- Wiener Linguistische Gazette
Department of Linguistics, University of Vienna
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Wiener Linguistische Gazette
University of Vienna, Institut für Sprachwissenschaft, Department Member
- For over 30 years, the Wiener Linguistische Gazette (WLG) has offered insight into current research projects and deve... moreFor over 30 years, the Wiener Linguistische Gazette (WLG) has offered insight into current research projects and developments in the fields of general, historical and applied linguistics. The journal is embedded in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Vienna, but is not limited to publications from the department.
In 2017, the WLG has been relaunched with a new website, lay out and editorial board. The WLG is published in an Open Access format. Every edition since 2002 (as well as a few select older editions) is available in PDF on its website (http://wlg.univie.ac.at). New editions will be also released on Academia.edit
Themenheft Navigating methodological landscapes. Reflexive insights from applied linguistics. Hg. v. Carina Lozo und Vinicio Ntouvlis This Special Issue of the Wiener Linguistische Gazette, titled "Navigating methodological... more
Themenheft
Navigating methodological landscapes. Reflexive insights from applied linguistics.
Hg. v. Carina Lozo und Vinicio Ntouvlis
This Special Issue of the Wiener Linguistische Gazette, titled "Navigating methodological landscapes: Reflexive insights from applied linguistics," addresses the multifaceted challenges that doctoral students face in their research journeys. Framing PhD studies as a complex and often arduous process, this issue brings together contributions by doctoral students who reflect on their methodological struggles and triumphs.
Carina Lozo examines the integration of acoustic phonetics and interactional sociolinguistics, highlighting the epistemological tensions and practical difficulties. Roshanak Nouralian discusses her adoption of Grounded Theory and the enriching yet challenging process of exploring new disciplinary methods. Florian Grosser provides an ethnographic account of conducting fieldwork in Japan, emphasizing the personal and professional complexities, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. Vinicio Ntouvlis explores digital ethnography, focusing on the importance of media ideologies in establishing research relationships online. Lastly, Jenia Yudytska addresses ethical considerations in digital communication research, particularly the need for dynamic approaches to safeguard participant privacy.
Through these diverse perspectives, the Special Issue aims to provide valuable insights and foster a sense of solidarity among doctoral students navigating their own methodological landscapes. This collection is not only a reflection on individual experiences but also a collective effort to voice the often overlooked aspects of doctoral research in applied linguistics.
Navigating methodological landscapes. Reflexive insights from applied linguistics.
Hg. v. Carina Lozo und Vinicio Ntouvlis
This Special Issue of the Wiener Linguistische Gazette, titled "Navigating methodological landscapes: Reflexive insights from applied linguistics," addresses the multifaceted challenges that doctoral students face in their research journeys. Framing PhD studies as a complex and often arduous process, this issue brings together contributions by doctoral students who reflect on their methodological struggles and triumphs.
Carina Lozo examines the integration of acoustic phonetics and interactional sociolinguistics, highlighting the epistemological tensions and practical difficulties. Roshanak Nouralian discusses her adoption of Grounded Theory and the enriching yet challenging process of exploring new disciplinary methods. Florian Grosser provides an ethnographic account of conducting fieldwork in Japan, emphasizing the personal and professional complexities, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. Vinicio Ntouvlis explores digital ethnography, focusing on the importance of media ideologies in establishing research relationships online. Lastly, Jenia Yudytska addresses ethical considerations in digital communication research, particularly the need for dynamic approaches to safeguard participant privacy.
Through these diverse perspectives, the Special Issue aims to provide valuable insights and foster a sense of solidarity among doctoral students navigating their own methodological landscapes. This collection is not only a reflection on individual experiences but also a collective effort to voice the often overlooked aspects of doctoral research in applied linguistics.
Research Interests: Ethics, Phonetics, Ethnography, Interdisciplinarity, Academic Mobility, and 14 moreReflexivity, Computer-Mediated Communication, Transdisciplinarity, Applied Linguistics, Social Media, Grounded Theory, Facebook, Fieldwork in linguistics, Japan, Digital Ethnography, Interviewing, Affordances, Media Ideologies, and Reflexive Research Methodologies
Research Interests: German Studies, Dialectology, Multilingualism, Sociolinguistics, Digital Media, and 13 moreMigration, Antisemitism (Prejudice), Social Media, Teachers' professional development, Multimodality, Identity construction and cultural production, Topos theory, Gender stereotypes, Phonetics and Phonology, Interviews, Kindheitsforschung, Linguistic Landscape, and Sprachwissenschaft
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»Vom Tun nicht lassen können«, davon könnten einige in Wien seit rund zehn Jahren ein Lied singen. Der vorliegende Band versteht sich als Festgabe für Alexandra N. Lenz zu einem runden Geburtstag – darüber hinaus ist festlich aber auch... more
»Vom Tun nicht lassen können«, davon könnten einige in Wien seit rund zehn Jahren ein Lied singen. Der vorliegende Band versteht sich als Festgabe für Alexandra N. Lenz zu einem runden Geburtstag – darüber hinaus ist festlich aber auch eine weitere runde Zäsur zu markieren und zwar das zehnjährige Tun der Jubilarin an der Universität Wien.
Das Nichtlassenkönnen von Alexandra N. Lenz zeichnet ein deutliches Bild in der germanistischen, aber auch der linguistischen Forschungslandschaft nicht nur in Wien, sondern eben auch in ganz Österreich – und »across borders« darüber hinaus. Vielfalt ist nicht nur als Maxime des Untersuchungsgegenstands »Sprachgebrauch in Österreich« an der germanistischen Sprachwissenschaft in den Fokus gerückt, sondern beschreibt auch prinzipiell die Forschungsansätze, empirischen Methoden und Arbeiten, die Alexandra N. Lenz schon vor, aber auch ganz besonders in den letzten zehn Jahren geprägt hat. Angefangen bei der digitalen Forschungsplattform des Projekts »Syntax Hessischer Dialekte« bald darauf gefolgt von der Neuauflage des Variantenwörterbuchs – für den österreichischen Teil auf korpuslinguistisch einmaliger Grundlage des Austrian Media Corpus – über die Gründung eines sprachwissenschaftlichen Doktorand_innennetzwerks der Germanistik und ihrer Freund_innen (»and friends«), eines Netzwerks zur Erforschung des Bairischen über die politischen Grenzen (»across borders«) hinaus, bis hin zur Schaffung des Spezialforschungsbereichs »Deutsch in Österreich: Variation – Kontakt – Perzeption«, der nicht nur der Germanistik, sondern auch der Slawistik sowie dem Zentrum für Translationswissenschaft der Universität Wien, sondern darüber hinaus auch der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften und den Universitäten Graz und Salzburg und ihren Nachwuchsforscher_innen zu neuen, interdisziplinären, eben vielfältigen Forschungsmöglichkeiten verholfen hat – Alexandra N. Lenz hat sich nicht nur deutlich in die Wahrnehmung der wissenschaftlichen Landschaft in Österreich gearbeitet, sondern eben auch ihre Forschung in den öffentlichen Diskurs.
Das Nichtlassenkönnen von Alexandra N. Lenz zeichnet ein deutliches Bild in der germanistischen, aber auch der linguistischen Forschungslandschaft nicht nur in Wien, sondern eben auch in ganz Österreich – und »across borders« darüber hinaus. Vielfalt ist nicht nur als Maxime des Untersuchungsgegenstands »Sprachgebrauch in Österreich« an der germanistischen Sprachwissenschaft in den Fokus gerückt, sondern beschreibt auch prinzipiell die Forschungsansätze, empirischen Methoden und Arbeiten, die Alexandra N. Lenz schon vor, aber auch ganz besonders in den letzten zehn Jahren geprägt hat. Angefangen bei der digitalen Forschungsplattform des Projekts »Syntax Hessischer Dialekte« bald darauf gefolgt von der Neuauflage des Variantenwörterbuchs – für den österreichischen Teil auf korpuslinguistisch einmaliger Grundlage des Austrian Media Corpus – über die Gründung eines sprachwissenschaftlichen Doktorand_innennetzwerks der Germanistik und ihrer Freund_innen (»and friends«), eines Netzwerks zur Erforschung des Bairischen über die politischen Grenzen (»across borders«) hinaus, bis hin zur Schaffung des Spezialforschungsbereichs »Deutsch in Österreich: Variation – Kontakt – Perzeption«, der nicht nur der Germanistik, sondern auch der Slawistik sowie dem Zentrum für Translationswissenschaft der Universität Wien, sondern darüber hinaus auch der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften und den Universitäten Graz und Salzburg und ihren Nachwuchsforscher_innen zu neuen, interdisziplinären, eben vielfältigen Forschungsmöglichkeiten verholfen hat – Alexandra N. Lenz hat sich nicht nur deutlich in die Wahrnehmung der wissenschaftlichen Landschaft in Österreich gearbeitet, sondern eben auch ihre Forschung in den öffentlichen Diskurs.
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Im Mittelpunkt dieses Themenhefts steht das Konzept der ›sozialen Positionierung‹, das in verschiedenen Feldern der Angewandten Sprachwissenschaft in den letzten Jahren (wieder) an Prominenz gewonnen hat. Das Konzept selbst hat bereits... more
Im Mittelpunkt dieses Themenhefts steht das Konzept der ›sozialen
Positionierung‹, das in verschiedenen Feldern der Angewandten Sprachwissenschaft in den letzten Jahren (wieder) an Prominenz gewonnen hat.
Das Konzept selbst hat bereits eine lange und wechselvolle Geschichte
hinter sich und wird in unterschiedlichen Teildisziplinen auch sehr
unterschiedlich verstanden.
Positionierung‹, das in verschiedenen Feldern der Angewandten Sprachwissenschaft in den letzten Jahren (wieder) an Prominenz gewonnen hat.
Das Konzept selbst hat bereits eine lange und wechselvolle Geschichte
hinter sich und wird in unterschiedlichen Teildisziplinen auch sehr
unterschiedlich verstanden.
Research Interests: Discourse Analysis, Media Studies, Ethnography, Genre studies, Sociolinguistics, and 13 moreLinguistic Anthropology, Praxis, Applied Linguistics, Positioning Theory, Social Practice, Metapragmatics, Stance, Positioning, Enregisterment, Linguistic ideologies, Medienlinguistik, Linguistic Ideology, and Soziolinguistik
Research Interests: Discourse Analysis, Language and Social Interaction, Ethnography, Disability Studies, Sociolinguistics, and 18 moreCritical Disability Studies, Race and Racism, Subjectivities, Populism, Applied Linguistics, Subjectivity (Identity Politics), Racism, Pierre Bourdieu, Criticial Discourse Analysis, Integration, Audience design, Medical Communication, Frame Analysis, Frame Semantics, Diskursanalyse, Soziolinguistik, Linguistic Markers, and Postkoloniale Und Rassismusforschung
German masculine personal nouns, which are widely used as gender-inclusive or generic forms of reference, are not always understood as such. ‘Gender-sensitive language’ attempts to create equality by referring to persons either through... more
German masculine personal nouns, which are widely used as gender-inclusive or generic forms of reference, are not always understood as such. ‘Gender-sensitive language’ attempts to create equality by referring to persons either through gender-neutral participles (Studierende) or gender-inclusive nouns (Student*innen). This has consequences for learners of German. This paper sheds light on the question whether contemporary teaching materials for German use gender-sensitive language and if so, how? A quantitative and qualitative corpus analysis of teaching resources reveals that groups and individuals are predominantly referred to by generic masculine forms, while there is an increase of gender-neutral participles. The resources lack explanations on the use of gender-sensitive language, which makes it inaccessible to language learners.
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Dieser Beitrag befasst sich mit den Herausforderungen, die sich aus den unterschiedlichen Ansätzen zur Datenerhebung in der akustischen Phonetik und der interaktionalen Soziolinguistik ergeben, sowie mit dem Versuch, diese Bereiche in... more
Dieser Beitrag befasst sich mit den Herausforderungen, die sich aus den unterschiedlichen Ansätzen zur Datenerhebung in der akustischen Phonetik und der interaktionalen Soziolinguistik ergeben, sowie mit dem Versuch, diese Bereiche in dieser Hinsicht zu verbinden. Das Hauptaugenmerk liegt auf der Zusammenführung unterschiedlicher Datenerhebungsmethoden und der Beleuchtung ihrer methodologischen Lücken. Der Beitrag reflektiert kritisch die Integration von akustischer Phonetik und interaktionaler Soziolinguistik innerhalb eines Forschungsprojekts, das die Rolle der Stimme in Gender-Performances untersucht.
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Der Schwerpunkt meiner Dissertation dreht sich um ein Thema, das mehrere Disziplinen im Bereich der angewandten Linguistik integriert. Die Wahl eines Paradigmas zur Betrachtung des Forschungsproblems sowie einer geeigneten Strategie zur... more
Der Schwerpunkt meiner Dissertation dreht sich um ein Thema, das mehrere Disziplinen im Bereich der angewandten Linguistik integriert. Die Wahl eines Paradigmas zur Betrachtung des Forschungsproblems sowie einer geeigneten Strategie zur Entwicklung des Forschungsprozesses, waren die schwierigsten Aspekte meiner Forschung. In diesem Beitrag möchte ich meine Erfahrungen mit der Anwendung der Grounded Theory und ihrer Integration mit anderen Datenanalysestrategien im Bereich der angewandten Linguistik darstellen. Folglich wird der methodologische Entscheidungsprozess bei der Auswahl einer konstruktivistischen Grounded Theory Strategie zur Lösung des Forschungsproblems beleuchtet. Darüber hinaus werden die philosophischen Grundlagen der Grounded Theory und die Kernkonzepte, die den Kodierungsprozess leiten, kurz erläutert.
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In diesem Beitrag reflektiere ich über die Zusammenhänge von Mobilität, Emotionen, Ideen und Wahrnehmungen im Kontext der öffentlich/privat-Distinktion während meines Feldforschungsaufenthalts in Japan. Dabei präsentiere ich meine... more
In diesem Beitrag reflektiere ich über die Zusammenhänge von Mobilität, Emotionen, Ideen und Wahrnehmungen im Kontext der öffentlich/privat-Distinktion während meines Feldforschungsaufenthalts in Japan. Dabei präsentiere ich meine Aufzeichnungen in einem Forschungstagebuch als eine reflexive Methode, durch die ich meine eigene Position und die damit verbundenen Annahmen über soziale Beziehungen im Feld kritisch hinterfragen konnte. Während meiner konzeptionellen Auseinandersetzung mit dem Tagebuch wurde mir die Notwendigkeit bewusst, mich stärker auf subjektive Perspektiven in meiner Forschung zu fokussieren. Dies führte dazu, dass ich im Verlauf meines Aufenthalts meine Forschungsmethoden anpassen konnte.
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In diesem Beitrag reflektiere ich über das Thema, wie man in der ethnographischen Forschung von Social-Media-Kommunikation einen »channel for approaching« (CfA) auswählt, d.h. ein Medium, über das mit potentiellen Interviewpartner:innen... more
In diesem Beitrag reflektiere ich über das Thema, wie man in der ethnographischen Forschung von Social-Media-Kommunikation einen »channel for approaching« (CfA) auswählt, d.h. ein Medium, über das mit potentiellen Interviewpartner:innen Kontakt aufgenommen wird. Zuerst wird behandelt, wie CfAs in früheren Facebook-Ethnographien adoptiert wurden, bevor die Herausforderungen meines Projekts – auch einer Facebook-Ethnographie – reflexiv und kritisch diskutiert werden. Dazu wird auch eine Pilot-Studie präsentiert, wo Nutzer:innen via Facebook Messenger kontaktiert wurden. Alles in allem argumentiere ich, dass bei der Wahl eines CfAs Medienideologien (der Nutzer:innen sowie der Forschenden) und die Affordanzen des Mediums zu berücksichtigen sind.
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Dieser Beitrag befasst sich mit den ethischen Fragen, die bei der Arbeit mit privaten und öffentlichen Daten derselben Personen auftreten können. Für eine Untersuchung des Einflusses von Kommunikationsgeräten (Computer, Smartphone) auf... more
Dieser Beitrag befasst sich mit den ethischen Fragen, die bei der Arbeit mit privaten und öffentlichen Daten derselben Personen auftreten können. Für eine Untersuchung des Einflusses von Kommunikationsgeräten (Computer, Smartphone) auf die Sprache in der computer-vermittelten Kommunikation erstellte ich ein neues Korpus, welches aus Nachrichten von denselben Personen auf zwei Plattformen besteht: Twitter (eine öffentliche Plattform) und Discord (ein privater Server). Die Pseudonymisierung von Namen reicht nicht aus, um die Nutzer:innen zu schützen, da ihre Identität durch die öffentlichen Tweets angreifbar ist. In dem Beitrag werden diese und ähnliche ethische Fragen sowie mögliche Lösungen vorgestellt, bei denen die Achtung der Privatsphäre der Teilnehmer:innen mit der Wahrung der akademischen Integrität in Einklang gebracht werden muss.
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Der Begriff »Bimbo« ist im englischsprachigen Raum ein bekanntes Pejorativ für dümmlich naive, aber attraktive Frauen. Ein Internet-phänomen auf der Social-Media-Plattform TikTok, das bimbo-movement, schreibt diesem Begriff jedoch eine... more
Der Begriff »Bimbo« ist im englischsprachigen Raum ein bekanntes Pejorativ für dümmlich naive, aber attraktive Frauen. Ein Internet-phänomen auf der Social-Media-Plattform TikTok, das bimbo-movement, schreibt diesem Begriff jedoch eine neue Bedeutung zu. Durch Persiflage und eine spezifische Ästhetik übernimmt diese Bewegung den Begriff »Bimbo«, befreit ihn von seinen negativen Konnotationen und deutet ihn feministisch um. Mit einer multi-modalen Inhaltsanalyse untersuche ich die komplexen semiotischen Mittel, durch die eine Bimbo-Persona auf TikTok konstruiert wird. Die Analyse zeigt damit sowohl die Wirkmächtigkeit als auch deren Grenzen auf, die ein strategischer Einsatz von Satire und die Verknüpfung von Weiblichkeit mit linken politischen Idealen innerhalb eines feministischen Diskurses entfalten können.
