Although national and EU policies and recommendations encourage varied language learning, English has ruled as the most studied foreign language, while other languages are decreasingly being studied in basic and upper secondary education in Finland. The purpose of this paper is to examine the implications of this development in practice.…

In Finland, German ranks third among foreign languages taught, and is declining. To encourage its study, one should avoid using long and uninteresting textbooks. As examples of good texts, W. Biermann's "Soldatenlied" and "Kleinstadtsonntag" are suggested. These portray facets of postwar Germany. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)