German Linguistics Commons^™

“Since When Is Steve Urkel White?” – Vocal Blackface In The German Dubbing Landscape, Patrick Ploschnitzki

Studies in 20th & 21st Century Literature

Dubbed (i.e., lip-synchronized audiovisual translation of) movies and television are ubiquitous in German-speaking countries and often consumed without active reflection of their production. Due to this inattention, the domestication / replacement of cultural references in US media translated into German often goes unnoticed. Translational decision-making becomes highly problematic, however, when entire cultures are replaced or disregarded as a result. In 2004, applied linguist Robin Queen demonstrated that Black actors were dubbed by white voice actors with German dialects and sociolects traditionally read as “blue collar.” There has not been any follow-up research to her crucial contribution that remains topical: the …

An Application Of Skopos Theory To German Literary Translation, Craig Nolan Vandemark

Linguistics Senior Research Projects

This project translated the German short story “Ein neues Paradies” by Hans Dominik using skopos theory in order to observe how the theory interacted with the text and to critique its application to literary translation. The skopos theory states that all translation decisions are to be made with respect to the skopos, or purpose, of the target text, intentionally deprioritizing faithfulness to the source text in the translation process. The skopos of the target text of this project was to produce a modern American English translation of the source text, that provides the reader with an understanding of the source …

Greenpeace In Germany And The U.S.: A Case Study In Non-Profit Web Design, Maximilian J. Weirauch

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis draws on Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimensions model, connects it to basic principles of web design, and applies it to a website analysis of the global non-profit organization Greenpeace. This case study of cultural dimensions in web design utilizes Hofstede’s framework from 1974 throughout all its chapters and focuses on the cultural differences between Germany and the U.S. My hypothesis that successful marketing materials such as websites must communicate differently with their U.S.-American and German audiences is partially borne out. But it is important to note that Hofstede’s cultural dimensions model cannot fully account for certain intercultural dimensions of …

Studentinnen, Student*Innen, Or Student_Innen: How Six German Universities Are Constructing Gender Equitable Language And Increasing Female Linguistic And Visual Representation, Julia Goncalves

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Texte Im Spiegel Der Zeit: Die Methode Der Wirklichkeitsmontage In Alexander Kluges Dezember, Ann-Kathrin Latter

German Journal Sprache Literatur Kultur

Wie spiegelt die Literatur das Phänomen der Zeit wieder? Auf welche Weise gelingt es den Erzählungen, Zeit einzufangen und einen Hauch von Realität wiederzugeben? Mit diesen Fragen beschäftigt sich das vorliegende Paper. Es untersucht die speziellen Begebenheiten und Affordances der deutschen Gegenwartsliteratur und betrachtet ins Besondere die Methode der Wirklichkeitsmontage. Untersucht wird dabei Alexander Kluges Kurzgeschichtensammlung Dezember, die in Zusammenarbeit mit Gerhard Richter entstanden ist und Erzählungen aus verschiedensten Jahrhunderten enthält.

Editorial, Carina Staudte, Miglena Nikolova

German Journal Sprache Literatur Kultur

No abstract provided.

Language Transfer Between English And German: A Phonetics-Based Study Of Interactions Between Speakers' Native And Second-Language Vowel Systems, Emelia Bensonmeyer

Scripps Senior Theses

The present study addresses language contact processes in which the phonetic systems of the languages that bilinguals speak interact. Specifically, language transfer with respect to English and German was examined, focusing on native German speakers (L1) who learned English as a second language (L2). It employed as its central method an analysis of their vowel systems, both language-specifically and cross-linguistically. Extralinguistic variables were also considered, ranging from speakers’ age of acquisition (AOA) of English to their length of residence in an English-speaking environment to their consideration of home. Results indicated statistically significant differences between speakers’ production of /ɪ/ and /ʊ/ …

Gewalt Und Gedächtnis: Gerhard Richters 18. Oktober 1977 Und Die Westdeutschen Massenmedien, Matthew Mcdevitt

