′I by mistake addressed my biology teacher with Du, and he asked me if earlier we had been fattening the pigs in the pigsty together.′ 1(Informant Q)
′There is a grey zone in which a speaker may not know whether to use du or Sie, and in that case it is always safer to use Sie. A young girl, very tall for her age, would probably feel flattered to be addressed as Sie, whereas a short, undersized young woman would be embarrassed at being addressed with du.′ (Hammond 1981: 190)
′(...) you should not use du to a person with whom you are not familiar. A woman should not use du to a man she doesn′t know well, although she may, of course, deliberately use the du form to him, if she cares to. (...) The Germans have their problems with du and Sie.′ (Strutz 1986: 84)
The Germans, or, to be more precise, Germanspeaking people do have problems indeed with choosing the appropriate form of address. In most cases, it is a question of politeness to use the more formal ′Sie′ to people you do not know very well, especially if they are older than you. There are, however, many instances, where the ′Sie′ is felt to be rather inappropriate and may even make the addressed feel very uncomfortable. Especially younger people can find it rather irritating to be addressed with ′Sie′, in particular when the addresser is about the same age or an acquaintance. To switch from polite ′Sie′ to more casual ′Du′ is most of the time a daring enterprise for the speakers involved, whereas to switch from ′Du′ to ′Sie′ almost seems impossible, at least without causing major irritation.
Table of Contents
1. The Problem of ‘Du’ and ‘Sie’ in the German Language. An approach.
2. References
3. Appendix
3.1 Fragebogen Sociolinguistics: Du / Sie
3.2 Translation:
3.2.1 Questionnaire Sociolinguistics: Du / Sie
Research Objectives and Themes
This study investigates the complex dynamics of the German address forms 'Du' and 'Sie', focusing on the sociolinguistic tensions between power and solidarity as experienced by young German-speaking university students.
- The sociolinguistic distinction between formal ('Sie') and informal ('Du') address.
- Conflicts between power dynamics and solidarity markers in modern social settings.
- The influence of age and social status on the perception of appropriate address.
- Regional dialect variations, specifically the use of 'Ihr' in Vorarlberg, Austria.
- The disparity between perceived language behavior and actual usage as revealed by empirical data.
Excerpt from the Book
The problem of ‘Du’/‘Sie’ in German exists.
The problem of ‘Du’/‘Sie’ in German exists. This is, at least, for certain. All of my 18 informants confirmed to have thought about the two address forms before (q 9), and 16 could think of actual situations, where they were not sure about which form of address they should have used to the person they were talking to (q 11). Surprisingly, 7 people mentioned exactly the same instance, namely that they felt insecure when addressing someone at work who is assumed to be in a higher position, but of same age.
The example given by these students is a very interesting one, for, if we follow Brown and Gilman, it clearly shows the two dimensions of power and solidarity, which seem to conflict here. There is solidarity in many ways. The most important one is age. For young people it seems to be rather unusual and sometimes even unacceptable to be addressed with ‘Sie’ by others of the same age, especially when the setting suggests solidarity too. A setting which suggests solidarity could be work, or any other shared activity, like studying at university, being a member of the sports club etc. In the case of my 7 informants, similar age and the shared (place of) work do both point towards solidarity and would therefore strongly suggest reciprocal ‘Du’ use. The problem arises, of course, when my informants become aware of the seemingly uneven power relationship, the other being superior due to his/her position at work.
Summary of Chapters
1. The Problem of ‘Du’ and ‘Sie’ in the German Language. An approach.: This chapter introduces the theoretical background of T/V address forms and outlines the author's methodological approach using questionnaires to survey student experiences. It discusses the emotional and social implications of address choices and highlights the persistent ambiguity in German societal norms.
2. References: This section provides a comprehensive bibliography of the academic literature cited throughout the study.
3. Appendix: This section contains the original German questionnaire used for data collection, as well as its English translation for reference.
Keywords
Sociolinguistics, German language, address forms, Du, Sie, power, solidarity, T/V distinction, Vorarlberg, dialect, pronoun usage, social distance, politeness, address behavior.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental topic of this work?
The work explores the sociolinguistic usage of the German address pronouns 'Du' and 'Sie', examining how speakers choose between formal and informal address in various social contexts.
What are the central themes of the research?
The primary themes include the influence of power and solidarity on language, the impact of age on social interaction, and how modern German-speaking students perceive the social 'distance' or 'respect' conveyed by these pronouns.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to gain insight into the actual 'Du'/'Sie' usage among young adults and to determine if historical models, such as Brown and Gilman's power-solidarity theory, still accurately reflect modern linguistic behavior.
Which scientific methods were employed?
The author utilized a qualitative approach, relying on personal intuition as a native speaker and collecting 18 questionnaires from German-speaking university students to gather experiential data.
What does the main body of the text cover?
The main text analyzes survey results regarding discomfort in address situations, explores the "grey zone" where address rules are unclear, and investigates the historical and regional use of 'Ihr' as a third, intermediate address form in Vorarlberg.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include sociolinguistics, power, solidarity, address forms, 'Du'/'Sie' usage, language change, and dialectal variations.
Why do students feel insecure when addressing superiors of the same age?
The insecurity arises from a conflict between the solidarity felt due to similar age and the power imbalance inherent in a professional hierarchy, making the choice between 'Du' and 'Sie' socially ambiguous.
What is the significance of the dialectal 'Ihr' mentioned in the study?
The 'Ihr' form serves as a strategic linguistic tool in Vorarlberg to bypass the stiffness of 'Sie' and the potential informality of 'Du', functioning as a neutral middle ground in daily local interactions.
- Citar trabajo
- Martin Stepanek (Autor), 1999, The problem of Du and Sie in the German Language. An approach., Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/9631
