New German law spells fiasco

Six years ago, a reform to make the complex language of Goethe and Schiller easier for everyone to comprehend was introduced. The so-called "neue Rechtschreibung" was to be made legally binding by August 2005. The new spelling sat uneasily with many journalists, publishers, authors and most of the public, but it seemed to be a foregone conclusion--until now.
With only a year to go before the final deadline, local politicians have unexpectedly returned the subject to the limelight, citing widespread confusion and growing resistance among the public. Concerns that were originally brushed aside by observers as populist have turned into a tidal wave of resistance.
The German government has publicly pledged its support for the reform, but the coalition of secretaries of education and culture from the different German states--the group that originally introduced it--is showing cracks. The Saarland region in the south west has postponed the deadline of 5th August 2005 indefinitely. A recent poll in Austria, which has also adopted the new rules, shows a majority of 62% against.
The biggest blow against the reform has been dealt by two of Germany’s largest media companies. Newspaper publishers Axel Springer and the leading political magazine Der Spiegel returned to the old spelling earlier this month. Thus they have joined ranks with the upmarket daily paper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, which has refused to adopt the new regime.
Meanwhile, Germany’s educational book publishers have voiced strong opposition to turning back the clock. The changes will only affect about 5% of German vocabulary, but still the costs of creating new editions are high. Textbook publisher Klett has put costs for editorial revisions alone at between € 25m (£17m) and € 45m (£30m), plus a double-digit figure for sorting out stock. Latest estimates for the whole textbook industry start at € 250m (£168m).
Trade publishers are approaching the matter pragmatically. Among the increasing number of those to leave the decision up to the authors are S Fischer, Suhrkamp and Kiepenheuer & Witsch.