco and Algeria. Most people ignore spelling reforms and just pick the spelling they like most. This is mostly because the standardization of Berber came after the introduction of the internet and the proliferation of informal spelling standards.

ajmurmann 6y ago

I was in school during this time as well and before the reform had an entire grade point deducted from most exams because of my bad spelling. The new spelling immediately made sense to me and the issue went away. So much less learning of exceptions that made only historical sense. But then I'm also the kind of person who thinks we should embrace the positivist calendar and agree on a single language.

majewsky 6y ago

> even the "new new" one (there was basically a version 2.1 minor update) As far as I remember, the update to the update was only about allowing some old forms as valid alternates. Which I like very much. I'm mostly on board with the new style (partly based on upbringing, partly because it makes much more sense), but you'll never see me write "Portmonee".

imedadel 6y ago

I learned German in high school so I knew a bit about the reform. Compared to French, learning how to read German didn't take more than an hour. French is another one, however, the transition to the new orthography is still incomplete around the world. I think Frank lately enforced it at schools. Other examples include the Berber language in Morocco and Algeria. Most people ignore spelling reforms and just pick the spelling they like most. This is mostly because the standardization of Berber came after the introduction of the internet and the proliferation of informal spelling standards.