ABSTRACT
Regular viewers of foreign news on German or Austrian television will probably have noticed that reporters in different countries have little difficulty finding German-speaking respondents. When speakers of languages other than German learn German as a foreign language, this has more far-reaching benefits for all German-speakers and German-speaking countries than just improving communication. With regard to international communication, it is expedient to make a distinction between people of the same/ different nationality and people of the same/ different native language. Lingua franca communication through German, which has become easier anyway through contemporary transport arrangements, no longer requires face-to-face contact. In addition to politeness, people also tend towards linguistic accommodation of their communication partners to achieve communication. Rules for social behaviour, including, for example, polite social interaction, often influence language choice.