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The project 'VisibLL – High school students explore the (in)visible multilingualism of the Viennese Linguistic Landscape' is discussed to show how citizen science can be fruitfully applied within linguistics. VisibLL focuses on... more
The project 'VisibLL – High school students explore the (in)visible multilingualism of the Viennese Linguistic Landscape' is discussed to show how citizen science can be fruitfully applied within linguistics. VisibLL focuses on socio-contextual and linguistic patterns of written multilingualism in Viennese public space. We outline our research focus, goals and strategies, the data collection app Lingscape, participants, activities to date, as well as early results and outcomes. We preview upcoming activities and position our project within citizen science at large.
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The inclusion of children’s perspectives in the research process remains rare. One reason for this could be the lack of reflection on adequate methodological approaches. This paper addresses the research gap of interviews with children by... more
The inclusion of children’s perspectives in the research process remains rare. One reason for this could be the lack of reflection on adequate methodological approaches. This paper addresses the research gap of interviews with children by methodically examining five interviews conducted on the topic of language and linguistic action in kindergarten. For this purpose, the state of knowledge of research methods about interviews with children is first outlined. Afterwards, the conduct of the interviews is outlined, and new findings are discussed in a methodological reflection. It is shown that initial stimuli are useful for interviews with children and that even young children provide answers to complex question content. Of relevance are, on the one hand, the type and diversity of the questions and, on the other hand, the interviewer’s behavior, which changes the child’s response behavior.
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Brizić, Katharina. 2022. Der Klang der Ungleichheit: Biografie, Bildung und Zusammenhalt in der vielsprachigen Gesellschaft. Münster: Waxmann. 314 Seiten, broschiert, 39,90 €. ISBN 978-3-8309-4594-9 314. Open Access:... more
Brizić, Katharina. 2022. Der Klang der Ungleichheit: Biografie, Bildung und Zusammenhalt in der vielsprachigen Gesellschaft. Münster: Waxmann. 314 Seiten, broschiert, 39,90 €. ISBN 978-3-8309-4594-9 314. Open Access: https://www.waxmann.com/index.php?eID=down load&buchnr=4594
Research Interests: German Studies, Multilingualism, Sociolinguistics, Migration, Social Justice, and 13 moreOral history, Gender, Biographical Methods, Teachers' professional development, Book Reviews, Mehrsprachigkeit, Voice, Primary School Education, Germanistik, Education and language, Soziolinguistik, Biographical narratives, and Rezensionen
We investigate the consonant and vowel inventories as well as unstressed syllables in the spoken Standard German of speakers from the East Franconian dialect region in the German states of Thuringia and Bavaria. Using a sub-corpus of... more
We investigate the consonant and vowel inventories as well as unstressed syllables in the spoken Standard German of speakers from the East Franconian dialect region in the German states of Thuringia and Bavaria. Using a sub-corpus of speech samples from »Regionalsprache.de (REDE)« with speech data for two generations of speakers from four towns, we document the features, investigate whether these features are dialect reflexes, and give an overview of their salience. In total, we find 23 regional features, most of which are given a moderate to high degree of subjective dialectality in listeners’ judgments. Furthermore, our analysis shows that consonant and syllable phenomena are geographically distributed along Upper and Lower East Franconian lines, suggesting an influence of the Steigerwaldschranke on the regional accent.
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During the violent outbreaks of the Israel-Palestine-conflict in May 2021, two extreme opinions took a very strong stand on various social media platforms. For instance, on the visual-based platform Instagram, where a particular cartoon... more
During the violent outbreaks of the Israel-Palestine-conflict in May 2021, two extreme opinions took a very strong stand on various social media platforms. For instance, on the visual-based platform Instagram, where a particular cartoon was posted and shared multi-ple times. This cartoon, consisting of ten images, seeks to explain the conflict from one perspective, defending and supporting the pro-Palestinian side. As the conflict was transported to social media, the reproduction of antisemitic posts increased. As a case in point, I will examine the cartoon for antisemitic topoi in this article. The relevance of this analysis is to reveal the (often hidden) reproduction of antisemitism on social media, particularly when considering the problematic situation in the Middle East. Furthermore, this article will highlight the relevance of the sparseness of linguistic analysis of political activism on social media, especially on Instagram.
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It was not until February 1971 that women in Switzerland gained the right to vote, elect and be elected at federal level. A vote by the male population was in favor of equal political rights for both sexes. In the first federal vote on... more
It was not until February 1971 that women in Switzerland gained the right to vote, elect and be elected at federal level. A vote by the male population was in favor of equal political rights for both sexes. In the first federal vote on women’s suffrage in 1959, a male majority pre-vented this step from being taken. An analysis of the Federal Council’s message on the first referendum proposal shows how little persuasive power and willingness for change there was in 1957. The negative predication of change, the eradication of the acting subject, argumen-tative fallacies and the one-sided structure of the text resulted in a message from the Federal Council which, although in favor of women’s suffrage and women’s right to vote, had little persuasive power overall. The analysis of the arguments thus shows that this mes-sage was part of a strategy to preserve the status quo of a Switzerland governed without women.
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This article investigates differences in nominations and predications in the discourse of men’s and women’s football. 5241 postings have been analys-ed following the Discourse-Historical Approach and studied with respect to linguistic... more
This article investigates differences in nominations and predications in the discourse of men’s and women’s football. 5241 postings have been analys-ed following the Discourse-Historical Approach and studied with respect to linguistic discrimination on the basis of gender identity. The postings show differences in the reception of football-related incidents. They relate less to the actors’ gender than to the relationship users experience when dealing with the actors. This discrepancy may link to the respective distan-ce or closeness to the referenced object. Strong utterances of critique, in-sults and abusive language are rather used if the subject is a popular male player, and they are becoming more frequent with the popularity of female players. Apart from that, males and females are treated similarly.
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In October 2017, the Austrian actress Nina Proll published a Facebook post, criticizing the #MeToo campaign and its participants for ›weakening women‹. The post instigated supportive and critical reactions. This Critical Discourse Study... more
In October 2017, the Austrian actress Nina Proll published a Facebook post, criticizing the #MeToo campaign and its participants for ›weakening women‹. The post instigated supportive and critical reactions. This Critical Discourse Study analyzes the reactions to Proll’s post in six Austrian newspapers between October 25th 2017, and March 31st, 2018. It sheds light on argumentative patterns in the Austrian discourse on #MeToo. The analysis reveals (i) diverse representations of Proll through personal and professional attributions; (ii) ambiguous definitions of sexual harassment, (iii) the reproduction of myths about sexual violence.
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Gender-fair language is a topic that has been discussed extensively both among linguists and non-linguists. In this context, universities play a crucial role, because they combine research perspectives with everyday language use and... more
Gender-fair language is a topic that has been discussed extensively both among linguists and non-linguists. In this context, universities play a crucial role, because they combine research perspectives with everyday language use and function as role models for the society. Hence, this paper presents and discusses the results of three surveys conducted at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. After an overview of the relevant literature, the paper analyses quantitative and qualitative data from a total of 1,915 participants (students and employees), identifies contradictory positions and sheds light on current competing discourses in the field of gender- fair and anti-discriminatory (German) language. As a conclusion, awareness-raising measures are recommended for a language that is seen as a powerful tool that can contribute to more gender equality.
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Nursery teachers are expected to carry out tasks such as language assessment and early language support in their professional practice. To do this, they need to acquire appropriate qualifications during their formation at Training... more
Nursery teachers are expected to carry out tasks such as language assessment and early language support in their professional practice. To do this, they need to acquire appropriate qualifications during their formation at Training Institutes for Early Childhood Education (Bildungsanstalt für Elementarpädagogik; BAfEP). Within the framework of an Austria-wide online survey of BAfEP teachers, it was investigated how and to what extent linguistic qualifications are taught at the BAfEP. One of the main results is that a large proportion of BAfEP teachers do not consider their own formation to be sufficient to prepare students for language support tasks in professional practice.
Research Interests: Early Childhood Education, Language Assessment, Language Development in Early Years, Teacher qualifications, Austria, and 7 moreOnline Surveys, Sprachförderung Kindergarten, Teacher Education for the Support of Second Language Acquisition, Elementarpädagogik, Language Support, Sprachförderung Grundschule, and Kindliche Mehrsprachigkeit und Sprachförderung
This study investigates phonological variation and change in the base dialects of the Austrian federal state of Burgenland. The dialects of the Burgenland – often labelled »Hianzisch« – are said to contain numerous archaic language... more
This study investigates phonological variation and change in the base dialects of the Austrian federal state of Burgenland. The dialects of the Burgenland – often labelled »Hianzisch« – are said to contain numerous archaic language peculiarities already lost in neighboring dialect regions. However, there are no recent investigations into the dialects of the Burgenland. Based on the data of the special research programme »German in Austria« and a corpus from the town of Schattendorf this study reveals that although the dialects in the Burgenland have preserved some archaic features, most features are shared with neighboring dialects in Lower Austria and Styria. Furthermore, there is a significant amount of change which leads to the adoption of Bavarian majority variants into the traditional dialect.
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This paper discusses the speech act of apologising in instant-text-messages of Austrian speakers. For this purpose, an online questionnaire survey with open questions was conducted. Results indicate that the situational factors »social... more
This paper discusses the speech act of apologising in instant-text-messages of Austrian speakers. For this purpose, an online questionnaire survey with open questions was conducted. Results indicate that the situational factors »social distance«, »social status« and »severity of offence« influence the choice of the apology wording. Furthermore, it can be concluded that participants’ dialect use in the apologetic messages varies along the areal-horizontal as well as the vertical-social axis: Alemannic speakers use their dialect more often than Bavarian speakers. In situations where social distance between the speakers is little, participants write significantly more often dialectal apologies than in situations with greater social distance.
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This article uses the framework of the metapragmatic discourse analysis developed by Jürgen Spitzmüller in order to answer the question of which positions and ideologies about language exist within the Identitäre Bewegung (IB).... more
This article uses the framework of the metapragmatic discourse analysis developed by Jürgen Spitzmüller in order to answer the question of which positions and ideologies about language exist within the Identitäre Bewegung (IB). Furthermore, it discusses how the ideology of so called ‘ethnopluralism’ influences the way the IB conceptualizes language and how this may influence their political strategies. The data analyzed consists of blogpost of members of the IB Österreich and IB Deutschland, a chapter of Martin Sellner’s book Identitär!, and an interview with a former member of the IB Deutschland.
Research Interests: Language and Ideology, Language Ideology, Corpus Linguistics and Discourse Analysis, Positioning Theory, Language Ideologies, and 11 moreDiskurslinguistik, Metapragmatics, Stance, Positioning, Stance, stance taking, interaction in discourse, Identitarianism, Sprachideologie, Metapragmatik, Identitäre Bewegung, Positionierung, and metapragmatische Positionierung
On the basis of a large-scale online survey carried out during Austria’s ‘first lockdown’ in the course of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, this article discusses variation in pronunciation of the word Quarantäne (‘quarantine’) in standard... more
On the basis of a large-scale online survey carried out during Austria’s ‘first lockdown’ in the course of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, this article discusses variation in pronunciation of the word Quarantäne (‘quarantine’) in standard Austrian German, focusing on the variants [k-] vs. [kv-] in the onset. Results show a clear societal preference for [k-], while also exhibiting a pattern of intergenerational variation whereby young speakers predominantly indicate their preference for [k-] and older speakers for [kv-]. Survey findings are contextualized with a content-based analysis ofsocietal discourses from an online forum discussion centering on the issue, which show considerable polarization as well as no awareness of the intergenerational pattern. The study outcome is related to issues of codification (notably pertaining to the Österreichisches Wörterbuch) as well as general variationist sociolinguistic theorizing, especially Labov’s indicatormarker-stereotype taxonomy and its implications.
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This article investigates how the COVID-19 pandemic becomes visible in the urban landscape of Vienna in public or commercial signage, posters, graffiti, stickers, and others. I argue that these signs are part of a pandemic inter-discourse... more
This article investigates how the COVID-19 pandemic becomes visible in
the urban landscape of Vienna in public or commercial signage, posters, graffiti, stickers, and others. I argue that these signs are part of a pandemic inter-discourse (Link 2018). Linking specialised discourses about the virus and its effects with aspects of daily life, they contribute to the discursive construction of knowledge about the virus and the pandemic crisis. Using elements of linguistic landscape studies and visual ethnography, social semiotics, and geosemiotics, I present a thematic-chronological reconstruction of discourses visible in public signage from a corpus of pandemic signs collected in Vienna from March 2020 to June 2021. Besides an abundance of regulative messages (e.g. about masks, physical distance, closure of facilities), pandemic signs refer to discourses on crisis, solidarity and sustainability, scepticism and protest, the role of social and cultural institutions, family violence, social isolation and vague notions of time. Changes in the urban interaction order due to physical distancing and new forms of transgressive practices and grassroots signs develop.
the urban landscape of Vienna in public or commercial signage, posters, graffiti, stickers, and others. I argue that these signs are part of a pandemic inter-discourse (Link 2018). Linking specialised discourses about the virus and its effects with aspects of daily life, they contribute to the discursive construction of knowledge about the virus and the pandemic crisis. Using elements of linguistic landscape studies and visual ethnography, social semiotics, and geosemiotics, I present a thematic-chronological reconstruction of discourses visible in public signage from a corpus of pandemic signs collected in Vienna from March 2020 to June 2021. Besides an abundance of regulative messages (e.g. about masks, physical distance, closure of facilities), pandemic signs refer to discourses on crisis, solidarity and sustainability, scepticism and protest, the role of social and cultural institutions, family violence, social isolation and vague notions of time. Changes in the urban interaction order due to physical distancing and new forms of transgressive practices and grassroots signs develop.
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The article aims to describe how six Austrian retail grocery companies publicly responded to the COVID 19 pandemic via leaflets and Instagram postings. The study corpus includes 68 leaflets and 443 Instagram postings from the respective... more
The article aims to describe how six Austrian retail grocery companies
publicly responded to the COVID 19 pandemic via leaflets and Instagram
postings. The study corpus includes 68 leaflets and 443 Instagram postings from the respective companies. Data material covers a period from early March to early May 2020, which corresponds to the duration of the first lockdown in Austria (from mid-April on, restrictions were slowly lifted). From a discourse and media linguistic perspective, textual and graphical communication, an increasing use of hashtags signifying solidarity (#togetherforoneanother, #Austriastandsstogether) and the temporal distribution of pandemic-related themes are examined. While the companies explicitly address the pandemic at the beginning of the lockdown (16th March 2020) via Instagram postings, reference to the pandemic in leaflets starts at the beginning of April. Regarding lexis, an increasing number of (inclusive) lexemes such as “together” and “we” can be observed, as well as an accumulation of expressions of gratitude (to mployees, suppliers, customers) from retail grocery companies. Hashtags and icons like open hands or hearts are not only used via Instagram postings, but also in printed leaflets.
publicly responded to the COVID 19 pandemic via leaflets and Instagram
postings. The study corpus includes 68 leaflets and 443 Instagram postings from the respective companies. Data material covers a period from early March to early May 2020, which corresponds to the duration of the first lockdown in Austria (from mid-April on, restrictions were slowly lifted). From a discourse and media linguistic perspective, textual and graphical communication, an increasing use of hashtags signifying solidarity (#togetherforoneanother, #Austriastandsstogether) and the temporal distribution of pandemic-related themes are examined. While the companies explicitly address the pandemic at the beginning of the lockdown (16th March 2020) via Instagram postings, reference to the pandemic in leaflets starts at the beginning of April. Regarding lexis, an increasing number of (inclusive) lexemes such as “together” and “we” can be observed, as well as an accumulation of expressions of gratitude (to mployees, suppliers, customers) from retail grocery companies. Hashtags and icons like open hands or hearts are not only used via Instagram postings, but also in printed leaflets.
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The article illustrates the sense-making concerning COVID-19 in videos by Austrian personalities in the field of astrology. First, theoretical foundations of the analysis, the design of the material and multimodal discourse analysis are... more
The article illustrates the sense-making concerning COVID-19 in videos by
Austrian personalities in the field of astrology. First, theoretical foundations of the analysis, the design of the material and multimodal discourse analysis are described. The empirical part is divided into three sections: 1) the classification of different types of accounts used to explain the pandemic; 2) the exemplification of strategies to establish epistemic and deontic stance and authority; 3) the breakdown of concepts built by the astrologers. The causes of the pandemic are clear-cut: planetary constellations around the year 2020. The astrologers show little doubt about the validity of their claims yet open up a broad range of interpretations. The concepts frame the pandemic as a challenge and as a chance to change the trajectory of the human fate. The virus itself and its threat to health are hardly picked up as a topic of discourse.
Austrian personalities in the field of astrology. First, theoretical foundations of the analysis, the design of the material and multimodal discourse analysis are described. The empirical part is divided into three sections: 1) the classification of different types of accounts used to explain the pandemic; 2) the exemplification of strategies to establish epistemic and deontic stance and authority; 3) the breakdown of concepts built by the astrologers. The causes of the pandemic are clear-cut: planetary constellations around the year 2020. The astrologers show little doubt about the validity of their claims yet open up a broad range of interpretations. The concepts frame the pandemic as a challenge and as a chance to change the trajectory of the human fate. The virus itself and its threat to health are hardly picked up as a topic of discourse.
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Even though the corona discourse emerged just in 2020 it addresses a question that has always been crucial in political communication: Who is trustworthy and who is not. This article deals with rhetorical techniques applied by former... more
Even though the corona discourse emerged just in 2020 it addresses a question that has always been crucial in political communication: Who is trustworthy and who is not. This article deals with rhetorical techniques applied by former Austrian Vice-chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache to undermine the credibility of the government during COVID-19-pandemic. The analysis is based on Facebook posts published through the politician’s official account during the first year of the pandemic. Strache, who is not in charge during the crisis, attacks the government, claiming it is spreading panic and misinformation to manipulate the population. The linguistic analysis will be led by the key concepts trustworthiness, credibility and trust, operationalized on a theoretical background.
