1. German 2955/6: Language and Society in the German-Speaking World Perceptions of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ German Dr Kristine Horner k.horner@leeds.ac.uk Dr Kristine Horner k.horner@leeds.ac.uk

2. Introduction ‘Es gibt aber eine Pflicht, gutes Deutsch zu schreiben. Anständig zu reden und zu schreiben ist eine Sache auch der Moral. [...] Häßliches Deutsch ist ein Schlag ins Gesicht des lieben Nächsten, also unmoralisch.’ (Gleiss 1981: 9, cited in Davies and Langer 2006: 52)  Discuss the use of evaluative terminology in this excerpt. Do you agree? Why/why not? ‘Es gibt aber eine Pflicht, gutes Deutsch zu schreiben. Anständig zu reden und zu schreiben ist eine Sache auch der Moral. [...] Häßliches Deutsch ist ein Schlag ins Gesicht des lieben Nächsten, also unmoralisch.’ (Gleiss 1981: 9, cited in Davies and Langer 2006: 52)  Discuss the use of evaluative terminology in this excerpt. Do you agree? Why/why not?

3. Overview of session 1. Linguistics and the real world 2. Lay linguistics and language ideologies 3. Standardization and prescriptivism 4. Zwiebelfisch and die große Bastian Sick Schau 1. Linguistics and the real world 2. Lay linguistics and language ideologies 3. Standardization and prescriptivism 4. Zwiebelfisch and die große Bastian Sick Schau

4. 1. Linguistics and the real world Linguists and laypersons

5. Linguistics and the real world / Spoken language changes over time / Differences between written and spoken language: a continuum / Spoken language is inherently variable  BUT people are often evaluated due to the ways that they speak and write / Spoken language changes over time / Differences between written and spoken language: a continuum / Spoken language is inherently variable  BUT people are often evaluated due to the ways that they speak and write

6. Linguistics and the real world / Grammaticality and communicative effectiveness are different things / All languages/varieties are equal in linguistic terms  BUT languages/varieties are not always viewed as equal due to social dynamics / Grammaticality and communicative effectiveness are different things / All languages/varieties are equal in linguistic terms  BUT languages/varieties are not always viewed as equal due to social dynamics

7. Linguistics and the real world: levels of linguistic variation / Phonology (sounds) / Lexicon/semantics (words/meanings) / Morphosyntax (structure) http://www6.dw-world.de/de/dialekt.php  Stereotyping linked to language? / Phonology (sounds) / Lexicon/semantics (words/meanings) / Morphosyntax (structure) http://www6.dw-world.de/de/dialekt.php  Stereotyping linked to language?

8. 2. Lay linguistics and language ideologies What language ought to be like?

9. Lay perceptions of linguistic variation ‘Social groups within the same speech community may react differently to changes that are occurring, in terms of their attitudes and choices of variants.’ (Deumert and Mesthrie 2000: 115) ‘Social groups within the same speech community may react differently to changes that are occurring, in terms of their attitudes and choices of variants.’ (Deumert and Mesthrie 2000: 115)

10. Standard language ideology ‘A spoken standardized language can only be understood as an abstraction. But it is a useful abstraction, one constructed and reconstructed on an ongoing basis with great care and attention, because it serves a number of functions.’ (Lippi-Green 1997: 53)

11. Standard language ideology ‘an idealized nation-state has one perfect, homogenous language’ (Lippi-Green 1997: 65)  Cooperation or resistance?  Benefits and consequences? ‘an idealized nation-state has one perfect, homogenous language’ (Lippi-Green 1997: 65)  Cooperation or resistance?  Benefits and consequences?

12. 3. Standardization and prescriptivism Fixing language?

13. Stages of standardization (Haugen 1966) / Selection / Codification / Implementation / Elaboration  Standardization as a sociopolitical process / Selection / Codification / Implementation / Elaboration  Standardization as a sociopolitical process

14. Prescriptivism ‘Prescriptivism, the dominant ideology in language education, holds that changes in language norms occur to the detriment of the language, and are a result of sloppiness, laziness and lack of attention to logic. There is thus a need for a more scholarly understanding of the processes of change and their social contexts.’ (Deumert and Mesthrie 2000: 115)

15. Making judgments: right or wrong? ‘there is an important difference between what is possible in a language regardless of context (described by rules) and what is considered appropriate in a given context (described by conventions or norms).’ (Stevenson 1997: 98)

16. Making judgments: right or wrong? / How did your informants rate the statements in Stevenson (1997: 99-100) when asked to evaluate them? / Were the informants in general agreement? / How would you account for disagreement? / What implications might this disagreement have for learners of German? / How did your informants rate the statements in Stevenson (1997: 99-100) when asked to evaluate them? / Were the informants in general agreement? / How would you account for disagreement? / What implications might this disagreement have for learners of German?

17. 4. Zwiebelfisch und die große Bastian Sick Schau Commodifying prescriptivism

18. Bastian Sick products / http://www.amazon.de http://www.amazon.de / http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=a49tL5dnaoI http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=a49tL5dnaoI  Now consider evaluations made in the excerpt from the book Der Dativ ist dem Genitiv sein Tod and the clip from the Bastian Sick show. / http://www.amazon.de http://www.amazon.de / http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=a49tL5dnaoI http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=a49tL5dnaoI  Now consider evaluations made in the excerpt from the book Der Dativ ist dem Genitiv sein Tod and the clip from the Bastian Sick show.

19. Summing up Discuss the popular appeal of Bastian Sick’s Zwiebelfisch,with reference to the standard language ideology and the linguistic facts of life as described by Lippi-Green (1997).

20. References Davies, Winifred V. and Nils Langer. 2006. The Making of Bad Language: Lay Linguistic Stigmatisations in German: Past and Present. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang. Haugen, Einar. 1966. ‘Dialect, language, nation.’ American Anthropologist 68: 922-935. Lippi-Green. Rosina. 1997. English with an Accent: Language, Ideology, and Discrimination in the United States. London: Routledge. Mesthrie, Rajend, Joan Swann, Andrea Deumert and William L. Leap (eds.). Introducing Sociolinguistics. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Stevenson, Patrick. 1997. The German-Speaking World: A Practical Introduction to Sociolinguistic Issues. London: Routledge. Davies, Winifred V. and Nils Langer. 2006. The Making of Bad Language: Lay Linguistic Stigmatisations in German: Past and Present. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang. Haugen, Einar. 1966. ‘Dialect, language, nation.’ American Anthropologist 68: 922-935. Lippi-Green. Rosina. 1997. English with an Accent: Language, Ideology, and Discrimination in the United States. London: Routledge. Mesthrie, Rajend, Joan Swann, Andrea Deumert and William L. Leap (eds.). Introducing Sociolinguistics. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Stevenson, Patrick. 1997. The German-Speaking World: A Practical Introduction to Sociolinguistic Issues. London: Routledge.