[...] Their children, the (so-called) second generation who were mostly
born in Germany had a not so fundamentally different relationship to Germany which is
actually supposed to be their home country. There are, however, some vast differences
between these generations, especially in terms of their German language proficiency. Most of
the second (or third/fourth) generation of Gastarbeiter today are bilingual speakers, generally
more fluent in German than in the respective language of their parents. Of course, these
generations share more “distinctive” features than sole linguistic ones: the majority of the
guest workers’ children are, in full contrast to their parents, in many ways integrated into
German society and do have a much closer relationship to Germany as a whole. Whereas
most Germans are monolingual, speaking “some” (more or less acceptable) English or French
or Italian etc., the Germans (!) with foreign descent have two languages at their disposal –
whether they succeed in both languages (or in either of them!) is, of course, another question,
many of which, however, can be tackled using a socio-linguistic approach. For the purpose of this paper I shall focus on some linguistic phenomena of
Gastarbeiterdeutsch, not only referring to the (highly restricted) German language proficiency
of the first generation of Turkish guest workers (circa 1960-1975) but also on their offspring
(circa 1975-). Since I am of Turkish descent myself –my father, a guest worker himself, had
his “first shift” in a German coal-mine in August 1965- I have been (and still am) dealing very
closely with the language-related particularities (and oddities) of a Turkish dominated
parents’ house somewhere in North Rhine-Westphalia. In order to explain these, to my mind,
one has to investigate profoundly the linguistic “equipment” of the respective speakers
alongside with their “social whereabouts” and the country they immigrate to and where they
live, especially the linguistic “challenges” they have to face. For this purpose, a comparative
analysis of Turkish and German is indispensable. Since it goes without saying that an
elaboration on all of these aspects would undoubtedly go beyond the scope of this paper, I
shall concentrate on the language equipment of the “first generation Turks” and their children,
specifically on code-switching phenomena. What is required in the first place, I think, is an
overall outline of both Turkish and German, especially of Turkish.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. Origin of the Turkish Language
III. Typology of Turkish
IV. Social Factors / Circumstances
V. Linguistic Analysis of Gastarbeiterdeutsch – Selected Example
VI. Gastarbeiterdeutsch – A Pidgin?
VII. German Language Use of Second Generation Turks in Germany
Objectives and Research Themes
This academic paper examines the linguistic phenomena associated with "Gastarbeiterdeutsch" (Guest Worker German) and the language proficiency and code-switching patterns of the second generation of Turkish descendants in Germany, utilizing a socio-linguistic approach to analyze the transition from first-generation language constraints to bilingual language use.
- The linguistic characteristics and grammatical structure of Turkish.
- Sociolinguistic factors influencing the German language acquisition of first-generation Turkish guest workers.
- Linguistic analysis of "Gastarbeiterdeutsch" using empirical transcripts.
- Discussion on whether Gastarbeiterdeutsch constitutes a Pidgin language.
- Code-switching phenomena among the second generation of Turkish-German bilinguals.
Excerpt from the Book
V. Linguistic Analysis of Gastarbeiterdeutsch – Selected Example
I will focus on the researches that have been done in the mid-seventies (Gastarbeiterdeutsch, Inken Keim) and in the beginning of the 1980s (Codeswitching, 2nd generation, Jochen Rehbein17), using selected transcripts which show best the peculiarities of both Gastarbeiterdeutsch and code-switching.
“Meine große Sohn ... 18 Jahre alt ... der geht Berufsschule ... Kaufmann lernt. – wann kommt in Deutschland, dann geht in Inlingua-Sprachschule ... jetzt sehr schön sprechen Deutsch, meine große ... aber er heute nix gekommen...“18
The syntax in this example is quite striking. In the first sentence it seems that the speaker – the “interviews” are, of course spoken, not written- is correctly forming two finite verb form of “gehen” / “lernen”. This verb does not necessarily occur in the first sentences (starting with “Meine große Sohn”). According to the transcript “Meine große Sohn ... 18 Jahre alt ... der geht Berufsschule ... Kaufmann lernt.“ is one sentence. If we accept this and compare this sentence to standard German, we state that the speaker circumvents a relative clause, or rather two.
Summary of Chapters
I. Introduction: This chapter introduces the historical context of guest workers in Germany and establishes the socio-linguistic scope of the paper regarding language proficiency across generations.
II. Origin of the Turkish Language: This section provides an overview of the Turkic language family, its geographical spread, and the controversial classification within the Altaic language family.
III. Typology of Turkish: This chapter explains the agglutinative nature of Turkish, vowel harmony, and the S-O-V syntax, highlighting structural differences from Indo-European languages.
IV. Social Factors / Circumstances: This chapter analyzes the sociolinguistic and extra-linguistic barriers faced by guest workers that hindered formal German language acquisition, such as limited education and temporary residence expectations.
V. Linguistic Analysis of Gastarbeiterdeutsch – Selected Example: This section offers a detailed analysis of specific transcripts, identifying recurring grammatical features like missing articles and verb placement errors typical of guest worker speech.
VI. Gastarbeiterdeutsch – A Pidgin?: This chapter evaluates the definition of a pidgin language against the linguistic characteristics of Gastarbeiterdeutsch to determine its classification.
VII. German Language Use of Second Generation Turks in Germany: The final chapter explores bilingualism and code-switching behaviors among the children of guest workers, focusing on how they navigate two languages in different social settings.
Keywords
Gastarbeiterdeutsch, Turkish, German, bilingualism, code-switching, linguistics, sociolinguistics, second generation, grammar, syntax, pidgin, language acquisition, Altaic, transcripts, immigrant identity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary subject of this research?
The research explores the linguistic profile of the first generation of Turkish guest workers in Germany and their offspring, specifically focusing on the peculiarities of their German language use and bilingual capabilities.
What are the central thematic fields?
The central fields include Turkish language typology, the sociolinguistic barriers to language learning, the analysis of "Gastarbeiterdeutsch" as a potential pidgin, and code-switching patterns among second-generation Turkish-Germans.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to understand the linguistic and social "equipment" of guest workers and their children, providing a comparative analysis to explain specific language-related phenomena and "errors" in their German.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The paper utilizes a socio-linguistic approach, incorporating empirical data from existing transcripts and research (Keim, Rehbein) to conduct error analysis and observe language-contact phenomena.
What does the main body of the work cover?
It covers the structural origins of the Turkish language, the social circumstances of the migrant population, a linguistic dissection of specific speaking patterns, and the mechanics of code-switching.
Which keywords characterize the research?
Key terms include Gastarbeiterdeutsch, code-switching, bilingualism, Turkish typology, sociolinguistics, and language mode.
Why does the author argue that "Gastarbeiterdeutsch" is not necessarily a pidgin?
The author references research suggesting that the variation is not a stable language system but rather a result of high variability and individual speaker situation, aligning with models that categorize it as second language acquisition rather than pidginization.
How does the social setting affect code-switching in the second generation?
The paper argues that the "language mode" or setting is crucial; for example, bilingual children are more prone to switch codes in informal settings with other native Turkish speakers, whereas they might adhere more strictly to one language in formal academic settings.
What role does the Turkish grammar play in the "Gastarbeiterdeutsch" of the first generation?
The first generation often performs a direct transfer of Turkish grammatical rules, such as S-O-V word order or the incorporation of personal pronouns into verbs, which leads to the identified "errors" in their German speech.
- Citar trabajo
- StR Sener Saltürk (Autor), 2006, Gastarbeiterdeutsch & Linguistic Characteristics of Second Generation (German)-Turks in Germany, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/204007
