Actions of Opponents
Some groups continue to work to repeal the reform, despite the transitional period having ended. In 2002, the Forschungsgruppe Deutsche Sprache (FDS) (German Language Research Group) was founded by the historian and author Reinhard Markner, with the support of some leading writers and intellectuals. In 2003, the Bavarian Minister of Culture, Hans Zehetmair, declared that the reform was a mistake, in his opinion. "Language is a dynamic process. It must grow and develop." Friedrich Denk, together with the journalist and author Hans Krieger, as well as several other critics of the reform, founded the "Rat für deutsche Rechtschreibung" (Council for German Spelling) on 22 August 2004.
Among politicians, Christian Wulff, then Minister-President of Lower Saxony, has also stated that Germany should go back to the traditional spelling. Peter Müller, the Minister-President of the Saarland said, "This spelling reform is a miscarriage, and it is not accepted by most people. Politicians have to accept this and have the power to remove this reform again completely." The Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union of Bavaria leaders Angela Merkel and Edmund Stoiber have also proposed repealing the reform.
The "German Academy for Language and Poetry" suggested a compromise proposal in 2003.
Read more about this topic: German Orthography Reform Of 1996
Famous quotes containing the words actions and/or opponents:
“Our actions seem to have their lucky and unlucky stars, to which a great part of that blame and that commendation is due which is given to the actions themselves.”
—François, Duc De La Rochefoucauld (1613–1680)
“The opposition is indispensable. A good statesman, like any other sensible human being, always learns more from his opponents than from his fervent supporters. For his supporters will push him to disaster unless his opponents show him where the dangers are. So if he is wise he will often pray to be delivered from his friends, because they will ruin him. But though it hurts, he ought also to pray never to be left without opponents; for they keep him on the path of reason and good sense.”
—Walter Lippmann (1889–1974)