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This article focusses on spatial and temporal features in the reporting of the so called ›second lockdown‹ in 2020 in Austria at the online plattform ORF.at (Austrian Broadcasting Corporation). Space and time, in their discursive forms,... more
This article focusses on spatial and temporal features in the reporting
of the so called ›second lockdown‹ in 2020 in Austria at
the online plattform ORF.at (Austrian Broadcasting Corporation).
Space and time, in their discursive forms, are tightly bound to the
dynamic construction of ›society‹. Exemplarily highlighted contextualizations show that values (ideologies) of control, regulation
and emotion are placed in public discourses via spatial and temporal
features. The main actors are politicians and some experts with overall the same positioning towards the virus, whereas other voices get negative values or are simply not heard.
of the so called ›second lockdown‹ in 2020 in Austria at
the online plattform ORF.at (Austrian Broadcasting Corporation).
Space and time, in their discursive forms, are tightly bound to the
dynamic construction of ›society‹. Exemplarily highlighted contextualizations show that values (ideologies) of control, regulation
and emotion are placed in public discourses via spatial and temporal
features. The main actors are politicians and some experts with overall the same positioning towards the virus, whereas other voices get negative values or are simply not heard.
Research Interests:
Transparency in the sense of a comprehensible, consistent and clear communication of all relevant information on an issue is considered an ideal of political communication, which is also repeatedly propagated by political actors. In this... more
Transparency in the sense of a comprehensible, consistent and clear communication of all relevant information on an issue is considered an ideal of political communication, which is also repeatedly propagated by political actors. In this paper, we examine the political communication of the Austrian Federal Government in the context of the Corona discourse with regard to linguistic means of transparent or non-transparent communication. The text corpus consists of transcribed media conferences (i.e. the press statements and the subsequent question parts by journalists) which took place in the course of the introduction of the so-called »Corona- Ampel« in September 2020. Our proposed operationalization of the notion of transparency shows possibilities for a discourse-linguistic analysis of linguistic means for transparent or non-transparent communication.
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The explorative Critical Discourse Study deals with the conceptual metaphor of automobility in the discourse on the Covid 19 crisis. It focuses on Austrian discourse fragments from the press and television. The car metaphor seems to be... more
The explorative Critical Discourse Study deals with the conceptual metaphor
of automobility in the discourse on the Covid 19 crisis. It focuses on
Austrian discourse fragments from the press and television. The car metaphor
seems to be productive for four reasons: (1) It is habitually a prominent
collective symbol in everyday language use. (2) It illustrates complex
causal relationships in a simple way. (3) It helps to warn of dangers
and negative developments. (4) The metaphor is also obvious because the
excessive global traffic is a cause of the pandemic. Thus, it is important to
show the common roots of the pandemic and the mobility crisis. The
connection is based on the global capitalist system. As long as this inherent
link of the crises is not adequately reflected and addressed in public
discourses, collective learning processes moving towards more sustainable
lifestyles and economy are difficult.
of automobility in the discourse on the Covid 19 crisis. It focuses on
Austrian discourse fragments from the press and television. The car metaphor
seems to be productive for four reasons: (1) It is habitually a prominent
collective symbol in everyday language use. (2) It illustrates complex
causal relationships in a simple way. (3) It helps to warn of dangers
and negative developments. (4) The metaphor is also obvious because the
excessive global traffic is a cause of the pandemic. Thus, it is important to
show the common roots of the pandemic and the mobility crisis. The
connection is based on the global capitalist system. As long as this inherent
link of the crises is not adequately reflected and addressed in public
discourses, collective learning processes moving towards more sustainable
lifestyles and economy are difficult.
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Einleitung zur Festgabe.
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Finite immobile verbs cannot occur in V2 position in German main clauses but in V-final position in subordinate clauses. They are based on corresponding nominal compounds and usually consist of a nominal element and a verbal stem.... more
Finite immobile verbs cannot occur in V2 position in German main clauses but in V-final position in subordinate clauses. They are based on corresponding nominal compounds and usually consist of a nominal element and a verbal stem. However, as N+V composition has been considered invalid in German since Grimm (1878), a special word-formation process has often been assumed. It mimics the nominal compound by creating a verbal pseudo compound structure which causes syntactic immobility. Based on the head inflection hypothesis (Ahlers 2010), corpus data and an acceptability experiment, it will be argued that immobile verbs are, however, genuine verb compounds.
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This article investigates the variation of linking elements in German compounds of the pattern noun+noun (NN) – as Geschenk-Ø-korb vs. Geschenk-s-korb ‘gift basket’ or Schokolade-Ø-torte vs. Schokolade-n-torte ‘chocolate cake’ – and their... more
This article investigates the variation of linking elements in German compounds of the pattern noun+noun (NN) – as Geschenk-Ø-korb vs. Geschenk-s-korb ‘gift basket’ or Schokolade-Ø-torte vs. Schokolade-n-torte ‘chocolate cake’ – and their areal-horizontal distribution in Austria. The Austrian Media Corpus (amc) – a text database which almost completely represents the print media landscape (and thus the standard [written] language) of Austria of the last decades – serves as its empirical data basis. For the analyses, NN compounds with variation in linking elements annotated in the Austrian Dictionary (ÖWB 2018) are considered. The topic, method, research design and selected results presented are part of a current master’s thesis (Ziegler in Vorb.) on variable linking elements (referred to as a ›linguistic case of doubt‹, cf. Klein 2018) in written Austrian Standard German.
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This corpus-based study investigates a range of language-external and language-internal factors presumably responsible for the use of an apparent dialect feature alongside the dialect-standard axis in German. The focus is on definite... more
This corpus-based study investigates a range of language-external and language-internal factors presumably responsible for the use of an apparent dialect feature alongside the dialect-standard axis in German. The focus is on definite articles used without the initial consonant (i.e. as, es, is, etc.). Those reduced articles are frequently used in the transitional area between Central and South Bavarian both in dialect as well as in communication settings that evoke intended standard language use. Whereas quantitative methods simply show a decay of frequency in the latter setting, a more detailed context analysis suggests that reduced articles are used systematically and functionally motivated: the investigation of noun phrases in ‘non-definite’ contexts show significantly higher shares of reduced article forms.
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This paper investigates Complementizer Agreement (CA) in the dialects of Austria from a variationist perspective. Data are based on the corpus of the project »Variation and change of dialect varieties in Austria (in real and apparent... more
This paper investigates Complementizer Agreement (CA) in the dialects of Austria from a variationist perspective. Data are based on the corpus of the project »Variation and change of dialect varieties in Austria (in real and apparent time)«. Altogether, dialectal translations of 163 participants (recruited from two age-groups) from 40 locations are analysed in this apparent-time-study. Results show that the findings by Lenz et al. (2014) and Fingerhuth & Lenz (2020) on CA in Austrian dialects can be both confirmed and refined. It becomes apparent that CA is particularly widespread in Central and South-Central Bavarian dialects, while it is less frequent in South Bavarian and completely absent in Alemannic dialects. Furthermore, CA occurs more frequently with 2 PL than with 2 SG Austrian dialects. Also, the frequency of CA varies depending on the respective complementizer. Moreover, results yield a positive correlation between CA, clitization and pro-drop. We argue that this is due to the pronominal origin of CA. Furthermore, since these are mostly zero-clitics, pro-drop can be increasingly observed in the CA-area. Nonetheless, CA is not a precondition for pro-drop in subordinate clauses in the investigated dialects.
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Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, research has focused on correlations between phonetic properties of languages and aerosol transport. We investigate effects of plosive realization on the spread of COVID-19 in... more
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, research has focused on correlations between phonetic properties of languages and aerosol transport. We investigate effects of plosive realization on the spread of COVID-19 in different dialect regions of Austria based on recent formal and informal conversations from six rural locations. The plosives /p/ and /t/ were classified into four variants (aspirated/unaspirated fortis, voiceless/voiced lenis). Results showed that higher fortis use correlates with higher COVID-19 incidence rates, particularly in the formal interviews. The data might not be crucial in preventing infections; however, our study supports the importance of methodological diversity for capturing linguistic variation.
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The present paper is concerned with the annotation of linguistic phenomena from a variationist linguistic perspective. The Special Research Programme ›German in Austria‹ serves as example for annotation in a large-scale variationist... more
The present paper is concerned with the annotation of linguistic phenomena from a variationist linguistic perspective. The Special Research Programme ›German in Austria‹ serves as example for annotation in a large-scale variationist research project. After contextualizing both the corpus and the annotation logic used in the project, we situate the annotation system in a linguistic philosophy of science, focusing on the epistemological status of the classification of spoken language. During this discussion, the multidimensional annotation system used in the project is highlighted for its advantages. We conclude with a discussion of standardized annotation schemes in a variationist context, and stress the importance of publishing not just results, but annotation schemes as well in the spirit of open science.
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This paper empirically investigates the syntactic phenomenon of periphrastic progressive constructions in three Austrian provinces in the Central Bavarian dialect region, with a focus on am-progressives and beim-progressives (Alex ist... more
This paper empirically investigates the syntactic phenomenon of periphrastic progressive constructions in three Austrian provinces in the Central Bavarian dialect region, with a focus on am-progressives and beim-progressives (Alex ist am/beim Feiern. ‘Alex is celebrating.’). Data on language production and attitudes regarding the areal-horizontal and the social-vertical dimension were collected via an online questionnaire. Data analysis yields a complex picture, indicating that both periphrases are produced only marginally by survey informants. However, on average, informants attribute stimuli with am- and beim-progressives rather to Austria than Germany. Whereas the beim-variant seems to constitute a dialect feature, the am-progressive is not clearly attributed vertically, so that it seemingly applies to the entire vertical axis. Our findings furthermore provide evidence for interindividual variation regarding both production as well as evaluation.
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The Linguistic Landscape-Guise Technique (LLGT) is presented, serving the empirical analysis of meaning-making via language choice in the LL from the audience’s perspective. The LL (here: written language in public space) is considered a... more
The Linguistic Landscape-Guise Technique (LLGT) is presented, serving the empirical analysis of meaning-making via language choice in the LL from the audience’s perspective. The LL (here: written language in public space) is considered a dialog in which sign producers and sign readers jointly construct meaning through reciprocal response and contextualized inferencing. Thus, the LLGT elicits the social meanings Austrian audiences associate with dialect vs. standard on public signage, to trace the effects of language choice on their situated interpretation of LL messages. The methodology is discussed in detail, as are results from its application in an online study, followed by a critical review of the tool and its implementation perspectives.
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Against the meta-theoretical background of sociolinguistics as an – epistemologically and according to philosophy of science – operational constructivist sociology of linguistic knowledge, this paper investigates (within the field of... more
Against the meta-theoretical background of sociolinguistics as an – epistemologically and according to philosophy of science – operational constructivist sociology of linguistic knowledge, this paper investigates (within the field of exploring language politics and ideology) the extent to which language ideologies are reflected in official documents of the University of Vienna and are thus (re)produced or perpetuated in the context of society. Based on the still expandable state of research, an exemplary pilot study is conducted. The results of its findings encourage further relevant, large-scale investigations.
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This paper discusses the perception and conceptualisation of speech register(s) of Austria’s two biggest cities, Vienna and Graz, by non-linguists. It examines if and how the multidimensional influences on urban speech register(s) are... more
This paper discusses the perception and conceptualisation of speech register(s) of Austria’s two biggest cities, Vienna and Graz, by non-linguists. It examines if and how the multidimensional influences on urban speech register(s) are reflected in the speakers’ perception. Interview parts of 16 speakers from Vienna and Graz dealing with questions of characteristics, differences or specific terms describing Viennese (‘Wienerisch’) and the speech register(s) of Graz (‘Grazerisch’) were analysed. It reveals that most speakers recognise the impact of influencing factors and thus have a differentiated view on language(s) used in the cities. From an onomatopoetical point of view the results of the present study can be summarised as follows: speakers from Graz sound as if they are barking (‘Bellen’) and those from Vienna sound grouchy or whiny (‘Raunzen’).
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This paper assesses the value of online comment-threads as a resource for the study of language attitudes and folk linguistics by analyzing user comments concerning an interview with the linguist Alexandra N. Lenz on the topic of language... more
This paper assesses the value of online comment-threads as a resource for the study of language attitudes and folk linguistics by analyzing user comments concerning an interview with the linguist Alexandra N. Lenz on the topic of language change in Austria, which was published by the Austrian newspaper DerStandard. The analysis incorporates both a quantitative perspective, showing the distribution and interaction of certain topics within the comment threads, and a qualitative analysis, focusing on reader statements on definition(s) and usage of the term ›Austriacism‹ (i. e. linguistic items specific to Austria), the (perceived) influence of language contact with Germany, as well as the acceptability and distribution of certain Austriacisms in different Austrian regions. Results show that barely any Austriacisms are accepted as such throughout the entire country. In addition, a range of Austriacisms seem to be highly emotionally loaded. Evaluations are often connected to a perceived bias of focus on the eastern part of Austria (mostly Vienna) in the public debate on the German language in Austria.
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In the Austrian sociolinguistic context, ›Umgangssprache‹ is a notoriously difficult because highly complex term and concept, both among linguists and laypersons. This article presents a questionnaire study that aims to provide insights... more
In the Austrian sociolinguistic context, ›Umgangssprache‹ is a notoriously difficult because highly complex term and concept, both among linguists and laypersons. This article presents a questionnaire study that aims to provide insights into how laypeople use and conceptualize the term, and which terms they use alternatively for speech levels ranging ›in-between‹ the local dialects and Standard German. Results indicate that the term is actively used primarily in the sense of ›regional intermediate speech form‹, but also that the very concept of ›Umgangssprache‹ and its frequency of use differ between the two main Austrian dialect areas (Bavarian and Alemannic). Furthermore, the subjective naming of a speech form is related to the perceived degree of dialectality.
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This paper investigates the role of the Czech and Slovak language in the Stockerau judicial district around 1900, based on census data, surveys for the German language atlas, and job advertisements in German and Czech newspapers. The aim... more
This paper investigates the role of the Czech and Slovak language in the Stockerau judicial district around 1900, based on census data, surveys for the German language atlas, and job advertisements in German and Czech newspapers. The aim is to provide a comprehensive picture of the relationship and contact between the different language groups at the time, beyond mere quantitative assessments. The results indicate a clear spatial and social segregation of the Czech workforce in rural areas. By contrast, in the city of Stockerau, multilingualism, viz. Czech, gained some ground in several social domains.
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The Weitra region (Vitorazsko) is an area on the border between the southern Bohemian region of Nové Hrady (Gratzen) and Třeboň (Wittingau) and the Lower Austrian Waldviertel. The original centre of the area was the town of Weitra... more
The Weitra region (Vitorazsko) is an area on the border between the southern Bohemian region of Nové Hrady (Gratzen) and Třeboň (Wittingau) and the Lower Austrian Waldviertel. The original centre of the area was the town of Weitra (Vitoraz). Settled in the wake of the more recent wave of Slavic colonisation during the 8th century, it has been an area influenced by Slavs (Czechs) and Bavarians alike over the centuries. Our study traces language and cultural contacts in today’s Austrian part of this area, investigating patron saints of churches (such as Wenceslaus), toponyms, as well as Czech interferences and loanwords in the region’s East-Central Bavarian dialect.
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When place names developed in medieval times, their meaning was typically clearly comprehensible, whether they were compounds with certain head elements, simplex or derived words. However, due to language evolution, modifying elements or... more
When place names developed in medieval times, their meaning was typically clearly comprehensible, whether they were compounds with certain head elements, simplex or derived words. However, due to language evolution, modifying elements or simplex words may become obsolete and hence lose their semantic transparency. In place names, they may be semantically re-motivated by synchronic folk etymology that identifies them with similar sounding words of current language. In combination with the remaining head elements, this often leads to odd compounds without comprehensible meaning. If the odd compound, however, remains comprehensible, the new meaning and its folk etymology are often reflected in tales or coats of arms. Place names with offensive and supposedly sexual meaning are consciously distorted to odd, meaningless forms.
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In the light of different proposals of a phonologically based periodization of German, this article proposes – in analogy to areal linguistics – the introduction of »transition zones« for the history of German, in order to account for the... more
In the light of different proposals of a phonologically based periodization of German, this article proposes – in analogy to areal linguistics – the introduction of »transition zones« for the history of German, in order to account for the »double-faced« issue of continuity (i.e., gradual transition) and discontinuity (i.e., »sharp boundaries«) in the description of linguistic phenomena. The case of Early New High German is used for explication of the proposal.
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The High German consonant shift affected all Old High German dialects to varying degrees; and Bavarian dialects partook in this sound change extensively. In this article, we first describe the phonetic and phonological properties as well... more
The High German consonant shift affected all Old High German dialects to varying degrees; and Bavarian dialects partook in this sound change extensively. In this article, we first describe the phonetic and phonological properties as well as the diachronic development of the Germanic velar plosives from the Germanic consonant shift up to Old High German. Then, we showcase the possibilities for phonological research via the lexicographical online database of the Dictionary of Bavarian Dialects in Austria by analyzing the typological and phonotactic synchronic distribution of velar onset clusters in the Bavarian dialects of Austria and South Tyrol.
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The topic of this contribution is the analysis of three dialect-syntactic phenomena (complementizer agreement, article doubling, negative concord) based on the data of the Dictionary of Bavarian Dialects in Austria. As the results show,... more
The topic of this contribution is the analysis of three dialect-syntactic phenomena (complementizer agreement, article doubling, negative concord) based on the data of the Dictionary of Bavarian Dialects in Austria. As the results show, descriptions from recent studies can largely be validated on the basis of our data. However, our analyses also provide new insights that partially relativize the received state of knowledge and encourage further examination of the phenomena concerned. Thus, our material, which was actually created for lexicographical purposes, proves to be a unique and extremely profitable resource which – with the necessary method-critical caution – should be used for studies beyond dictionary work in the future.
