The German Spelling Reform

Essay from the year 2012 in the subject German Studies - Linguistics, University of Birmingham, course: BA Modern Languages, language: English, abstract: The German spelling reform, implemented in 1996, was meant to improve certain aspects of the German language in order to make the rules clearer and the language as a whole easier to learn. However, the agreement also wanted to minimise complication for native speakers who were used to the original rules. Already the 20th century had seen several attempts to adjust German orthography; therefore it was obviously a significant problem. The original orthographic rules were unclear and subject to much variation. In spite of this necessity, were the changes themselves worth the subsequent trouble? Firstly, the scharfes s {ß} character’s usage was minimized: it now appears only after a long vowel or diphthong. Secondly, the reform aimed to clarify the rules regarding the capitalisation of nouns, which is a feature unique to German. They were suggestions of abolition, but at the fear of significant opposition “...reformers were obliged to opt for the less controversial strategy of harmonising the existing rules...” (2005: 67). Thirdly the former tendency to omit a consonant where a compound word would result in a triple consonant was rejected in favour of writing out all three subsequent consonants: Schiffahrt became Schifffahrt. Fourthly, the spelling of certain compound verb phrases has been altered. Phrases consisting of a verb and a) another verb, b) a noun, c) an adjective or d) an adverb which can stand alone as an adjective. Kennenzulernen is now the form of the original kennen zu lernen, for example.

Essay from the year 2012 in the subject German Studies - Linguistics, University of Birmingham, course: BA Modern Languages, language: English, abstract: The German spelling reform, implemented in 1996, was meant to improve certain aspects of the German language in order to make the rules clearer and the language as a whole easier to learn. However, the agreement also wanted to minimise complication for native speakers who were used to the original rules. Already the 20th century had seen several attempts to adjust German orthography; therefore it was obviously a significant problem. The original orthographic rules were unclear and subject to much variation. In spite of this necessity, were the changes themselves worth the subsequent trouble? Firstly, the scharfes s {ss} character's usage was minimized: it now appears only after a long vowel or diphthong. Secondly, the reform aimed to clarify the rules regarding the capitalisation of nouns, which is a feature unique to German. They were suggestions of abolition, but at the fear of significant opposition ..".reformers were obliged to opt for the less controversial strategy of harmonising the existing rules..." (2005: 67). Thirdly the former tendency to omit a consonant where a compound word would result in a triple consonant was rejected in favour of writing out all three subsequent consonants: Schiffahrt became Schifffahrt. Fourthly, the spelling of certain compound verb phrases has been altered. Phrases consisting of a verb and a) another verb, b) a noun, c) an adjective or d) an adverb which can stand alone as an adjective. Kennenzulernen is now the form of the original kennen zu lernen, for example."

"In this book Sally Johnson explores the linguistic, cultural and political issues underpinning the constitutional challenge brought by various individuals and groups against the reform. Drawing on sociolinguistic theories of language ideology, Johnson critically analyses the conflicting views of language that were produced, reproduced and challenged in the course of this dispute. At the same time her book attempts to situate those ideologies, together with the dispute as a whole, within the wider historical context of state involvement in the standardisation of German orthography from the mid-19th century onwards." "Spelling Trouble? will be of interest to speakers and students of German as well as sociolinguists studying language politics, language planning and language ideology."--BOOK JACKET.

This clear and accessible text provides a complete introduction to basic linguistic terms and descriptions of language structures. The German Language Today describes in detail the main liguistic features of the language and the wide variety of speech forms and vocabulary existing within the German-speaking community. It also introduces sociolinguistic and linguistic topics as they relate to the German language, and illustrates them widely with examples. The German Language Today describes the sounds, inflectional processes, syntactic structures, competing forms and different layers of words in the language. Topics covered include: The distribution of German and its dialects The linguistic consequences of German reunification The application of modern linguistic concepts to German, incorporating the findings of the latest German linguistic research. The book has been written with the specific needs of students in mind. It will be invaluable to students of modern German linguistics or modern German society and will be a useful reference resource for postgraduates and teachers of German.

This is an extensively revised and updated edition of the acclaimed Using German.