FRANKFURT, GERMANY (AP) _ A COURT IN SOUTHWESTERN HESSE STATE RULED ON TUESDAY THAT SCHOOLS COULD NOT TEACH THE NEW GRAMMATICAL RULES AND SPELLINGS OF THE DISPUTED ``REFORMED'' GERMAN LANGUAGE. THE RULING, WHICH COULD STILL BE CHALLENGED BY THE STATE'S MINISTRY OF CULTURE, IS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND SINCE OFFICIALS FIRST PROPOSED THE NEW RULES LAST YEAR.
AUTHORS, INTELLECTUALS AND LAWMAKERS HAVE FOUGHT AGAINST THE CHANGES TO THE GERMAN LANGUAGE AGREED TO LAST YEAR BY GERMAN, AUSTRIAN AND SWISS OFFICIALS. THEY ARE TO TAKE EFFECT IN SEPTEMBER 1998.
THE REFORM IS DESIGNED TO MODERNIZE SPELLING AND GRAMMAR. COMMA RULES WOULD BE CUT FROM 52 TO NINE, AND THE TIME-HONORED GERMAN LETTER FOR A DOUBLE ``S'' _ WHICH, LOOKS LIKE A FLOPPY CURSIVE B _ WOULD VANISH ENTIRELY.
HESSE BEGAN PHASING IN THE ``REFORMED'' LANGUAGE IN UPPER AND LOWER GRADES LAST YEAR, BUT THE COURT DECIDED THAT IT WAS UNFAIR AND MISLEADING TO TEACH CHILDREN A FORM OF THE LANGUAGE THAT IS NOT USED OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM.
29 JUL 97