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Although standard varieties of German are generally described as PUT-less, recent research has yielded evidence for the fact that the GIVE-verb geben may fill this gap in the cognitive-semantic network of German motion verbs in standard... more
Although standard varieties of German are generally described as PUT-less, recent research has yielded evidence for the fact that the GIVE-verb geben may fill this gap in the cognitive-semantic network of German motion verbs in standard Austrian German. This usage is most probably a transfer from Czech. To substantiate this claim, the present article sheds light on the diachronic development of the phenomenon in Old Czech, finding that Czech dáti ‘give’ was already a fully established basic PUT-verb by 1500. I also identify a possible pivot construction in the grammaticalization process, namely the specification of a certain body part of the RECIPIENT as the GOAL of the transfer. Such examples are probably the first attestations of dáti in PUT-like contexts.
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This introduction contextualises the contributions to this special issue in the two marking events of 2020, i.e. the Covid-19-pandemic and the Black Lives Matter-movement. It will briefly outline the challenges and stakes of research on... more
This introduction contextualises the contributions to this special issue in
the two marking events of 2020, i.e. the Covid-19-pandemic and the Black Lives Matter-movement. It will briefly outline the challenges and stakes of research on language and race, first and foremost by touching on terminological issues that differ in Europa vs. the United States. Further, it will argue for the genre of the essay for discussing issues around language and racism, and, finally present each essay contribution to this special issue. These essays offer a broad thematical, methodological, and stylistic range: from auto-ethnographic accounts and reflections on experiences with racism and/or whiteness to papers on selected issues, e.g. the discrimination against speakers of Jamaican Patwa or racist discursive strategies in political discussions of Covid-19.
the two marking events of 2020, i.e. the Covid-19-pandemic and the Black Lives Matter-movement. It will briefly outline the challenges and stakes of research on language and race, first and foremost by touching on terminological issues that differ in Europa vs. the United States. Further, it will argue for the genre of the essay for discussing issues around language and racism, and, finally present each essay contribution to this special issue. These essays offer a broad thematical, methodological, and stylistic range: from auto-ethnographic accounts and reflections on experiences with racism and/or whiteness to papers on selected issues, e.g. the discrimination against speakers of Jamaican Patwa or racist discursive strategies in political discussions of Covid-19.
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Das jamaikanische Kreolisch genießt im Vereinigten Königreich wenig Prestige. In Bildungsinstitutionen sowie in den Medien werden Sprecher*innen des Jamaikanisch-Kreolischen systematisch diskriminiert. Jamaikanisches Kreolisch wird in... more
Das jamaikanische Kreolisch genießt im Vereinigten Königreich wenig
Prestige. In Bildungsinstitutionen sowie in den Medien werden
Sprecher*innen des Jamaikanisch-Kreolischen systematisch diskriminiert. Jamaikanisches Kreolisch wird in Schulen nicht als Sprache anerkannt, sondern als fehlerhaftes Englisch wahrgenommen. Darstellungen von jamaikanischem Kreolisch in Filmen und Serien enthalten oft rassistische Stereotypen und die Sprache wird häufig mit Kriminalität assoziiert. Dieser Artikel zeigt Beispiele dieser Diskriminierung auf und erläutert die negativen Konsequenzen davon.
Prestige. In Bildungsinstitutionen sowie in den Medien werden
Sprecher*innen des Jamaikanisch-Kreolischen systematisch diskriminiert. Jamaikanisches Kreolisch wird in Schulen nicht als Sprache anerkannt, sondern als fehlerhaftes Englisch wahrgenommen. Darstellungen von jamaikanischem Kreolisch in Filmen und Serien enthalten oft rassistische Stereotypen und die Sprache wird häufig mit Kriminalität assoziiert. Dieser Artikel zeigt Beispiele dieser Diskriminierung auf und erläutert die negativen Konsequenzen davon.
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In the following essay, structural as well as everyday racism is discussed from multiple perspectives. By describing everyday situations, I aim at uncovering prevailing racist narratives and practices. I trace the origins of some... more
In the following essay, structural as well as everyday racism is discussed
from multiple perspectives. By describing everyday situations, I aim at
uncovering prevailing racist narratives and practices. I trace the origins of some racialized descriptions and nominations and make them visible in present day discourse. Finally, I shed light on current examples of language policy in different regions of the world and the role of scholarship in the process of racialization. With all of these elaborations, I try to show the everyday involvement of each one of us in racist practices and processes.
from multiple perspectives. By describing everyday situations, I aim at
uncovering prevailing racist narratives and practices. I trace the origins of some racialized descriptions and nominations and make them visible in present day discourse. Finally, I shed light on current examples of language policy in different regions of the world and the role of scholarship in the process of racialization. With all of these elaborations, I try to show the everyday involvement of each one of us in racist practices and processes.
Research Interests:
This essay deals with a scandal spread by the media at the beginning of the corona pandemic in Europe in April 2020. In a television interview, two French physicians had made the case for testing a potential vaccine in Africa. Via social... more
This essay deals with a scandal spread by the media at the beginning of the corona pandemic in Europe in April 2020. In a television interview, two French physicians had made the case for testing a potential vaccine in Africa. Via social media, under the hashtag #AfricansAreNotLabRats, the statements were soon interpreted as dehumanizing and colonialist ideas. By drawing a connection to the fields of animal ethics and moral
psychology, I will discuss the media responses and the human-animal
analogies that are present in them. Finally, I claim that the specific form of resistance in social media shows something more profound about the way we engage in colonialist power structures: We still define ourselves as human beings by distancing us from other beings along a social hierarchy whose roots go back to colonial history.
psychology, I will discuss the media responses and the human-animal
analogies that are present in them. Finally, I claim that the specific form of resistance in social media shows something more profound about the way we engage in colonialist power structures: We still define ourselves as human beings by distancing us from other beings along a social hierarchy whose roots go back to colonial history.
Research Interests:
The coronavirus first appeared prominently in political discourse in the USA and Europe at the beginning of 2020. Focusing on Austria and the US, I discuss differences and similarities between the rhetoric used by prominent politicians... more
The coronavirus first appeared prominently in political discourse in the
USA and Europe at the beginning of 2020. Focusing on Austria and the US, I discuss differences and similarities between the rhetoric used by
prominent politicians and the way their discourse strategies connect to
racialized perceived enemies, previously established in public discourse.
Some clear continuities can be identified here with discursive actors in both countries using remarkably similar strategies to convey these connections. These strategies are discussed also within the given context of the US presidential election 2020 and the Viennese election 2020.
USA and Europe at the beginning of 2020. Focusing on Austria and the US, I discuss differences and similarities between the rhetoric used by
prominent politicians and the way their discourse strategies connect to
racialized perceived enemies, previously established in public discourse.
Some clear continuities can be identified here with discursive actors in both countries using remarkably similar strategies to convey these connections. These strategies are discussed also within the given context of the US presidential election 2020 and the Viennese election 2020.
Research Interests:
This essay aims to offer an argumentation basis to encourage sensitive language use in our fellow humans. I argue that racism and language are inseparably connected for two reasons: First, racist thoughts and attitudes are not only... more
This essay aims to offer an argumentation basis to encourage sensitive
language use in our fellow humans. I argue that racism and language are
inseparably connected for two reasons: First, racist thoughts and attitudes are not only expressed through but also shaped by language practices. Second, the idea of race itself is a discursive construct. Therefore, in order to combat systematic racism, it is essential to use language in a sensitive way and especially avoid expressions with racist connotations. Still, many people continue to use these expressions, claiming that they mean no harm. In this essay, I explain some people’s persistent use of racist vocabularies with two psychological theories: the theory of cognitive dissonance and theory of reactance. Eventually, I discuss possible strategies how to approach people who use racist vocabulary.
language use in our fellow humans. I argue that racism and language are
inseparably connected for two reasons: First, racist thoughts and attitudes are not only expressed through but also shaped by language practices. Second, the idea of race itself is a discursive construct. Therefore, in order to combat systematic racism, it is essential to use language in a sensitive way and especially avoid expressions with racist connotations. Still, many people continue to use these expressions, claiming that they mean no harm. In this essay, I explain some people’s persistent use of racist vocabularies with two psychological theories: the theory of cognitive dissonance and theory of reactance. Eventually, I discuss possible strategies how to approach people who use racist vocabulary.
Research Interests:
To provide a perspective on the blind spot of one’s own ‘whiteness’, an auto-ethnographic method is used in this essay. The goal will be to obtain a new/different narrative structure along randomly selected segments of memory and thus a... more
To provide a perspective on the blind spot of one’s own ‘whiteness’, an
auto-ethnographic method is used in this essay. The goal will be to obtain a new/different narrative structure along randomly selected segments of memory and thus a new perspective on one’s own past self and (›white‹) growing up. With a special focus on the interplay of language, identity formation, social positioning, and stereotyped expectations, various theoretical concepts are used as templates to better trace the effect of socially constructed categories such as ‘white’. Especially related to my lived experience of growing up as a white and therefore privileged young woman, there is a need to reflect on the influence and impact of this social determinant in my coming of age. This essay aims to establish a relationship between acquired theoretical knowledge about postcolonial theories, language policy, racism, and critical whiteness and what is experienced, without ignoring or even concealing one’s own well-placed social position. The written thoughts show that further critical reflection and deeper theoretical and practical discussions are needed to better trace the blind spot mentioned at the beginning.
auto-ethnographic method is used in this essay. The goal will be to obtain a new/different narrative structure along randomly selected segments of memory and thus a new perspective on one’s own past self and (›white‹) growing up. With a special focus on the interplay of language, identity formation, social positioning, and stereotyped expectations, various theoretical concepts are used as templates to better trace the effect of socially constructed categories such as ‘white’. Especially related to my lived experience of growing up as a white and therefore privileged young woman, there is a need to reflect on the influence and impact of this social determinant in my coming of age. This essay aims to establish a relationship between acquired theoretical knowledge about postcolonial theories, language policy, racism, and critical whiteness and what is experienced, without ignoring or even concealing one’s own well-placed social position. The written thoughts show that further critical reflection and deeper theoretical and practical discussions are needed to better trace the blind spot mentioned at the beginning.
Research Interests:
In current times, racism is an issue more relevant and spoken about than ever. Even though awareness concerning the topic seems to grow, it is undeniable that racism is deeply ingrained in society and encountered by many people on a... more
In current times, racism is an issue more relevant and spoken about than
ever. Even though awareness concerning the topic seems to grow, it is
undeniable that racism is deeply ingrained in society and encountered by
many people on a day-to-day basis. The goal of this essay is to explore
linguistic aspects of everyday racism, talk about the role language plays in this issue and reflect upon the underlying problem concerning racism and language.
ever. Even though awareness concerning the topic seems to grow, it is
undeniable that racism is deeply ingrained in society and encountered by
many people on a day-to-day basis. The goal of this essay is to explore
linguistic aspects of everyday racism, talk about the role language plays in this issue and reflect upon the underlying problem concerning racism and language.
Research Interests:
In onderstaande auto-etnografische tekst reflecteert Sibo Kanobana over een alledaags voorval aan een Europese universiteit tijdens de coronapandemie van 2020. Daarbij toont hij aan hoe alledaags racisme in werking treedt in een witte... more
In onderstaande auto-etnografische tekst reflecteert Sibo Kanobana over
een alledaags voorval aan een Europese universiteit tijdens de coronapandemie van 2020. Daarbij toont hij aan hoe alledaags racisme in werking treedt in een witte academische omgeving en hoe een klein voorval het zelfbeeld van de betrokkene aantast. De tekst beschrijft vervolgens hoe op die manier zelftwijfel aangewakkerd wordt en bijdraagt tot de moeilijkheid om in een witte wereld zonder schroom over racisme te praten.
een alledaags voorval aan een Europese universiteit tijdens de coronapandemie van 2020. Daarbij toont hij aan hoe alledaags racisme in werking treedt in een witte academische omgeving en hoe een klein voorval het zelfbeeld van de betrokkene aantast. De tekst beschrijft vervolgens hoe op die manier zelftwijfel aangewakkerd wordt en bijdraagt tot de moeilijkheid om in een witte wereld zonder schroom over racisme te praten.
Research Interests:
This article analyzes how communicative competence and politeness are co-constructed in one episode of <i>Easy Japanese for Work</i>, an online video-program for learners of Japanese. The episode analyzed in this article introduces a... more
This article analyzes how communicative competence and politeness are co-constructed in one episode of <i>Easy Japanese for Work</i>, an online video-program for learners of Japanese. The episode analyzed in this article introduces a young man from Vietnam whose language use toward his superiors is deemed ‘too casual’ when asking for permission at work. He tackles a role play challenge that is evaluated by two experts of Japanese language education and business manners, who suggest a key phrase to make his Japanese ‘more polite’. Throughout the program, the experts, the learner’s superiors at his workplace, and the narrator evaluate his performance. My analysis exemplifies how a single discursive element uttered by the learner (<i>daijoobu desu ka</i>, ‘is it OK?’) is entextualized and metapragmatically evaluated as insufficiently polite. It is shown that, apart from verbal indexical expressions, various semiotic resources, such as gesture and gaze, but also visual-textual means, e.g. subtitles, and colors, are employed to position the learner as someone who is in need of adjusting his language use in workplace interactions.
Research Interests: Linguistic Politeness, Sociolinguistics, Applied Linguistics, Multimodal Interaction, Japanese Language, and 10 moreMetapragmatics, Communicative Competence, Entextualization, Soziolinguistik, Kommunikative Kompetenz, Höflichkeit, Metapragmatik, Angewandte Sprachwissenschaft, metapragmatische Positionierung, and Textualisierung
Bei der Verbreitung vieler sich im Gange befindenden Lautwandel wird den sich im Wandel involvierten Varianten eine soziale Bedeutung zugeschrieben (Eckert 2019). In der deutschen Sprache hat sich der Artikulationsort des Phonems /r/... more
Bei der Verbreitung vieler sich im Gange befindenden Lautwandel wird den sich im Wandel involvierten Varianten eine soziale Bedeutung zugeschrieben (Eckert 2019). In der deutschen Sprache hat sich der Artikulationsort des Phonems /r/ zunehmend von einem alveolaren zu einem uvularen verändert. Unterdessen sind in der zweiten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts Migrant/inn/en mit nicht-deutschen Erstsprachen Teil der deutschen Sprachgemeinschaft in Österreich geworden. Eine auffallende Interferenz ihrer Erstsprachen im Deutschen ist die Verwendung eines alveolaren /r/. Das führte zu unterschiedlichen sozialen Bedeutungen dieser Variante. In dieser Studie wurde die soziale Bedeutung der alveolaren und uvularen Realisierungen, gesprochen von einem jeweils jüngeren (18 Jahre) und älteren (59 Jahre) Sprecher österreichischen Deutschs, untersucht. Teil der Vorgehensweise waren zwei Experimente; eine modifizierte Version des Matched-Guise-Test und zwei Audio- Ausschnitte, gefolgt von offenen Fragen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass obwohl die alveolaren Varianten die archaischen im Lautwandel sind, sie, unabhängig vom Sprecheralter, mit einer sogenannten ›migrantischen Persona‹ assoziiert werden.
Research Interests:
The paper investigates the way four-year-old monolingual German- speaking children reproduce the so-called Frog Story (Mayer 1969). The main question is which differences can be identified concerning the narrative characteristics... more
The paper investigates the way four-year-old monolingual German- speaking children reproduce the so-called Frog Story (Mayer 1969). The main question is which differences can be identified concerning the narrative characteristics displayed in the children’s reproductions. These reproductions were analyzed both in terms of narrative structure (cf. Berman and Slobin 1994), and in terms of the positive realization of certain narrative means (cf. Hoffmann 2018). According to most studies and the relevant literature, (young) children are expected to produce descriptions rather than narratives when reproducing a picture story. The qualitative (and additional quantitative) analysis though reveals that only half of the children’s reproductions are descriptive while the other half shows narrative characteristics of different kind – and to different extent. The groups vary regarding all investigated aspects in a way that children with narrative reproductions show more elaborate results.
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Identity is assumed to be a discursive construct, often showing a close connection to notions of ethnicity and language. In this paper, we investigate the identity construction of three young Italians living in Vienna. We examine which... more
Identity is assumed to be a discursive construct, often showing a close connection to notions of ethnicity and language. In this paper, we investigate the identity construction of three young Italians living in Vienna. We examine which factors contribute to their (non-)identification with Italy and Austria with a special regard to language. Embedded in the framework of language biographical research and drawing on aspects of Critical Discourse Analysis we analyze three individual interviews along with language portraits and one group interview with the same three participants. Contrary to our prior assumptions, our analysis shows that all three participants unambiguously identify as Italian. Their identification is characterized by an essentialism that closely connects the concepts of identity, language, and ethnicity.
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Based on two online questionnaire surveys with experimental design conducted in late 2019, this paper examines cognitive and conative aspects of attitudes towards Czech surnames in Vienna. The results indicate that Czech graphematics and... more
Based on two online questionnaire surveys with experimental design conducted in late 2019, this paper examines cognitive and conative aspects of attitudes towards Czech surnames in Vienna. The results indicate that Czech graphematics and – to a lesser degree – etymology have an impact on perceived foreignness and affect the informants’ behaviour towards bearers of names with either Czech graphematics or Czech etymology significantly. The results are comparably stable over various experimental variations.
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Dass die Alemannischen Dialekte (ALM) die Vokalqualität des Schweizer- hochdeutschen (SHD) prägt, wurde bereits mehrmals untersucht. Hingegen liegen noch keine systematischen Studien über die dialektale Prägung der Vokal- und... more
Dass die Alemannischen Dialekte (ALM) die Vokalqualität des Schweizer- hochdeutschen (SHD) prägt, wurde bereits mehrmals untersucht. Hingegen liegen noch keine systematischen Studien über die dialektale Prägung der Vokal- und Konsonantenquantität im SHD vor. Diese Studie erforscht deshalb bei vier Dialekten, wie sich ALM auf die Länge der Vokale (V) und Konsonanten (K) in den jeweiligen SHD-Varietäten auswirkt. Segmentdaueranalysen zweisilbiger Wörter mit kurzen/langen V/K zeigten, dass (1) die vier Dialekte im Prinzip das gleiche V/K-Quantitätssystem aufweisen (trotz z.T. unterschiedlicher Verteilung der Vokalquantitäten bei bestimmten Wörtern) und dass dieses System auch im SHD angewendet wird. (2) Statistisch signifikante Dauerunterschiede in den regionalen SHD-Varietäten wurden nur bei Wörtern gefunden, bei denen ein phonologischer Quantitätsunterschied zwischen den ALM- und SHD-Äquivalenten vorliegt. Diese Unterschiede sind jedoch nicht dialektspezifisch, sondern können bei allen Dialekten mit diesen Quantitätsunterschieden vorkommen.