Senior Theses and Projects

In 1988, Gerhard Richter completed 18. Oktober 1977, the controversial fifteen-painting cycle that details the history and memory of the Red Army Faction (RAF), the homegrown left-extremist group that terrorized the Federal Republic of Germany from 1970 until 1977, carrying out a campaign of bank robberies, bombings, and kidnappings in support of its armed struggle against contemporary capitalism and the perceived threat of reemergent fascism in postwar West Germany. Richter appropriates found media and police photographs to cast the RAF and the events of the “German Autumn,” the period of intense and escalating confrontations between the RAF and the …

Nicht Der Rede Wert? Zur Vielfalt Der Deutschen Sprache Im Fach Deutsch Als Fremdsprache, Naomi Shafer

German Journal Sprache Literatur Kultur

Deutsch ist offizielle Amtssprache mehrerer europäischer Länder und Regionen. Doch selbstredend sprechen im amtlich deutschsprachigen Raum nicht alle Menschen genau gleich. Sprachliche Vielfalt findet sich aber nicht nur auf der Ebene von Dialekt und Regiolekt. Varietäten und Varianten zeigt sich auch in der mündlichen und schriftlichen Standardsprache – also in derjenigen Sprachform, um die es im Deutschunterricht ja üblicherweise geht.

Wie lässt sich die Diversität des Standard- bzw. Hochdeutschen im DACH-Raum linguistisch beschreiben und erklären? Hört man, ob jemand aus Deutschland, Österreich oder aus der Deutschschweiz kommt – auch dann, wenn der/die Sprecher/in auf einem schriftlichen Text basiert und …

Editorial, Miglena Nikolova, Veronika Roth, Carina Staudte

German Journal Sprache Literatur Kultur

No abstract provided.

Thematic And Narratological Affinities In George Eliot’S Felix Holt And Theodor Fontane’S Frau Jenny Treibel, Monica Felix

German Journal Sprache Literatur Kultur

This article investigates affinities in George Eliot’s “Felix Holt: the Radical” and Theodor Fontane’s “Frau Jenny Treibel.” Both texts present suggestive narratological and thematic affinities in how the 19th-century female identity is articulated within the socio-political framework of society novels. This analysis interrogates the boundaries of a ‘sentimental education’ to uncover deeper layers distinguishing Bildung from Herzensbildung, thereby placing greater emphasis on women’s romantic education in the public performance of identity.

“[T]here is no private life which has not been determined by a wider public life... ”

-George Eliot, Felix Holt: The Radical

“Männer männlich, Weiber weiblich.”

-Theodor Fontane, …

Aspekte Der Psychoanalyse Und Der Subjektivität In Judith Hermanns Erzählung ‘Sonja’, Martha Christine SüSs

German Journal Sprache Literatur Kultur

Der vorliegende Artikel untersucht zwei Frauenfiguren aus der Erzählung ‘Sonja’ der Autorin Judith Hermann, die über ihr Sprechen Einblicke in die Verfasstheit ihres sprachanalog organisierten Unbewussten ermöglichen. Dabei deutet das volle Sprechen der Figur Verena auf eine erfolgreiche Subjektwerdung; das Sprechen der Figur Sonja hingegen auf eine erfolglose, die die Figur jedoch mehrmals mithilfe des namenlosen Ich-Erzählers nachzuholen versucht. Diese Versuche bleiben insgesamt erfolglos und Sonja verschwindet aus dem Leben des Erzählers, der für sie nicht mehr nutzbringend ist. Mithilfe der Arbeiten des Psychoanalytikers Jaques Lacan und des Ethnologen Claude Lévi-Strauss arbeitet der Artikel heraus, dass die Verwendung von Sprache …

Structuring Peer Review Activities For Beginning Learners Of German As A Second Or Foreign Language, Miglena Nikolova

German Journal Sprache Literatur Kultur

The present paper offers a complete framework for effective implementation of peer review into beginning German language courses. The framework is informed by insights gained from research literature addressing the use of peer review and feedback provided by the students who were engaged in the peer review activities. The suggestions made in this paper have implications for materials development and would allow language instructors to make informed pedagogical decisions.

