English In The German Speaking World

A collection of studies on the role of English in German-speaking countries, covering a broad range of topics.

English has a considerable history in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and present-day English has a significant influence on the vocabulary of modern German. Examining the ongoing influence of English on German in these countries, Raymond Hickey leads a team of authors to explore a wide range of topics, such as the history of English teaching in Germany, the type of English spoken in German-speaking countries today, and the role of English in German society. Borrowings from English in present-day German, as well as the use of English in public places, is also discussed, as is the use of English by non-Germans living in Germany, and the situation of Germany as a country with English as a foreign language. Comparisons with other European countries are also analysed, and a consideration of the German-English interface in places as far apart as the United States and Namibia, is also presented.

This accessible textbook offers students the opportunity to explore for themselves a wide range of sociolinguistic issues relating to the German language and its role in societies around the world. It is written for undergraduate students who have a sound practical knowledge of German but who have little or no knowledge of linguistics or sociolinguistics. It combines text with practical exercises and discussion questions to stimulate readers to think for themselves and to tackle specific problems. In Part One Patrick Stevenson invites readers to investigate and reflect on issues about the status and function of the German language in relation to its speakers and to speakers of other languages with which it comes into contact. In Part Two the focus shifts to the forms and functions of individual features of the language. This involves, for example, identifying features of regional speech forms, analysing similarities and differences between written and spoken German, or looking at the 'social meaning' underlying different forms of address. Part Three explores the relationship between the German language and the nature of 'Germanness'. It concentrates on people's attitudes towards the language, the ways in which it is changing, and their views on what it represents for them.

The Position of the German Language in the World focuses on the global position of German and the factors which work towards sustaining its use and utility for international communication. From the perspective of the global language constellation, the detailed data analysis of this substantial research project depicts German as an example of a second-rank language. The book also provides a model for analysis and description of international languages other than English. It offers a framework for strengthening the position of languages such as Arabic, Chinese, French, Portuguese, Spanish and others and for countering exaggerated claims about the global monopoly position of English. This comprehensive handbook of the state of the German language in the world was originally published in 2015 by Walter de Gruyter in German and has been critically acclaimed. Suitable for scholars and researchers of the German language, the handbook shows in detail how intricately and thoroughly German and other second-rank languages are tied up with a great number of societies and how these statistics support or weaken the languages’ functions and maintenance.

The relationship between literature and religion in German is unique in the European tradition. It is essential to the definition of German, Austrian and Swiss cultural identity in both the Protestant and Catholic traditions, and is crucial to our understanding of what has been called the 'special path' of German intellectual life. Offering in-depth essays by leading scholars, Literature and Religion in the German-Speaking World analyses this relationship from the beginnings of vernacular literature in German, via the Reformation, early-modern and Enlightenment periods, to the present day. It shows how such fundamental concepts as 'subjectivity', 'identity' and 'modernity' itself arise from the interrelation between religious and secular modes of understanding, and how this interrelation is inseparable from its expression in literature.

Seminar paper from the year 2005 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: Gut, University of Graz, course: The Globalisation of English, Language Attitudes and Language Contact, language: English, abstract: This paper deals with the topic of English as a lingua franca as well as the past and current status of German as a language of science. One issue which is discussed throughout this paper is English as a global language. The questions that arise regarding this topic are: Why did English become so important in the last century? Why do we speak of English as a global language? How could English reach such widespread acceptance? What are dangers of a global language and could anything stop globalisation? In this paper many facets of English will be presented and discussed. The second important topic this paper covers is the decline of German as an international language of science. German used to be an important language of science in the 19thcentury until World War I. But what happened at that point and why did German lose its international character? Which circumstances are responsible for the decline of German? What is the present status of German in science and what are the future perspectives? All these questions and assumptions will be discussed in the following term paper and the closing remarks will summarise the findings.

This volume consists of six essays on interrelated themes, focusing on key aspects of language reflection during the period 1500-1800, with particular emphasis on the seventeenth century. German speakers are seen attempting to discover and define the nature of adjacent languages, whilst also shaping and demarcating the identity and image of their native tongue. The first essay outlines and illustrates what European linguists believed, in an age before the advent of comparative philology, about the historical-genetic position of German within the circle of Classical and modern European languages. Three further essays explore the surprisingly rich diversity of approach and method in earlier foreign-word purism, the puristic use of lexis and metaphor (with special reference to gender-specific imagery), and prominent reaction to the intrusive foreign word in German military usage. The last two essays span a wide range of attitudes and reaction to the French language among German speakers, and early German perceptions of that marginal (and in the popular view excessively contaminated) language, English. The work makes frequent reference to contemporary views of other languages, including Hebrew, Greek Latin, Italian and Spanish. Documented with much new material from about 300 original sources, these essays bring to light the ideas aired by many hitherto neglected personalities, whilst also deepening our understanding of better-known figures and their work.

Annotation. This collection of specially commissioned essays focuses on the forms, functions, and uses of contemporary German in the period of dynamic change following reunification. Some contributors address broad issueslanguage and national identity, the status of German as an international language, language change and attempts to fix the form of the language, and sociolinguistic variationwhile others examine topics of particular significance in the current sociopolitical climate. These include social change and linguistic variation in Berlin after the Wall, the political language of the Rightand Left, the speech of youth subcultures, language and gender, language and television, and language in intercultural communication. Reviews of the hardback edition ̀This volume fills a void in up-to-date English-language information on German linguistics. Highly recommended for all college and university collections, as well as public libraries.' Choice, 33: 3, November 1995 ̀The appearance of this collection is timely. . .it updates us on important, immediate issues affecting German language and society' ̀. . .while this work will be appreciated most by those focusing on sociolinguistics in the German-speaking context, those searching for comparative sociolinguistic material will find it a valuable source as well.' ̀All in all, Stevenson has organized an interesting and useful volume for Germanophile sociolinguists and for those interested in a multidimensional real German.' Language Learning, 46:1, March 1996.