Research Interests:
In this introductory article, we will outline the general aims and attempts of the special issue at hand. We will introduce the central concepts, precarity and precariousness – or, for that matter, perceptions and constructions of those... more
In this introductory article, we will outline the general aims and attempts of the special issue at hand. We will introduce the central concepts, precarity and precariousness – or, for that matter, perceptions and constructions of those states –, and we will contextualize these concepts in relation to a range of other concepts with diverse disciplinary background, namely crisis, liminality, and ambivalence. We will unfold an interactional, metapragmatic notion of precarity perceptions and constructions as ‘social positioning on slippery ground’. Finally, the contributions to this special issue will be briefly introduced.
Research Interests:
This paper deals with the term precarity as a dynamic concept that emerges through linguistic interactions. Applying linguistic conversation analysis to everyday talk, I will show which verbal methods unemployed men use to construct their... more
This paper deals with the term precarity as a dynamic concept that emerges through linguistic interactions. Applying linguistic conversation analysis to everyday talk, I will show which verbal methods unemployed men use to construct their (stigmatised) identity in relation to a specific public place. They construct themselves 1. as communication objects without inter-pretive power and agency, 2. as restricted and involuntarily addressable in communication with the city administration and the police, with regard to the public place where they meet, and 3. as subjects equipped with agency in a (fictional) communication that is uncertain for others. Precarity here is a synonym for social uncertainty and the experience of status turbulences resulting from criteria relevant to the individual or respective social group.
Research Interests:
This article examines conversations in organizations for homeless assis-tance in Germany in which social workers discuss precarious living situations with their clients. The analyses show that (most of) the conversations about such... more
This article examines conversations in organizations for homeless assis-tance in Germany in which social workers discuss precarious living situations with their clients. The analyses show that (most of) the conversations about such precarious social situations are precarious themselves. Precarious social situations and precarious conversations are comparable: In each case, precarity is understood as a constellation in which two contradictory reference orientations apply simultaneously (socially constructed normality and clients’ actual normality). Precarity in conversations results from the participants communicatively establishing different reference points for normality. Findings are that coping strategies for precarious situations can also be observed as communicative strategies in conversations. However, the same clients show different strategies to deal with either social or communicative precarity. In general, such research helps improve our understanding of precarity and its effects on social (inter)action.
Research Interests:
The article aims to identify how precarity and social exclusion can be experienced as a traumatic loss of voice. It is based on a transdisciplinary research project on traumatic experience, multilingualism, and resilience and presents the... more
The article aims to identify how precarity and social exclusion can be experienced as a traumatic loss of voice. It is based on a transdisciplinary research project on traumatic experience, multilingualism, and resilience and presents the case study of a woman, who lived as an undocumented migrant in Austria for many years. The paper begins by reflecting on social exclusion and theoretical perspectives about trauma in the context of displacement, precarity, voice, and the loss of voice. The results are discussed in terms of the bodily-emotional
dimension of language, the experience of isolation, fear and anger, the re-invocation of former experiences and the use of language resources that contribute to strengthen resilience.
dimension of language, the experience of isolation, fear and anger, the re-invocation of former experiences and the use of language resources that contribute to strengthen resilience.
Research Interests:
Asylum seekers often struggle with various insecurities and uncertainties, given the indeterminate duration and outcome of the asylum proceedings. The legal status of a person (e.g., asylum seeker, recognized refugee) regu-lates their... more
Asylum seekers often struggle with various insecurities and uncertainties, given the indeterminate duration and outcome of the asylum proceedings. The legal status of a person (e.g., asylum seeker, recognized refugee) regu-lates their agency and possibilities for participation. In the case of Austria, the temporary legal status of asylum seekers implies various restrictions and precarious living conditions. This contribution explores this dimension of uncertainty and the construction of agency of asylum seekers in Austria. On the basis of interviews with asylum seekers in Vienna, I investigate how interviewees construct themselves as agents and how they position themselves towards their current living conditions and their uncertain legal status. The contribution shows that the interviewed asylum seekers face similar constraints and uncertainties, share similar experiences (i.e., waiting), and position themselves in similar ways. The paper presents the interviewees’ complex positioning strategies, including strategies of resistance and distancing from structural constraints and dominant discourses.
Research Interests:
Along with recent scholarship, we hold that ethnography is a reflexive endeavour and a liminal activity. It has been a basic tenet in ethnography that knowledge is produced in reflexive engagement not only with the research context but... more
Along with recent scholarship, we hold that ethnography is a reflexive endeavour and a liminal activity. It has been a basic tenet in ethnography that knowledge is produced in reflexive engagement not only with the research context but also with researcher’s experiences thereof. Liminality describes ambivalent roles, shifting contexts, and it also critically challenges dichotomous categories that structure academic knowledge production. This paper aims to deepen this argument by engaging with phenomena of precariousness and precarity in fieldwork rapport, moments of symbolic and material interdependency and vulnerability. Thereby, we do not only look into the existential fragility of ethnographic research, but we also highlight the resourcefulness of such phenomena – in terms of ethics but also in terms of understanding the research object. In this sense, we argue that ethnography is, besides being reflexive and liminal, a precarious practice. By precarious ethnography we thus refer to the resourceful yet dependent nature of contact at the heart of ethnography.
Research Interests: Sex and Gender, Ethnography, Sociolinguistics, Reflexivity, Race and Ethnicity, and 15 moreGender, Liminality, Pierre Bourdieu, Precarity, Rapport, Precariousness, Ethnographie, Positionality, Soziolinguistik, Positionality in Research, Reflexive Ethnography, Researcher Positionality, Liminalität, Prekäre Ethnographie, and precarious ethnography
Discourses of uncertainty and ambivalence are analysed in this contribution as being peculiar for the ways in which Otherness is constructed: it is always the Other, and not the Self, who is precarious and undergoing status change. In an... more
Discourses of uncertainty and ambivalence are analysed in this contribution as being peculiar for the ways in which Otherness is constructed: it is always the Other, and not the Self, who is precarious and undergoing status change. In an utterly contradictory setting that frequently involves carnivalesque performances of inversion, the Other is integrated in these performances in order to negate the potential precariousness of the Self. The fragile status of party tourists on the Spanish island of Mallorca and the attempts of West African migrants, who in various ways cater for the needs of the tourists, to establish themselves as immigrants, are explored in terms of the discursive resonances they produce as well as in terms of cultural mobility and social dynamics.
Research Interests:
Multilingualism is the absolute norm in the everyday-experienced life of participants in German language courses in the field of adult education (Council of Europe 2001). Yet, this does not seem to have direct effects on the didactic... more
Multilingualism is the absolute norm in the everyday-experienced life of participants in German language courses in the field of adult education (Council of Europe 2001). Yet, this does not seem to have direct effects on the didactic implementation of this multilingual resource. In light of relevant approaches to foreign and second language education, this article discusses the attitudes towards multilingualism of course instructors for German as a Second Language in Germany, drawing on a quantitative study with 884 participants. The study shows that one third of the respondents present a consistent and marked monolingual habitus.
Research Interests: Adult Education, Multilingualism, Quantitative Methods, Survey Research, Language Attitudes, and 15 moreMehrsprachigkeit, Didaktik der Mehrsprachigkeit, Multilingual Education, Attitude, Sprachlehrforschung, Deutschland, Erwachsenenbildung, Monolingualism, Teaching English as a second language and " Deutsch als Zweitsprache", DaF-Unterricht, Deutsch Als Zweitsprache, Teaching and Learning In Adult and Higher Education, Einstellungsforschung, Lehrerprofessionalisierung im Bereich Deutsch als Fremd- und Zweitsprache, and Deutsch als Zweit-/ und Fremdsprache
Since 2003, German skills have represented one of the primary integration requirements for so-called Third Country Nationals to obtain a residence permit for Austria. They are obligated by law to not only study German but to reach a... more
Since 2003, German skills have represented one of the primary integration requirements for so-called Third Country Nationals to obtain a residence permit for Austria. They are obligated by law to not only study German but to reach a defined level of proficiency within a designated time frame. If the Third Country National does not pass the test, he or she can get deported to their country of citizenship. This article draws from the concepts of Spracherleben, the lived experience of language, as well as the linguistic repertoire, and the method of language portraits (Busch 2013), to present the personal experience of learning German as a Third Country National. Based on one interview, this article discusses emotional effects this linguistic obligation has on an individual and further explains his experience of language in society.
Research Interests:
This paper serves to explore and depict the lived experience of sign language as well as individual language identity based on the case study of Vicky, a female university student and Austrian sign language user. Concerning Vicky’s... more
This paper serves to explore and depict the lived experience of sign language as well as individual language identity based on the case study of Vicky, a female university student and Austrian sign language user. Concerning Vicky’s linguistic biography, it should be mentioned that her first contact with Austrian sign language only occurred in the university context. Her first language was spoken German, since communication in family and school always took place via the verbal modality. Vicky’s account emphasizes that her involvement with sign language and sign language culture affected her life in a highly positive way.
Research Interests: Sign Languages, Language and Identity, Sign Language Linguistics, Sprache und Identität, Linguistic Minorities, and 9 moreIdentität, Language in Education, Gebärdensprache, Linguistic Repertoire, Gebärdensprachen, Sprachbiographien, Spracherleben, Angewandte Sprachwissenschaft, and Österreichische Gebärdensprache
Minority languages are often reduced to their quantity: There are only x speakers left, the number of speakers is declining, and the language disappears. Speaker numbers offer a seemingly simple and objective way to quantify the... more
Minority languages are often reduced to their quantity: There are only x speakers left, the number of speakers is declining, and the language disappears. Speaker numbers offer a seemingly simple and objective way to quantify the development of a language. However, there is not one fail-safe way of counting languages or speakers. This paper reviews the possibilities to count languages (and speakers) and the difficulties involved when reviewing the data. Using examples from minority languages in Austria, it is shown that the resulting numbers are far from objective because they heavily depend on the way the survey is conducted: Who asks whom and how? Moreover, the definition of a ‘minority language’ itself is examined: When is a language considered a minority language? As the paper shows, the two concepts ‘minority’ (in the sense of ethnic group) and ‘minority language’ are heavily interwoven and the lines often get blurred—especially when it comes to passing laws which grant rights to minority groups. For these laws, the results of language surveys are frequently used to measure how many members of a minority group live in an area. This means that language surveys are not just a linguistic tool, but have farreaching consequences, particularly for members of a minority group.
Research Interests: Languages and Linguistics, Minority Languages, Minority language rights, Linguistic Minorities, Census, and 13 moreCensus data, Austria, Linguistic rights of minorities, Ethnic and Linguistic Minorities, National minorities, Carinthia, Carinthian Slovenes, Ethnic and Language Minorities, Sprachminderheiten, Volkszählung, Minderheitenrechte, Regional- und Minderheitensprachen, and Sprachzählung
After decades of spatial segregation, it is not surprising that space features prominently in the way apartheid is remembered in South Africa. More than 20 years after the first democratic elections, a new generation, referred to as the... more
After decades of spatial segregation, it is not surprising that space features prominently in the way apartheid is remembered in South Africa. More than 20 years after the first democratic elections, a new generation, referred to as the born-frees, has grown up. I focus on how representatives of this generation make sense of the past for which I conducted interviews in six schools in different areas of Cape Town which used to be black, coloured and white Group Areas respectively. The chronotope by Mikhail Bakhtin provided me with a nuanced analysis of how subjects construe the past in spatial-temporal terms. I work out two aspects of the chronotope which are particularly salient in my data: the chronotope as a model of agency and as a participation framework.
Research Interests: Discourse Analysis, Sociolinguistics, History and Memory, Bakhtin, Apartheid, and 19 moreMemory Studies, Intergenerational Relationships, Positioning Theory, Memory, Mikhail Bakhtin, South Africa, Cape Town, Stance, Bakhtin's theory of the chronotope, Post-Apartheid, Race and identity in post-apartheid South Africa, Chronotope, Erinnerungskultur (memory culture), Bakthin, District Six, Positioning, Born Frees, 'Born frees', and Group Areas Act
Dieser Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit der Frage, wie die Komposita im Türkischen strukturiert sind. Das Kompositum ist eine Verbindung von zumindest zwei Wörtern oder Wortstämmen, wobei sich semantisch Determinativ- und Kopulativkomposita... more
Dieser Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit der Frage, wie die Komposita im Türkischen strukturiert sind. Das Kompositum ist eine Verbindung von zumindest zwei Wörtern oder Wortstämmen, wobei sich semantisch Determinativ- und Kopulativkomposita wie demir kapı ›Eisentür‹ und demirbaş ›Inventar‹ unterscheiden. Possessivkomposita wie karabaş ›Schäfer¬hund‹, sırtıkara ›Blaufisch‹ gehören als eine besondere Art zu den Determinativkomposita. Dabei führt die Schreibart der Komposition in vielen Fällen zum Bedeutungsunterschied: aslan ağzı ›Maul eines Löwen‹ und aslanağzı ›Löwenmaul (Antirrhinum majus)‹. Strukturell werden im Türkischen von drei Arten der Komposita gesprochen: 1. Endungslose Komposita wie taş fırın ›Steinofen‹, karabaş ›Schäferhund‹ und demirbaş ›Inventar‹. 2. Komposita mit Possessivsuffix am Zweitglied wie ev kapısı ›Haustür‹. 3. Komposita mit Fugenelement wie sırtıkara ›Blaufisch‹, günebakan ›Sonnenblume‹.
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The German word denn derives from Old High German thanne (‘then’) (cf. Abraham 1991, Wauchope 1991, Wegener 2002). According to Abraham (1991), it was first a local adverb which later on could also serve as a temporal adverb. Afterwards... more
The German word denn derives from Old High German thanne (‘then’) (cf. Abraham 1991, Wauchope 1991, Wegener 2002). According to Abraham (1991), it was first a local adverb which later on could also serve as a temporal adverb. Afterwards it acquired the more abstract function of marking a causal antecedent (post hoc, ergo propter hoc). This reduction to a higher level of abstraction is iconically related to the weakening of the vowel /a/ to /e/, phonetically corresponding to [ε] or even [ə]. Dann as a temporal adverb as well as denn as a clause linker for a logical antecedent in the sense of because are still part of contemporary German. The point of interest for the present purpose is that already in Old High German denn had developed also into a discourse particle (DiP) that is confined to questions, polar as well as wh-questions.
Research Interests:
In the following pages, I consider three directions one might head in in capturing adjectival hydras. Facts considered here suggest that adjectival hydras are indeed more similar to RelC hydras than they are to RNR and other constructions... more
In the following pages, I consider three directions one might head in in capturing adjectival hydras. Facts considered here suggest that adjectival hydras are indeed more similar to RelC hydras than they are to RNR and other constructions with shared material. Yet extending existing accounts of traditional hydras to the adjectival construction is not without its challenges. In this squib, I call attention to some of these, but leave the ultimate analysis still open.
Research Interests:
The meaning of discourse particles like <ja> and <doch> in German has been the subject of intense research during the past decade and a half. In this paper I would like to propose and explore a particular, I believe novel, meaning for the... more
The meaning of discourse particles like <ja> and <doch> in German has been the subject of intense research during the past decade and a half. In this paper I would like to propose and explore a particular, I believe novel, meaning for the particles <ja> and <doch>.
Research Interests:
Italian differs greatly from English and French in the use of present participles in ‘reduced’ relative clauses (RCs). Its -ant-/-ent- present participles are a tiny subset of the -ing and -ant present participles of English and French.... more
Italian differs greatly from English and French in the use of present participles in ‘reduced’ relative clauses (RCs). Its -ant-/-ent- present participles are a tiny subset of the -ing and -ant present participles of English and French.
Here I will try to characterize the classes of verbs that have a productive present participle in Italian (building on Benincà & Cinque 1991) and consider how Italian renders those English and French present participles that cannot be rendered with present participles in Italian.
Here I will try to characterize the classes of verbs that have a productive present participle in Italian (building on Benincà & Cinque 1991) and consider how Italian renders those English and French present participles that cannot be rendered with present participles in Italian.
Research Interests:
In this squib, I reanalyze some of Czinglar’s (2014) data to investigate the detailed developmental sequence of the acquisition of finiteness and V2 in two late, but nevertheless fast, L2 learners of German. I will argue that their... more
In this squib, I reanalyze some of Czinglar’s (2014) data to investigate the detailed developmental sequence of the acquisition of finiteness and V2 in two late, but nevertheless fast, L2 learners of German. I will argue that their development can be explained by the functional architecture provided by universal grammar (UG).
Research Interests:
Ever since McCawley (1968) one of the fundamental questions of linguistic theory has been whether formalisms should be construed as derivational or representational in nature. The former focuses on how structures are built in an... more
Ever since McCawley (1968) one of the fundamental questions of linguistic theory has been whether formalisms should be construed as derivational or representational in nature. The former focuses on how structures are built in an incremental fashion from pre-defined atoms via structure-building operations, whereas the latter considers all possible structures and filters out the ill-formed ones via constraints. Even within Minimalism, proposals span the gamut from Strict Derivationalism (Stroik 2009, a.o.) all the way to the purely representational Mirror Theory (Brody 2000). Rather than adjudicating between the two, this
squib presents several computational arguments in support of a more pragmatic view that I call representational derivationalism. Representational derivationalism recognizes that both approaches have unique advantages and synthesizes them into a unique perspective of
syntax that opens up several new research venues.
squib presents several computational arguments in support of a more pragmatic view that I call representational derivationalism. Representational derivationalism recognizes that both approaches have unique advantages and synthesizes them into a unique perspective of
syntax that opens up several new research venues.
