Courses

This course nvestigates how the German language has developed over time, focusing on variation in social and regional contexts: What counts as "German"; standardization processes and the efforts of language societies; dialects in Germany and their changes; German varieties outside of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland such as Texas German; and the recent mapping of mixed languages in major German cities. The course provides an introduction to linguistic transcription and conversation analysis as well as historical linguistic methods. Taught in English; major assignments adjustable for students' previous knowledge of German or linguistics. Prerequisite: 2 semesters of any foreign language or equivalent.