Using German

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

This book, designed for students who have already developed a basic competence in German, aims to broaden and improve their vocabulary by providing detailed information on groups of German words with related meanings. It is invaluable as a guide to finding the right word for the context. In order to enhance understanding of the structure of the German vocabulary, groups of synonyms are organised under German (rather than English) headwords. All entries are accompanied by an example of usage and English glosses and there are two indexes allowing users quickly to locate words in German or English. The book takes full account of register variation, indicating the degree of formal or informal use, and reflects regional usage especially in Austria and Switzerland. It is an essential reference for intermediate and advanced students as well as teachers and other professional linguists seeking access to the finer nuances of the German language.

Publisher Description

The main purpose of this study is to demonstrate how new audiovisual media, such as YouTube, can be effectively combined with task-based teaching approaches for communicative language teaching at the advanced level. Based on an examination of prior research, this study generates a set of criteria which are essential to the development of task-based units that utilize authentic video material to increase students' cultural awareness and communicative skills. The proposed sample units serve as models for instructors to use the presented criteria for the creation of further language activities and units that will effectively incorporate new media and task-based teaching within an engaging, student-centered learning environment.

The world and trade worldwide face a progress in globalization which is, among other factors, caused by improvements in technology, the rising trend to multicultural departments and lower labor costs. In 2009, there were 82,000 transnational corporations worldwide, thus making the understanding of multiculturalism become more important than anything else. The goal of this paper is to give a short introduction to Trompenaars’ model of culture, explain the dimension “diffuse versus specific”, compare the German and American culture and to validate this model by these chosen aspects.

Co-published with the Waterloo Centre for German Studies For centuries, large numbers of German-speaking people have emigrated from settlements in Europe to other countries and continents. In German Diasporic Experiences: Identity, Migration, and Loss, more than forty international contributors describe and discuss aspects of the history, language, and culture of these migrant groups, individuals, and their descendants. Part I focuses on identity, with essays exploring the connections among language, politics, and the construction of histories—national, familial, and personal—in German-speaking diasporic communities around the world. Part II deals with migration, examining such issues as German migrants in postwar Britain, German refugees and forced migration, and the immigrant as a fictional character, among others. Part III examines the idea of loss in diasporic experience with essays on nationalization, language change or loss, and the reshaping of cultural identity. Essays are revised versions of papers presented at an international conference held at the University of Waterloo in August 2006, organized by the Waterloo Centre for German Studies, and reflect the multidisciplinarity and the global perspective of this field of study.

This textbook provides a comprehensive and thematically structured vocabulary for students of German. Designed for all but the very beginning levels of undergraduate study, it offers a broad range of vocabulary, and is divided into 20 manageable units dealing with the physical, social, cultural, economic, and political world. The word lists are graded into three levels that reflect difficulty and likely usefulness, and are accompanied by extensive exercises and activities, designed to reinforce work done with the lists, and to increase students' competence in using the vocabulary. Suitable for both classroom teaching and private study, the exercises also make use of authentic German texts, enabling students to work with the vocabulary in context. Clearly organized and accessible, Using German Vocabulary is designed to meet the needs of a variety of courses at multiple stages of any undergraduate programme.