Research Interests:
To shed new light on the diachronic preconditions for the emergence of modal particles, this paper pursues the following strategy. I will investigate a lexeme that has developed a wohl-type reading even though its source lexeme is not a... more
To shed new light on the diachronic preconditions for the emergence of modal particles, this paper pursues the following strategy. I will investigate a lexeme that has developed a wohl-type reading even though its source lexeme is not a wohl-type element: the lexeme schier (lit. ‘almost, downright’) in East Austrian German. I compare the diachronic development of schier (which originates in Middle High German schiere ‘soon’) to that of wohl and conclude, in Section 3, that the common denominator is a notion of scalarity. For concreteness’ sake, I sketch a formalization for wohl in Section 4. The objective of this little study is to show how case studies of dialectal phenomena can
contribute to our understanding of more general patterns and developments.
contribute to our understanding of more general patterns and developments.
Research Interests:
The classical Binding Theory explained the behavior of anaphors as locally A-bound NPs. It had little to say about inherently reflexive plexredicates like wash in Max washed. A host of data related to the interpretation of implicit... more
The classical Binding Theory explained the behavior of anaphors as locally A-bound NPs. It had little to say about inherently reflexive plexredicates like wash in Max washed. A host of data related to the interpretation of implicit arguments led Williams (1987) to argue that
the Binding Theory should be formulated over thematic roles, rather than NP positions. That approach was fleshed out in great detail in Reinhart & Reuland (1993), with strong implications for Tanya Reinhart’s work on the content of thematic roles. Reinhart & Siloni (2005, 400) propose a “reflexivization operation [...] that takes two q-roles and forms one
complex q-role. [They] call this operation bundling”.
There are two puzzling aspects of Reinhart and Siloni’s (2005) paper. While they claim that a bundled reflexive role is assigned to a single NP argument, they write that the bundled roles must be dissociated in semantics, even for reflexives formed in the lexicon (ibid., 401). (1) below reproduces their (26c), (27a,b), respectively. Instead of (1b), which we would expect from the syntactic representation in (1a), we get (1c). This is puzzling, because it really undoes the effect of the bundling operation in favor of a bound variable treatment of reflexives. The other puzzling aspect is the lex-syn parameter: Why should some languages
lack lexically listed transitive-reflexive pairs of verbs?
(1) a. Syntactic output: Max[Agent-Theme] washed.
b. 9e [wash(e) & [Agent-Theme](e, Max)]
c. 9e [wash(e) & Agent(e, Max) & Theme(e, Max)]
In this squib I show that certain contexts appear to favor (1b) over (1c) and explore the consequences of this fact for Reinhart and Siloni’s (2005, 408) lex-syn parameter.
the Binding Theory should be formulated over thematic roles, rather than NP positions. That approach was fleshed out in great detail in Reinhart & Reuland (1993), with strong implications for Tanya Reinhart’s work on the content of thematic roles. Reinhart & Siloni (2005, 400) propose a “reflexivization operation [...] that takes two q-roles and forms one
complex q-role. [They] call this operation bundling”.
There are two puzzling aspects of Reinhart and Siloni’s (2005) paper. While they claim that a bundled reflexive role is assigned to a single NP argument, they write that the bundled roles must be dissociated in semantics, even for reflexives formed in the lexicon (ibid., 401). (1) below reproduces their (26c), (27a,b), respectively. Instead of (1b), which we would expect from the syntactic representation in (1a), we get (1c). This is puzzling, because it really undoes the effect of the bundling operation in favor of a bound variable treatment of reflexives. The other puzzling aspect is the lex-syn parameter: Why should some languages
lack lexically listed transitive-reflexive pairs of verbs?
(1) a. Syntactic output: Max[Agent-Theme] washed.
b. 9e [wash(e) & [Agent-Theme](e, Max)]
c. 9e [wash(e) & Agent(e, Max) & Theme(e, Max)]
In this squib I show that certain contexts appear to favor (1b) over (1c) and explore the consequences of this fact for Reinhart and Siloni’s (2005, 408) lex-syn parameter.
Research Interests:
Initially, there was a simple question incited by a simple observation: what might be the grammatical reason for the ungrammaticality of subjectless clauses in English? The observation was this: “There is compelling evidence that the... more
Initially, there was a simple question incited by a simple observation: what might be the grammatical reason for the ungrammaticality of subjectless clauses in English? The observation was this: “There is compelling evidence that the subject of a clause is obligatory in English and similar languages (Chomsky 1981, 40).”
In the absence of any deeper understanding, the empirical finding has been turned into an axiomatic grammatical constraint, namely the 'Extended projection principle' (EPP). It should be obvious that this is merely a technical restatement of the fact and the unanswered original question is turned into an unanswered technical question: why would a grammar have to embody such a requirement? In Lasnik's words (2001, 356) “The ‘Extended Projection Principle’ (EPP) has been […] a pervasive mystery since it was first formulated by Chomsky (1981).”
In the absence of any deeper understanding, the empirical finding has been turned into an axiomatic grammatical constraint, namely the 'Extended projection principle' (EPP). It should be obvious that this is merely a technical restatement of the fact and the unanswered original question is turned into an unanswered technical question: why would a grammar have to embody such a requirement? In Lasnik's words (2001, 356) “The ‘Extended Projection Principle’ (EPP) has been […] a pervasive mystery since it was first formulated by Chomsky (1981).”
Research Interests:
The present squib investigates prosodic triggers for extraposition of PPs (PP-EX) that originate in an object DP. It presents a prosodic pilot study, which suggests that extraposition alters the overall prosodic shape of the utterance to... more
The present squib investigates prosodic triggers for extraposition of PPs (PP-EX) that originate in an object DP. It presents a prosodic pilot study, which suggests that extraposition alters the overall prosodic shape of the utterance to the effect that the pitch accent on the PP-selecting noun is strengthened. This effect is argued to be a consequence of default pitch assignment. If the PP is in its base-position, the head of its NP-complement (N2 in (1)) is the last (and most deeply embedded) nominal head within the DP, which receives default prominence. After PP-extraposition, which I assume to be rightward movement and adjunction above vP/IP, stress shifts to the nominal head of the object-DP (N1 in (1)) again by rules of default prominence.
(1) …[NP … N1 [PP …N2]] V ! …[NP … N1 ti ] V…[PP …N2]i
(1) …[NP … N1 [PP …N2]] V ! …[NP … N1 ti ] V…[PP …N2]i
Research Interests:
The semantic literature offers various accounts of the two aspects of flexibility and how they could be tied to one another (cf. in particular Link (1983, 1984), Hoeksema (1983), Krifka (1990), Winter (2001), Champollion (2015)). In this... more
The semantic literature offers various accounts of the two aspects of flexibility and how they could be tied to one another (cf. in particular Link (1983, 1984), Hoeksema (1983), Krifka (1990), Winter (2001), Champollion (2015)). In this squib we concentrate on the first aspect – cross-categorial application – and point out that existing semantic approaches potentially make different predictions about the order in which different construals of conjunction are acquired. Concentrating on the cross-categorial nature of English and, we formulate research questions for future experimental work on this issue on the basis of a
preliminary study of the Brown corpus (Brown 1973).
preliminary study of the Brown corpus (Brown 1973).
Research Interests:
There seems to be considerable support for the claim that focus particles in the Mittelfeld behave like adverbs and are adjoined to the main spine of the tree. In pursuit of a general theory, sentence-initial focus particles also have... more
There seems to be considerable support for the claim that focus particles in the Mittelfeld behave like adverbs and are adjoined to the main spine of the tree. In pursuit of a general theory, sentence-initial focus particles also have been analyzed this way (e.g. Jacobs
1986). Under this ‘adverbial’ analysis, (1) has the bracketing in (2a) rather than the one we might expect in (2b).
(1) Nur/sogar/auch die Steuerberaterin war demonstrieren.
only/even/also the tax accountant was protesting
‘Only/even/also the tax accountant went to the protest rally.’
(2) a. [Nur/sogar/auch [[die Steuerberaterin] war demonstrieren]]
b. [[Nur/sogar/auch [die Steuerberaterin]] war demonstrieren]
The adverbial analysis raises skepticism because it violates the V2 constraint. In its defense, Büring & Hartmann (2001) argue that there is incontrovertible evidence for the particle appearing as an adverb in first position, even if this means that in these sentences the tensed verb is relegated to third position. However, Meyer & Sauerland (2009) take
issue with Büring and Hartmann’s argumentation and, moreover, provide what seems to be independent factual evidence against the adverbial theory. In what follows, I argue that Meyer & Sauerland’s data can be given an independent explanation and thus do not provide a conclusive argument against the adverbial theory, which I argue remains
supported. This still leaves the question of what to do with V2, which will, except for a sketch of a possible line of future inquiry, remain unsolved here.
1986). Under this ‘adverbial’ analysis, (1) has the bracketing in (2a) rather than the one we might expect in (2b).
(1) Nur/sogar/auch die Steuerberaterin war demonstrieren.
only/even/also the tax accountant was protesting
‘Only/even/also the tax accountant went to the protest rally.’
(2) a. [Nur/sogar/auch [[die Steuerberaterin] war demonstrieren]]
b. [[Nur/sogar/auch [die Steuerberaterin]] war demonstrieren]
The adverbial analysis raises skepticism because it violates the V2 constraint. In its defense, Büring & Hartmann (2001) argue that there is incontrovertible evidence for the particle appearing as an adverb in first position, even if this means that in these sentences the tensed verb is relegated to third position. However, Meyer & Sauerland (2009) take
issue with Büring and Hartmann’s argumentation and, moreover, provide what seems to be independent factual evidence against the adverbial theory. In what follows, I argue that Meyer & Sauerland’s data can be given an independent explanation and thus do not provide a conclusive argument against the adverbial theory, which I argue remains
supported. This still leaves the question of what to do with V2, which will, except for a sketch of a possible line of future inquiry, remain unsolved here.
Research Interests:
In this paper, I argue that the subject plays a crucial role in situationally anchoring the predicate of the clause. It is generally assumed that clausal predication is referentially anchored to the speech situation in terms of temporal... more
In this paper, I argue that the subject plays a crucial role in situationally anchoring the predicate of the clause. It is generally assumed that clausal predication is referentially anchored to the speech situation in terms of temporal (and modal) information expressed on the finite verb. While this is certainly correct, there are contexts in which referential
anchoring by the verb alone is not sufficient.
anchoring by the verb alone is not sufficient.
Research Interests:
My discussion will have three parts. I’ll begin with a thesis:– roughly, that a sentence’s meaning what it does is simply its property of having a certain structure and having words with certain meanings. Then I’ll mention some of the... more
My discussion will have three parts. I’ll begin with a thesis:– roughly, that a sentence’s meaning what it does is simply its property of having a certain structure and having words with certain meanings. Then I’ll mention some of the implications of that thesis. And finally I’ll consider a few objections to it.
This last and defensive part will be the longest. For I know from bitter experience that the thesis will strike most readers as clearly wrong – even bizarre. I think that this is because it goes against a long tradition of theoretical work in semantics. It seems to me, however, that if one can loosen oneself a bit from the grip of all that tradition, the thesis can be seen to possess some quite attractive features. In the first place, it has considerable intuitive plausibility. In the second place, it is wonderfully simple. And in the third place, it enables us to slice through a number of thorny difficulties. So it’s certainly worth an airing.
This last and defensive part will be the longest. For I know from bitter experience that the thesis will strike most readers as clearly wrong – even bizarre. I think that this is because it goes against a long tradition of theoretical work in semantics. It seems to me, however, that if one can loosen oneself a bit from the grip of all that tradition, the thesis can be seen to possess some quite attractive features. In the first place, it has considerable intuitive plausibility. In the second place, it is wonderfully simple. And in the third place, it enables us to slice through a number of thorny difficulties. So it’s certainly worth an airing.
Research Interests:
In this paper, I will focus on negative prefixes such as English un- (and in-), as in unintelligent (and ineffective), where the negative prefix precedes and is associated with an adjective. As far as I can see, English has no... more
In this paper, I will focus on negative prefixes such as English un- (and in-), as in unintelligent (and ineffective), where the negative prefix precedes and is associated with an adjective. As far as I can see, English has no corresponding negative suffix that would follow an adjective and have exactly the same interpretive effect as prefixal un-.
Research Interests:
A particular type of mismatch between the syntax and the semantics can be found in sentences with can’t seem like the one in (1) (cf. Langendoen 1970, Jacobson 2006, and Homer 2011, the latter of which inspired this squib). (1) I can’t... more
A particular type of mismatch between the syntax and the semantics can be found in sentences with can’t seem like the one in (1) (cf. Langendoen 1970, Jacobson 2006, and Homer 2011, the latter of which inspired this squib).
(1) I can’t seem to get away from verbal complexes.
a. Paraphrasable as: It seems that I can’t get away from verbal complexes
b. Not as: It can’t seem that I get away from verbal complexes.
As the paraphrases of (1) show, seem takes scope over can’t in (1), not under it. This is surprising as the syntactic structure of (1) looks rather straightforward. Can appears to be in T, not in POL, and seem heads a VP taking an infinitival complement, out of which the subject has raised. The mismatch between the apparent syntactic structure can’t > seem >
to get away and its interpretation raises the question how it should be accounted for. I will argue that the surface structure must result from a more complex syntactic derivation, which turns out to account for the scope of (1) in (1a).
(1) I can’t seem to get away from verbal complexes.
a. Paraphrasable as: It seems that I can’t get away from verbal complexes
b. Not as: It can’t seem that I get away from verbal complexes.
As the paraphrases of (1) show, seem takes scope over can’t in (1), not under it. This is surprising as the syntactic structure of (1) looks rather straightforward. Can appears to be in T, not in POL, and seem heads a VP taking an infinitival complement, out of which the subject has raised. The mismatch between the apparent syntactic structure can’t > seem >
to get away and its interpretation raises the question how it should be accounted for. I will argue that the surface structure must result from a more complex syntactic derivation, which turns out to account for the scope of (1) in (1a).
Research Interests:
Russian, like many other languages, has a means of marking indefinite DPs, in particular those headed by numerals, as semantically dependent on some plurality, in the sense that for every member of the plurality, the witness for the... more
Russian, like many other languages, has a means of marking indefinite DPs, in particular those headed by numerals, as semantically dependent on some plurality, in the sense that for every member of the plurality, the witness for the indefinite is to be chosen separately. In Russian, this is achieved by means of the preposition po. The purpose of this note is to point out that Russian po differs in its meaning from other dependency makers on indefinites that can be found in languages such as English and Hungarian, and to present a number of puzzles that are posed by this element.
Research Interests:
This squib describes an analysis for a restriction found with Phrasal Comparatives, revealing an underlying homology between this and a seemingly unrelated class of constructions.
Research Interests:
German noun-forming affixes -tum and -schaft behave in similar fashion in several respects. For instance, the sets of their complements noticeably intersect, e.g. Beamtentum ‘civil service’/Beamtenschaft ‘the community of civil servants’... more
German noun-forming affixes -tum and -schaft behave in similar fashion in several respects. For instance, the sets of their complements noticeably intersect, e.g. Beamtentum ‘civil service’/Beamtenschaft ‘the community of civil servants’ (<Beamten ‘civil servants’), etc. Also, both -tum and -schaft lend themselves to adjectivization by means of suffixation of -lich. In that case however, they respond differently: while -tum undergoes Umlaut, e.g. altertümlich ‘medieval’ (<Altertum ‘Middle Ages’), -schaft does not, e.g. wissenschaftlich/*wissenschäftlich ‘scientific’ (<Wissenschaft ‘science’). Shedding light on this differential behavior is the topic of this squib. While the literature is unanimous in viewing -lich as an irregular umlauter, I will argue, on the contrary, that -
lich is a fully consistent umlauter. On the other hand, I will argue, -tum and -schaft occupy different syntactic positions, in consequence of which -tum and -lich may spell out at the same phase (hence the possibility of Umlaut), though -schaft and -lich never will (hence no Umlaut ever).
lich is a fully consistent umlauter. On the other hand, I will argue, -tum and -schaft occupy different syntactic positions, in consequence of which -tum and -lich may spell out at the same phase (hence the possibility of Umlaut), though -schaft and -lich never will (hence no Umlaut ever).
Research Interests:
Theoretical linguistics was not been a show-case discipline at the University of Vienna throughout the nineteenth and well into the twentieth century. In contrast to other parts of the German-speaking area, where theoretical grammar, in... more
Theoretical linguistics was not been a show-case discipline at the University of Vienna throughout the nineteenth and well into the twentieth century. In contrast to other parts of the German-speaking area, where theoretical grammar, in the sense of abstract analysis of
structural principles underlying the grammatical organization of language as such, was cultivated by scholars like August Ferdinand Bernhardi or Karl Ferdinand Becker, in both cases against opposing authorities like Jacob Grimm,1 the Viennese academic tradition
confined its conception of general linguistics to largely descriptive and compilatory work.
structural principles underlying the grammatical organization of language as such, was cultivated by scholars like August Ferdinand Bernhardi or Karl Ferdinand Becker, in both cases against opposing authorities like Jacob Grimm,1 the Viennese academic tradition
confined its conception of general linguistics to largely descriptive and compilatory work.
Research Interests:
Negative Polarity Items (NPI) and Free-Choice Items (FCI) seem quite well understood nowadays, after half a century of meticulous investigation. One major breakthrough was in the early 90s when Zwarts (1990, 1998) identified two different... more
Negative Polarity Items (NPI) and Free-Choice Items (FCI) seem quite well understood nowadays, after half a century of meticulous investigation. One major breakthrough was in the early 90s when Zwarts (1990, 1998) identified two different types of NPIs with different licensing requirements, strong (e.g., even a single X) and weak (e.g., any, ever), showing that different logically definable contexts trigger different behavior with NPIs, thus opening the door to a more differentiated analysis. In the beginning, the dual nature of English any was not fully recognized: Klima (1964) offers a transformational analysis for any solely tied to negation, whereas (Vendler 1967, ch. 4) focuses on the properties of any in contrast to other universal quantifiers every, each, all. Many linguists have taken the distinction between NPI and FCI uses as substantial. Dayal (1998, 2004, 2013) in her analyses of FCI any involving (inherent) modality does not explicitly refer to polysemy, but she does assume two distinct semantic representations for the two manifestations of any. I still contend that it is not only desirable, but really indispensable to find a semantic characterization that covers both interpretations.
