Embracing linguistic diversity - dialect literature in the teaching of German as a foreign language
Vol.37,No.2(2023)
Abstract
Keywords:
German as a foreign language; pluricentric language; varieties of standard German; diglossia; dialects; dialect literature; Maridl Innerhofer; South Tyrol; linguistic variation
Pages:
35–40
The paper seeks to show that the use of dialect literature in the teaching of German as a Foreign Language (DaF) can be very enriching for students. It argues that this practice creates awareness that the German language is not homogeneous across German-speaking countries, but is characterised by variety (the pluricentricity of German). In addition, working with dialect texts allows learners to be immersed in the everyday reality of their target language by experiencing the diglossia that is prevalent in most German-speaking areas. In this way, the texts help students realise that there is not just one standardised form of expression in German that is correct and permissible. The unadulterated tone and idiosyncrasies of literary works in dialect also offer an insight into the emotional world of the people who use the language and into their unique culture and mentality. This is illustrated with the help of two dialect poems ("Drei Vëigl fliagn" and "Die 5 Johreszeitn") by the South Tyrolean author Maridl Innerhofer (1921-2013).
German as a foreign language; pluricentric language; varieties of standard German; diglossia; dialects; dialect literature; Maridl Innerhofer; South Tyrol; linguistic variation
35–40
References
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Lanthaler, Franz (2006): Die Vielschichtigkeit des Deutschen in Südtirol - und wie wir damit umgehen. In: Abel, Andrea - Stuflesser, Mathias - Putz, Magdalena (Hrsg.): Mehrsprachigkeit in Europa: Erfahrungen, Bedürfnisse, Gute Praxis. Bozen: Eurac Research, S. 371-380.
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