Maidens In Maizes: Johnson, Grimms, D'Aulnoy, Hannah M. Johnson

Senior Projects Spring 2019

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Languages and Literature of Bard College. A German Studies and Written Arts joint project, with a collection of original fairy tales as well as an in-depth analysis of female agency, female mutilation, religious influence, and language within the fairy tales of Grimms and Madame d'Aulnoy.

An Assessment Of Emotional-Force And Cultural Sensitivity The Usage Of English Swearwords By L1 German Speakers, Sarah Dawn Cooper

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This study examines the usage of English swearwords by L1 German speakers and poses the following three questions: (1) Which English swearwords do native-speakers of German use? (2) In which situations do German speakers use English swearwords? Why do they use English swearwords instead of their German counterparts? (3) What emotional weight do they apply to swearwords in English (i.e. How taboo are they)? In an effort to understand Germans’ use of swearwords today, potential attributing factors were assessed and evaluated in a 15-question survey comprised of both qualitative and quantitative components that was taken by 403 participants from Germany …

"Do They Know The Normal Language?": Language Attitudes And Ideologies In German Hip Hop Culture, Matt Garley

Publications and Research

This article presents a theoretical discussion of the relationship between language ideologies and language attitudes and builds on previous work by providing an organized framework connecting these notions. This framework is evaluated with reference to online and offline ethnographic work surrounding attitudes and ideologies about anglicisms, or English loanwords, among German hip hop fans and artists. Language attitudes are theorized as individual thoughts and expressions about language, and are often, but not always, informed by individual reproductions of language ideologies, which are conceived of as systematic, shared over groups of individuals, enduring, and mediated. Language ideologies can then be organized …

Willkomen Beim German Journal - Welcome To German Journal, Paulina Broda, Carina Staudte

German Journal Sprache Literatur Kultur

No abstract provided.

Teaching German Modal Verbs Through Cognitive Linguistics Insights, Miglena Nikolova

German Journal Sprache Literatur Kultur

This study examined the acquisition patterns of the prototypical and epistemic semantic meanings of German modals. It investigated whether different instructional approaches (cognitive instruction approach based on force dynamics and metaphoric extensions, traditional translation based instruction) have the potential to foster modal verbs acquisition, and which of the two approaches was more effective. Thirty-three, fourth semester learners of German as a foreign language were subjected to one of the experimental conditions. Findings were compared to a control condition, which did not receive any instruction. Learning gains were measured by means of a multiple choice meaning recognition test that assessed students’ …

Entgrenzung Der Arbeit Durch „Bring Your Own Device“, Leo Roth

German Journal Sprache Literatur Kultur

Abstrakt

Die ehemals klaren Grenzen zwischen den Sozialsphären „Arbeit“ und „Leben“ verschwimmen immer stärker. So kann sich heute kaum noch jemand dem Prozess der Entgrenzung entziehen, da die derzeit vorherrschenden Phänomene wie „Vermarktlichung“ und „Dezentralisierung“ sowohl eine allgemeine Entgrenzung als auch die spezifische Entgrenzung der Arbeit unaufhaltsam befördern. Nach Belwe (2007) eignen sich im Besonderen die modernen Kommunikationstechnologien dafür, „Einbrüche in den bislang durch natürliche und soziale Rhythmen klar strukturierten sozialen Alltag zu provozieren“ (Belwe, 2007, S. 2). Demnach läuft heute jedes menschliche Individuum einer modernen Gesellschaft Gefahr übergeordneten Ansprüchen aus dem Erwerbsbereich zu unterliegen.

Mit der hier vorgestellten Arbeit …

Selbstinszenierung Im Deutschrap: Konstruktion Von Identität Und Authentizität Im Subgenre Des Gangstaraps Am Beispiel Von Kollegah Und Xatar, Sladana Gnjatic

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the construction of identity in German Gangsta rap by taking a close look at the rappers Kollegah and Xatar, who are both using their music for self-portrayal. The selection of those two rappers can be justified by their commercial success in Germany and further by their differences as well as similarities in the construction of their images. The first chapter gives a historical overview of American and German rap. It also analyzes specific features and trends in German rap and describes the current status of research. The focus of the second chapter is on the rapper Kollegah, …