Research Interests:
One of the phenomena we address in this squib is the increasing use of gerne in imperative constructions, judged as */“wrong” not only by teachers but by many ordinary speakers including the authors, who admittedly feel reluctant... more
One of the phenomena we address in this squib is the increasing use of gerne in imperative constructions, judged as */“wrong” not only by teachers but by many ordinary speakers including the authors, who admittedly feel reluctant adjusting to announcements like Wir haben Sommerschlussverkauf! Kommen Sie gerne vorbei! ‘Sales are on! Drop in
happily!’ Since the primary aim of linguists is not to criticize but to record and analyze linguistic changes, we will try to summarize different usages of the adverb gern(e) to see how this new use of gerne in imperatives arises.
For the purpose of this squib we distinguish four broad uses which we discuss in turn. In its first use (G1), gerne acts as an adverb modifying a (typically) habitual eventuality. Gerne in this use is often accompanied by always or not/never, and conveys that the subject enjoys (gerne) or doesn’t enjoy (nicht gerne) the activity. Gerne always relates to the
subject and is used with all persons, tenses and verb valencies (but see below for episodic interpretations in the past).
happily!’ Since the primary aim of linguists is not to criticize but to record and analyze linguistic changes, we will try to summarize different usages of the adverb gern(e) to see how this new use of gerne in imperatives arises.
For the purpose of this squib we distinguish four broad uses which we discuss in turn. In its first use (G1), gerne acts as an adverb modifying a (typically) habitual eventuality. Gerne in this use is often accompanied by always or not/never, and conveys that the subject enjoys (gerne) or doesn’t enjoy (nicht gerne) the activity. Gerne always relates to the
subject and is used with all persons, tenses and verb valencies (but see below for episodic interpretations in the past).
Research Interests:
During the last thirty years, roughly corresponding to the time I have known Martin Prinzhorn, a rather dominant approach to the mental organization of language has been the modular one. My intellectual contacts with Martin in a peculiar... more
During the last thirty years, roughly corresponding to the time I have known Martin Prinzhorn, a rather dominant approach to the mental organization of language has been the modular one. My intellectual contacts with Martin in a peculiar way always centered on this issue, both in linguistics and in the broader issues of the organization of the mind. The first time we talked about these issues came after the publication of Fodor’s (1983) vision of the modular organization of the mind. Fodor basically proposed that most of the human mind is organized into specific systems specialized for certain types of information that are domain or content specific, like a perceptual ‘input system’. This is a mental extension of the idea that vision deals with light, hearing with sound etc., familiar from 19th century physiology.
In a little paper I wrote about Fodor (Pléh 1985) – much discussed with Martin – I emphasized that it is important to remember that this entire issue is related to multilayer level ideas about perception already introduced by Helmholtz. According to Helmholtz perception is a two level process. On the lower level, there is an automatic (modular)
form of reaction in the nervous system that does not result yet in representations, which only emerge in a higher level of interpretation. Helmholtz combined the nativist inspirations from his teacher Johannes Müller with strict and extended empiricist principles. In this view, the basic qualities of sensation are provided by the structure of the sensory apparatus. "The qualitative difference of pitch and quality of tone is reduced to a difference in the fibers of the nerve receiving the sensation" (Helmholtz 1875, 148). This is the level that would be referred to by Fodor (1983) as the level of transducers. Higher organizations, however, are all results of experiential factors according to Helmholtz.
In a little paper I wrote about Fodor (Pléh 1985) – much discussed with Martin – I emphasized that it is important to remember that this entire issue is related to multilayer level ideas about perception already introduced by Helmholtz. According to Helmholtz perception is a two level process. On the lower level, there is an automatic (modular)
form of reaction in the nervous system that does not result yet in representations, which only emerge in a higher level of interpretation. Helmholtz combined the nativist inspirations from his teacher Johannes Müller with strict and extended empiricist principles. In this view, the basic qualities of sensation are provided by the structure of the sensory apparatus. "The qualitative difference of pitch and quality of tone is reduced to a difference in the fibers of the nerve receiving the sensation" (Helmholtz 1875, 148). This is the level that would be referred to by Fodor (1983) as the level of transducers. Higher organizations, however, are all results of experiential factors according to Helmholtz.
Research Interests:
This short contribution presents some thoughts on the idea of Structural Analogy (Anderson 1992, 2004) between syntax and phonology, i.e. that those two domains of grammar share a similar architecture. For example, Anderson (2004) likens... more
This short contribution presents some thoughts on the idea of Structural Analogy (Anderson 1992, 2004) between syntax and phonology, i.e. that those two domains of grammar share a similar architecture. For example, Anderson (2004) likens short/lax vowels in English (as in put, hit, cat), which must be followed by a consonant (*pu, *hi, *ca), to transitive verbs, which must be followed by an object: John examined *(the patient). Likewise, the structure of the syllable has been compared to the structure of a clause—both have even been claimed to be evolutionarily related, cf. Carstairs-McCarthy 1999. One view of the syllable holds that it can be subdivided into onset and rhyme, with the latter further subdivided into nucleus and coda. That structure lends itself to a comparison with clauses with subject, verb and object as the main parts, where again the latter two form a closer union. This idea also seems to fit together with Anderson’s proposal of “transitive” vowels.
Research Interests:
Silent, phonetically empty, elements have played an important role throughout the history of generative grammar. Think of traces (of various kinds), PRO, pro, ellipsis (of various kinds), paradigms of functional elements in which some... more
Silent, phonetically empty, elements have played an important role throughout the history of generative grammar. Think of traces (of various kinds), PRO, pro, ellipsis (of various kinds), paradigms of functional elements in which some slot(s) are ‘filled’ with zeromorphemes, etc. In all serious work on silent elements, one of the central questions must be whether there really is some element in the syntactic structure, but something that
lacks a phonetic expression, or whether there simply is nothing there (see Van Riemsdijk 2002, 2003, 2012). In the cited works I have mainly concentrated on silent verbs, in particular, though not exclusively, motion verbs. But there is a considerable literature on silent nouns as well, (cf. Kayne 2003 and many subsequent articles by the same author, and Van Riemsdijk 2005). What makes these proposals stand out is the fact that they go beyond the domain of functional heads and include semi-lexical, light and sometimes even fully lexical words. In the case of motion verbs, the main question boils down to the question of whether the silent element is thought to be part of the syntactic structure as a lexically specified element that is subsequently deleted (or not spelled-out), or whether it is a lexical item that has its own lemma in the mental lexicon but is specified there as being an element that lacks phonetic content. In my own work, cited above, I have tried to be careful in the sense that the choice between the two alternatives must always be carefully argued, leaving open the possibility that, for example, the silent motion verb
GO is actually a silent lexical item that is listed as such in the lexicon in Swiss German, but is a phonetically specified lexical item that becomes silent due to deletion (of nonspell-out) in Dutch. Vanden Wyngaerd (1994) defends the view that silent elements of this kind are due to deletion at PF. Barbiers (1995, 2006) contends that silent motion verbs, which must always be licensed in some way by modal auxiliaries (or verbs), come in two varieties: sometimes they are truly silent motion verb complements to modal auxiliaries, and sometimes the modal is itself the main verb that semantically incorporates the motion verb. My own position is not very different, but I have argued that in language
acquisition the null hypothesis must be that modality is expressed in the form of an auxiliary because otherwise it becomes hard to explain why the semantic incorporation hypothesis is not always chosen. In the present squib I address one minor but important argument that Barbiers adduces to argue that in Dutch (as opposed to, for example, Swiss
German) silent motion verbs are semantically incorporated in the lexical entries of modal (main) verbs.
lacks a phonetic expression, or whether there simply is nothing there (see Van Riemsdijk 2002, 2003, 2012). In the cited works I have mainly concentrated on silent verbs, in particular, though not exclusively, motion verbs. But there is a considerable literature on silent nouns as well, (cf. Kayne 2003 and many subsequent articles by the same author, and Van Riemsdijk 2005). What makes these proposals stand out is the fact that they go beyond the domain of functional heads and include semi-lexical, light and sometimes even fully lexical words. In the case of motion verbs, the main question boils down to the question of whether the silent element is thought to be part of the syntactic structure as a lexically specified element that is subsequently deleted (or not spelled-out), or whether it is a lexical item that has its own lemma in the mental lexicon but is specified there as being an element that lacks phonetic content. In my own work, cited above, I have tried to be careful in the sense that the choice between the two alternatives must always be carefully argued, leaving open the possibility that, for example, the silent motion verb
GO is actually a silent lexical item that is listed as such in the lexicon in Swiss German, but is a phonetically specified lexical item that becomes silent due to deletion (of nonspell-out) in Dutch. Vanden Wyngaerd (1994) defends the view that silent elements of this kind are due to deletion at PF. Barbiers (1995, 2006) contends that silent motion verbs, which must always be licensed in some way by modal auxiliaries (or verbs), come in two varieties: sometimes they are truly silent motion verb complements to modal auxiliaries, and sometimes the modal is itself the main verb that semantically incorporates the motion verb. My own position is not very different, but I have argued that in language
acquisition the null hypothesis must be that modality is expressed in the form of an auxiliary because otherwise it becomes hard to explain why the semantic incorporation hypothesis is not always chosen. In the present squib I address one minor but important argument that Barbiers adduces to argue that in Dutch (as opposed to, for example, Swiss
German) silent motion verbs are semantically incorporated in the lexical entries of modal (main) verbs.
Research Interests:
It is instructive to compare the results on extraction from wh-islands arrived at in Villata, Rizzi & Franck (2016) with results obtained on multiple questions with superiority violations by Hofmeister et al (2013). Both sets of results... more
It is instructive to compare the results on extraction from wh-islands arrived at in Villata, Rizzi & Franck (2016) with results obtained on multiple questions with superiority violations by Hofmeister et al (2013). Both sets of results concern the relative acceptability of degraded configurations, and are obtained through formal, controlled techniques (Likert scales with a sizable number of experimental subjects: Sprouse,
Schütze & Almeida, 2013). They are parallel in certain respects, and interestingly diverging in others.
Schütze & Almeida, 2013). They are parallel in certain respects, and interestingly diverging in others.
Research Interests:
This squib discusses Modal Complement Ellipsis (MCE in the following), and more specifically Antecedent Contained Deletion (ACD in the following) in this type of ellipsis. While in English ACD is widely studied and quite well understood... more
This squib discusses Modal Complement Ellipsis (MCE in the following), and more specifically Antecedent Contained Deletion (ACD in the following) in this type of ellipsis. While in English ACD is widely studied and quite well understood (e.g. Sag 1976, Williams 1977, and much subsequent work), ACD has not been observed in Standard German. However, Upper Austrian differs from Standard German in this respect (Bettina Gruber, p.c., Zobel 2007).
Research Interests:
There is disagreement in the literature on scalar implicatures about whether implicatures are obligatorily computed. In this paper I introduce intuitions about irony in constructions involving dürfen ‘may, be allowed to’ as a new data... more
There is disagreement in the literature on scalar implicatures about whether implicatures are obligatorily computed. In this paper I introduce intuitions about irony in constructions involving dürfen ‘may, be allowed to’ as a new data point in this debate, and argue that the computation of scalar implicatures is obligatory (following Magri 2009). Moreover, I
utilize irony to probe into the lexical semantics of German dürfen ‘may, be allowed to’ and suggest a novel analysis whereby dürfen carries a presupposition that the prejacent is desirable to the permissee. The general view of irony I adopt in this paper is an extension of Grice’s (1975) proposal about irony as an implicature from blatant falsity: by uttering a proposition that she obviously does not believe, the speaker triggers the hypothesis that what she intended to convey is some other, related proposition.
utilize irony to probe into the lexical semantics of German dürfen ‘may, be allowed to’ and suggest a novel analysis whereby dürfen carries a presupposition that the prejacent is desirable to the permissee. The general view of irony I adopt in this paper is an extension of Grice’s (1975) proposal about irony as an implicature from blatant falsity: by uttering a proposition that she obviously does not believe, the speaker triggers the hypothesis that what she intended to convey is some other, related proposition.
Research Interests:
I will use the syntactic distribution of intensional contexts in VP to probe the structure of double object constructions and double object alternations in English and French. I conclude that such alternations are indeed underlied by... more
I will use the syntactic distribution of intensional contexts in VP to probe the structure of double object constructions and double object alternations in English and French. I conclude that such alternations are indeed underlied by double object structures, but that these are different from surface double object structures. I also conclude that French does display both underlying and surface double object structures.
Research Interests:
In this article I will argue for an ellipsis derivation for parenthetical adjuncts. Adjuncts include adverbs, prepositional phrases, and infinitival clauses, among other types of constituents. All adjuncts can be parenthetical, but they... more
In this article I will argue for an ellipsis derivation for parenthetical adjuncts. Adjuncts include adverbs, prepositional phrases, and infinitival clauses, among other types of constituents. All adjuncts can be parenthetical, but they need not be. In (1) to (3), the adjuncts in the (a) examples are integrated into their host clauses, whereas the same
adjuncts in the (b) examples are parenthetical.
(1) a. Max drank two bottles of gin last night on an empty stómach.
b. Max drank two bottles of gín last night, on an empty stomach.
(2) a. The rebels have been defeated decísively.
b. The rebels have been deféated, decisively.
(3) a. Napoleon attacked the city to prove his invincibílity.
b. Napoleon attacked the cíty, to prove his invincibility.
adjuncts in the (b) examples are parenthetical.
(1) a. Max drank two bottles of gin last night on an empty stómach.
b. Max drank two bottles of gín last night, on an empty stomach.
(2) a. The rebels have been defeated decísively.
b. The rebels have been deféated, decisively.
(3) a. Napoleon attacked the city to prove his invincibílity.
b. Napoleon attacked the cíty, to prove his invincibility.
Research Interests:
We need to investigate a little what it means to have “the same last name”, a kind of identity condition on this kind of coordination. What is the condition exactly, and why does the condition hold?
Research Interests:
In this squib I explore such issues of modularity on the basis of response markers. Specifically, the goal of this squib is twofold. First, I wish to introduce the complexity of response markers into the empirical domain for formal... more
In this squib I explore such issues of modularity on the basis of response markers. Specifically, the goal of this squib is twofold. First, I wish to introduce the complexity of response markers into the empirical domain for formal linguistics. Response markers are part of core syntax but they interact with our system of emotions as well as with what Martin used to refer to as domain D(iscourse) (cf. Vergnaud & Zubizaretta 1992, Wiltschko 1995). The second goal is to sketch a way to model this modular interaction of different language-internal and external domains. In particular, I propose that the interaction between syntax and domain D can be captured with an updated version of Ross’ 1970 performative hypothesis. According to the performative hypothesis, the propositional structure of a sentence is embedded in some form of speech act structure. Specifically, I follow Wiltschko 2016 in assuming that response markers are associated with GroundP, a
layer of representation dedicated to encoding whether or not a contextually salient discourse component is in the speaker’s Ground. On this view the interaction between syntax and domain D is mediated via the functional architecture which in turn mediates between form and meaning.
layer of representation dedicated to encoding whether or not a contextually salient discourse component is in the speaker’s Ground. On this view the interaction between syntax and domain D is mediated via the functional architecture which in turn mediates between form and meaning.
Research Interests:
It is a well-known fact that languages differ cross-linguistically with respect to what grammatical categories, or parts of speech, they exhibit. For instance, some languages exhibit (in)definite articles, whereas other languages lack... more
It is a well-known fact that languages differ cross-linguistically with respect to what grammatical categories, or parts of speech, they exhibit. For instance, some languages exhibit (in)definite articles, whereas other languages lack them, and similarly, some languages lack adpositions, whereas other languages do not. This gives rise to the question as to what constrains the range of variation with respect to what grammatical categories languages may employ, and, more specifically, whether there are grammatical categories that can be attested in every language.
Research Interests:
The aim of this paper is to provide evidence that the picture that is painted in the literature on eh and sowieso is biased towards the varieties of German that are spoken in the Federal Republic of Germany (“Federal German”). In the... more
The aim of this paper is to provide evidence that the picture that is painted in the literature on eh and sowieso is biased towards the varieties of German that are spoken in the Federal Republic of Germany (“Federal German”). In the varieties of German that are spoken in Austria (“Austrian German”), the particles eh and sowieso have distinct contributions, which is noticeable especially in polar interrogatives. I discuss intuitive judgements on Austrian German eh and present the results of a corpus study that supports the claim that Federal German eh and Austrian German eh have distinct contributions.
Research Interests:
This paper introduces the approach this thematic issue deals with, positioning theory. We provide a survey of the development of this theory, which has its origin in post-structural notions of the subject, or the concept of discursive... more
This paper introduces the approach this thematic issue deals with,
positioning theory. We provide a survey of the development of this
theory, which has its origin in post-structural notions of the subject,
or the concept of discursive subject positions, for that matter. This
was adapted by social psychology, then re-framed and methodically
operationalized by conversation analysis and fnally imported into
sociolinguistics.
We will shed light on the different epistemological bases and
aims of the diverse positioning approaches and particularly comment
on the ‘micro/macro’ or ‘discourse/Discourse’ controversy
that delimits specific strands of positioning theory. Drawing on metapragmatics and concepts of stancetaking in discourse, we will
argue for an approach that attempts to connect the different contextual
scales rather than isolating them, an approach that conceives
of positing as a local and a discursive practive (Praxis and Praktik).
Finally, we will give an overview on the thematic issue and
briefly correlate the ensuing papers with the issue’s general aims.
positioning theory. We provide a survey of the development of this
theory, which has its origin in post-structural notions of the subject,
or the concept of discursive subject positions, for that matter. This
was adapted by social psychology, then re-framed and methodically
operationalized by conversation analysis and fnally imported into
sociolinguistics.
