Why So Little Competence after So Many Years of German? The Case of "German as Neighbor Language" in the Trento Province: Possibility or Problem?

In the Italian province of Trento the German language has traditionally been an important foreign language due to its German-speaking neighbors in bordering Austria. This is not only part of a consolidated historical and cultural tradition, but is also related to the economic power of the German speaking countries that were and still are the most important partners of the region in tourism and trade. Even so, the number of students choosing German as a foreign language in their curriculum, are growing less and less numerous. The fact that Spanish and English classes attract growing numbers of students is partly explained by a lack of competence after many years of studying German, which makes students change to another foreign language class. The present article is an inventory of competences in German among students of the Trento region through the results of a research conducted among 400 of them; a number that clearly explains the critical situation, since nearly half of those 400 are, after 8-13 years of studying German, unable to finish a test satisfactorily. The article is an examination of questionnaires, interviews and reports of verbal examinations to explain the phenomenon. O. van Zijl