We will shed light on the different epistemological bases and
aims of the diverse positioning approaches and particularly comment
on the ‘micro/macro’ or ‘discourse/Discourse’ controversy
that delimits specific strands of positioning theory. Drawing on metapragmatics and concepts of stancetaking in discourse, we will
argue for an approach that attempts to connect the different contextual
scales rather than isolating them, an approach that conceives
of positing as a local and a discursive practive (Praxis and Praktik).
Finally, we will give an overview on the thematic issue and
briefly correlate the ensuing papers with the issue’s general aims.
Research Interests:
This paper discusses an interpretative-sociolinguistic approach to the investigation of positioning practices which also aims to contribute to linguistic discourse analysis by enhancing the actors’ perspective. Central to the approach is... more
This paper discusses an interpretative-sociolinguistic approach to the investigation of positioning practices which also aims to contribute to linguistic discourse analysis by enhancing the actors’ perspective. Central to the approach is the analysis of oral contributions with regard to participants’ inherent and discursively negotiated subject positions. The paper delineates the basic theoretical concepts of this approach, particularly actor, subject and voice, as well as the indexicality, metapragmatics and positioning. These theoretical elaborations are elucidated by five case examples which resulted from a class project on the representation of colonialism in Austrian history textbooks. Through the ethnographic tool of focused group discussions, participants were granted the opportunity to take positions and position themselves – i.e., to have voice – towards current issues of their environment viewed from the standpoints of postcolonial critique.
Research Interests: Ethnography, Sociolinguistics, Focus Group discussions, Postcolonial Studies, Migration, and 14 moreDiscourse, Colonialism, Post-Colonialism, Migration Studies, Positioning Theory, Textbook Research, Representation, Metapragmatics, Discourse Studies, History textbooks, Austria, Diskursanalyse, Positioning, and Kolonialismus
Die Beteiligung von Linguist_innen an Registrierungsprozessen (Agha 2007) jat'-bezogener Unterschiede (phono-ideologischer Unterschiede zwischen einzelnen Varietäten des Serbokroatischen) lassen sich mindestens 200 Jahre zurückverfolgen.... more
Die Beteiligung von Linguist_innen an Registrierungsprozessen (Agha
2007) jat'-bezogener Unterschiede (phono-ideologischer Unterschiede zwischen einzelnen Varietäten des Serbokroatischen) lassen sich mindestens 200 Jahre zurückverfolgen. Gleichwohl hat der Zerfall Jugoslawiens zu vermehrten Untersuchungen über diese scheinbar kleinen Unterschiede geführt, ebenso zu heftigen Debatten unter Expert_innen und deutlichen Repositionierungen einiger ehemaliger jugoslawischer Linguist_innen. Dieser Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit der Frage, wie sich serbische Linguist_innen der jüngeren Generation zu diesen widersprüchlichen Diskursen positionieren und untersucht dazu einen Auszug aus einem Interview mit einem besonders interessanten Akt der Positionierung. Mit Verweis auf ihr Spracherleben (Busch 2017) verhandelt die Interviewpartnerin die problematische Bedeutung einer aufgezwungenen jat'-bezogenen Kategorisierung und hebt einige standpunktgesättigte gesellschaftliche Diskurse hervor (Jaffe
2009a), die bei der Interpretation vieler sprachbezogener Phänomene in der konfliktgeprägten Region Ex-Jugoslawiens anscheinend einen nach wie vor wichtigen Bezugsrahmen bilden. Die hier vorgestellte Analyse verortet sich in der Positionierungsforschung in Bachtin’scher Lesart.
2007) jat'-bezogener Unterschiede (phono-ideologischer Unterschiede zwischen einzelnen Varietäten des Serbokroatischen) lassen sich mindestens 200 Jahre zurückverfolgen. Gleichwohl hat der Zerfall Jugoslawiens zu vermehrten Untersuchungen über diese scheinbar kleinen Unterschiede geführt, ebenso zu heftigen Debatten unter Expert_innen und deutlichen Repositionierungen einiger ehemaliger jugoslawischer Linguist_innen. Dieser Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit der Frage, wie sich serbische Linguist_innen der jüngeren Generation zu diesen widersprüchlichen Diskursen positionieren und untersucht dazu einen Auszug aus einem Interview mit einem besonders interessanten Akt der Positionierung. Mit Verweis auf ihr Spracherleben (Busch 2017) verhandelt die Interviewpartnerin die problematische Bedeutung einer aufgezwungenen jat'-bezogenen Kategorisierung und hebt einige standpunktgesättigte gesellschaftliche Diskurse hervor (Jaffe
2009a), die bei der Interpretation vieler sprachbezogener Phänomene in der konfliktgeprägten Region Ex-Jugoslawiens anscheinend einen nach wie vor wichtigen Bezugsrahmen bilden. Die hier vorgestellte Analyse verortet sich in der Positionierungsforschung in Bachtin’scher Lesart.
Research Interests:
The Identitäre Bewegung Österreich (IBÖ, ‘Identitarian Movement of Austria’), an internationally connected extreme right group, has achieved considerable media attention in Austria in recent years through a multitude of public... more
The Identitäre Bewegung Österreich (IBÖ, ‘Identitarian Movement of Austria’), an internationally connected extreme right group, has achieved considerable media attention in Austria in recent years through a multitude of public appearances. In this article, we investigate the function of ‘a genre of protest’ in identitarian public communication. After developing our theoretical approach, an analysis of three connected communicative acts, starting with an event of public staging of the IBÖ, will point out how positioning through a genre of protest plays a key role in creating discursive events and in establishing the IBÖ as a relevant actor of political discourse.
Research Interests: Discourse Analysis, Genre studies, Applied Linguistics, Protest, Genre Theory, and 13 morePositioning Theory, Communication Strategies, Protest Movements, Extreme Right Politics, Extreme and Far Right, Austria, Diskursanalyse, Österreich, Positioning, Diskursus, The Far Right: Anti-Immigration Parties, Neofascist and Extreme Right Parties in Europe, Identitarianism, and Rechtsextremismus
This paper aims to explore the appropriation of the computer game Sid Meier’s Civilization V by the users of the online forum Civilization Webring Forum from a sociolinguistic and discourse analytic perspective through analyses of the... more
This paper aims to explore the appropriation of the computer game Sid
Meier’s Civilization V by the users of the online forum Civilization Webring
Forum from a sociolinguistic and discourse analytic perspective through
analyses of the forum-specific genre Story, in the context of which gaming
experience is shared. The analysis draws on the tradition of Cultural Studies
as developed by Hall (1980) and Fiske (2011, 1990), the genre theory of
Bauman and Briggs (1992) and Swales (1993) as well as on positioning/
stance-taking approaches by Du Bois (2007) and Spitzmüller (2013b).
The paper starts off by exploring the frames offered by the game itself
before it establishes categories to describe single instances of the genre in
question. In a last step a single example is presented in order to demonstrate
positioning in the context of this genre.
Thereby we aim to show that the genre of Story is a means of selfpositioning
and identity creation in the discourse community of the examined
forum through which authors are enabled to establish themselves as
distinct writers of game-based narratives, on the one hand. On the other
hand, their audience also has the opportunity to position and align themselves
to the authors and each other by affirmation, evaluation and critique
of these narratives.
Meier’s Civilization V by the users of the online forum Civilization Webring
Forum from a sociolinguistic and discourse analytic perspective through
analyses of the forum-specific genre Story, in the context of which gaming
experience is shared. The analysis draws on the tradition of Cultural Studies
as developed by Hall (1980) and Fiske (2011, 1990), the genre theory of
Bauman and Briggs (1992) and Swales (1993) as well as on positioning/
stance-taking approaches by Du Bois (2007) and Spitzmüller (2013b).
The paper starts off by exploring the frames offered by the game itself
before it establishes categories to describe single instances of the genre in
question. In a last step a single example is presented in order to demonstrate
positioning in the context of this genre.
Thereby we aim to show that the genre of Story is a means of selfpositioning
and identity creation in the discourse community of the examined
forum through which authors are enabled to establish themselves as
distinct writers of game-based narratives, on the one hand. On the other
hand, their audience also has the opportunity to position and align themselves
to the authors and each other by affirmation, evaluation and critique
of these narratives.
Research Interests: Discourse Analysis, Cultural Studies, Genre studies, Popular Culture, Computer-Mediated Communication, and 17 moreApplied Linguistics, Computer Mediated Communication, Genre Theory, Positioning Theory, Genre Studies (Game Studies), Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC), Computer Games, Games, CMC, Discourse analysis, Online interaction analysis, Stance, CMC, Computer Games - Narrative Theory, Positioning, Spiele, Computerspiele, Computerspiele Und Narratologie, and Montezuma
Tempora mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis. Wir freuen uns, in dieser ersten Ausgabe in neuem Erscheinungsbild fünf Beiträge zu präsentieren, die im Folgenden kurz umrissen werden sollen. Diese ersten fünf Beiträge bieten einen ersten... more
Tempora mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis.
Wir freuen uns, in dieser ersten Ausgabe in neuem Erscheinungsbild
fünf Beiträge zu präsentieren, die im Folgenden kurz umrissen werden
sollen. Diese ersten fünf Beiträge bieten einen ersten Einblick in die Themen und Untersuchungsbereiche der Angewandten Sprachwissenschaft, wie sie unter anderem am Institut für Sprachwissenschaft der Universität Wien betrieben wird – sowohl von Studierenden wie auch von Dozierenden.
Wir freuen uns, in dieser ersten Ausgabe in neuem Erscheinungsbild
fünf Beiträge zu präsentieren, die im Folgenden kurz umrissen werden
sollen. Diese ersten fünf Beiträge bieten einen ersten Einblick in die Themen und Untersuchungsbereiche der Angewandten Sprachwissenschaft, wie sie unter anderem am Institut für Sprachwissenschaft der Universität Wien betrieben wird – sowohl von Studierenden wie auch von Dozierenden.
Research Interests:
Sonderdruck aus: Wiener Linguistische Gazette (WLG) 80 (2017): 1–26 Wenn in den letzten Jahren von Verschärfungen des Tons – oder kulturkritischer: von ›Verrohung‹ – im gesellschaftlichen Diskurs die Rede war, dann war damit zumeist,... more
Sonderdruck aus: Wiener Linguistische Gazette (WLG) 80 (2017): 1–26
Wenn in den letzten Jahren von Verschärfungen des Tons – oder kulturkritischer: von ›Verrohung‹ – im gesellschaftlichen Diskurs die Rede war, dann war damit zumeist, jedenfalls primär, gesellschaftspolitische Kommunikation im Internet, vor allem in Foren und sozialen Netzwerken, gemeint. Dort, so der Anschein, können sich Menschen hinter dem Schleier von Pseudonymen ›hemmungslos austoben‹ (wie die Kritiker monieren) bzw. ›frei, ohne Einschränkung durch die Hegemonie der politischen Korrektheit ihre Meinung sagen‹ (wie es nicht zuletzt die sich äußernden Personen selbst häufig postulieren).
Was geht in den sozialen Netzwerken tatsächlich vor sich? Findet sich dort tatsächlich eine zunehmende politische Radikalisierung bis hin zu einem neuen Rassismus? Und wenn ja, wie äußert sich dies? Welche spezifischen Ausdrucksformen – von Sprache bis hin zu Bildern und Filmen – werden genutzt? Und sind die
sozialen Netzwerke wirklich (herrschafts-)freie Zonen, die vox populi oder aber ein Hort der ›Unkultur‹? Am Beispiel rezenter
Debatten und auf der Grundlage aktueller Forschungsbefunde zu computervermittelter (politischer) Kommunikation gehen wir in unserem Beitrag diesen Fragen nach.
Wenn in den letzten Jahren von Verschärfungen des Tons – oder kulturkritischer: von ›Verrohung‹ – im gesellschaftlichen Diskurs die Rede war, dann war damit zumeist, jedenfalls primär, gesellschaftspolitische Kommunikation im Internet, vor allem in Foren und sozialen Netzwerken, gemeint. Dort, so der Anschein, können sich Menschen hinter dem Schleier von Pseudonymen ›hemmungslos austoben‹ (wie die Kritiker monieren) bzw. ›frei, ohne Einschränkung durch die Hegemonie der politischen Korrektheit ihre Meinung sagen‹ (wie es nicht zuletzt die sich äußernden Personen selbst häufig postulieren).
Was geht in den sozialen Netzwerken tatsächlich vor sich? Findet sich dort tatsächlich eine zunehmende politische Radikalisierung bis hin zu einem neuen Rassismus? Und wenn ja, wie äußert sich dies? Welche spezifischen Ausdrucksformen – von Sprache bis hin zu Bildern und Filmen – werden genutzt? Und sind die
sozialen Netzwerke wirklich (herrschafts-)freie Zonen, die vox populi oder aber ein Hort der ›Unkultur‹? Am Beispiel rezenter
Debatten und auf der Grundlage aktueller Forschungsbefunde zu computervermittelter (politischer) Kommunikation gehen wir in unserem Beitrag diesen Fragen nach.
Research Interests: Discourse Analysis, Social Networks, Sociolinguistics, Race and Racism, Populism, and 20 moreApplied Linguistics, Protest, Racism, Critical discourse studies (Languages And Linguistics), Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC), Diskurslinguistik, CMC, Discourse analysis, Online interaction analysis, Protest Movements, CMC, Diskursanalyse, Neo-Racism, Diskurstheorie, Soziolinguistik, Politolinguistik, Populismus, Rassismus, Politolinguistics, Neoracism, Applied Linguistics (linguistique appliée, Angewandte Linguistik), and Protestbewegungen
Kratzert, Christian (2017). ÖVP und SPÖ – Parteien der Mitte? Eine framesemantische Diskursanalyse zum (öffentlichen) Sprachgebrauch österreichischer Regierungspolitiker*innen. Wiener Linguistische Gazette. 80. 27-46. The aim of this... more
Kratzert, Christian (2017). ÖVP und SPÖ – Parteien der Mitte? Eine framesemantische Diskursanalyse zum (öffentlichen) Sprachgebrauch österreichischer Regierungspolitiker*innen. Wiener Linguistische Gazette. 80. 27-46.
The aim of this paper is to examine the language use of the political centre parties in Austria from a theoretical stance by applying frame semantics to discourse analysis. The motivation for this research arises from the current and ongoing phenomenon which is heavily discussed in media on whether the Austrian centre parties are converging to right-wing populism. Hence, the focus lies on public language use of political actors which are members of the present governing parties ÖVP and SPÖ. The data basis is constituted of press interviews and press reports which were published on the online platforms of two well-known Austrian daily newspapers. The data material deals with the discursive frame ̒integration̕ in order to expose if the right-wing framing of the centre parties can be proven empirically.
The aim of this paper is to examine the language use of the political centre parties in Austria from a theoretical stance by applying frame semantics to discourse analysis. The motivation for this research arises from the current and ongoing phenomenon which is heavily discussed in media on whether the Austrian centre parties are converging to right-wing populism. Hence, the focus lies on public language use of political actors which are members of the present governing parties ÖVP and SPÖ. The data basis is constituted of press interviews and press reports which were published on the online platforms of two well-known Austrian daily newspapers. The data material deals with the discursive frame ̒integration̕ in order to expose if the right-wing framing of the centre parties can be proven empirically.
Research Interests:
This article presents a multimodal analysis of an interaction in the context of sheltered housing for persons with disabilities. The analysis is embedded in a discussion of underlying theoretical and methodological assumptions on subject... more
This article presents a multimodal analysis of an interaction in the context of sheltered housing for persons with disabilities. The analysis is embedded in a discussion of underlying theoretical and methodological assumptions on subject and agency in interaction, employing critical concepts of disability as well as the notion of the post-sovereign subject. The focus lies on the assumption of the subject's autonomy. While emphasizing distributedness of social action in the theoretical and methodological framework, conversation analytical treatment of issues of disability tends to rely on autonomous subjects as a 'natural' backdrop for analysis. This bears the danger of reproducing discourses that mark the disabled simply as deviant and foreclosing a debate on inequality and/or exclusion. The discussion of the data shows that autonomous subjects are to be achieved in interaction, a process through which the norm is reinstated and inequalities are reformulated in terms of deviance from that norm.
Research Interests:
Recent integration and language policies in Austria have successfully implemented a neoliberal regime based on ideas of integration-through-effort and integration-through-language (i.e. the knowledge of German). In 2011, the Austrian... more
Recent integration and language policies in Austria have successfully implemented a neoliberal regime based on ideas of integration-through-effort and integration-through-language (i.e. the knowledge of German). In 2011, the Austrian Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs launched a campaign of the so-called ‘Integrationsbotschafter’ (ambassadors of integration), who are presented as ‘successful’ migrants and role models for other migrants. Drawing on Bourdieu's theory on linguistic market (1980) this paper investigates the online-published profiles of these ambassadors and examines whether and how they refer to their own linguistic repertoires as capital which leads to success in the labour market. As the results of this discourse analysis indicate, German serves as the sole linguistic capital of success, while other linguistic resources are not perceived as valuable capital, rendering them secondary or invisible. The paper shows that this campaign consolidates the neoliberal ideology of integration-through-effort which installs the logical nexus between knowledge of the German language and ‘integration’ as the preferred emancipative narrative, minimizing the capital of non-German language resources.
Anhang: http://wlg.univie.ac.at/fileadmin/user_upload/p_wlg/802017/lehner-anhang.pdf
Anhang: http://wlg.univie.ac.at/fileadmin/user_upload/p_wlg/802017/lehner-anhang.pdf
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This article shows how subjective illness theories influence the course of doctor patient communication with some examples. It focuses on the comparison of doctor patient and layman patient communication. Turn- taking in institutional... more
This article shows how subjective illness theories influence the course of doctor patient communication with some examples. It focuses on the comparison of doctor patient and layman patient communication. Turn- taking in institutional contexts is often influenced by roles, expectations and the conversation purpose. This is important when talking about subjective illness theories. The data material originates from the FWF-project Schmerzdarstellung und Krankheitserzählungen. Patients with years of experience in doctor patient communication adapt their behavior to the institutional context. How do they apply subjective illness theories? How are they represented? How do doctors respond to them? And above all, are there differences between doctor patient and layman patient communication?