This paper deals with the use and importance of varieties, in this case, Low German, nowadays in the German language. To find out about this, a survey was conducted, where people of different ages were asked about their ability to understand and produce Low German, but also about their opinion on the importance of Low German in consideration of their ancestry, origin, social contacts, and others to find out how present the variety of Low German is. The results show that Low German is losing importance from generation to generation. This predicts that Low German will become extinct in the next years.
Low German is a variety of German that used to be common in the northern and eastern parts of Germany for thousands of years. Being born in the 1990s or later, today's youth is not able to understand their grandparents properly when they start talking Low German or they even do not have any contact with this variety at all. In comparison, a few years ago, almost everyone in that named area of Germany spoke or at least was able to understand Low German properly. Clearly, the use of the German language and its varieties is undergoing a change right now. This paper is not just an apparent time study of Low German in the 21st century, but also looking at the different reasons this change may be caused by. This research is inspired by a German study about the language in the city of Hanover by Hana Ikenaga from Leibniz University Hanover, which will be explained in more detail later on.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- INTRODUCTION
- PREVIOUS WORK
- Theoretical Background
- Criteria
- Questionnaire
- Results
- DATA AND METHOD
- RESULTS
- CONCLUSION
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper examines the use and importance of Low German in contemporary German society. Through a survey of individuals across different age groups, the research aims to investigate the understanding and production of Low German, as well as its perceived importance in relation to factors such as ancestry, origin, and social connections. The goal is to understand the current state of Low German and its potential for future extinction.
- The changing use of Low German across generations
- The influence of social factors on Low German usage
- The potential for Low German to become extinct
- The relationship between Low German and Standard German
- The application of sociolinguistic methodologies to study language change
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The introduction sets the context for the study, highlighting the declining use of Low German and the need for an apparent time study to understand this shift. It outlines the research objectives and the inspiration drawn from a previous study on Hanoverian city language. The chapter also discusses the survey methodology, including the inclusion of diverse participants and the focus on both active and passive knowledge of Low German.
The “Previous Work” section delves into the inspiration behind the current research, drawing upon a master’s thesis by Hana Ikenaga on the myth of Hanoverian Standard German. It discusses Ikenaga’s methodology, which involves language samples and quantitative analysis of non-Standard German variables. The chapter then outlines the theoretical background of the study, emphasizing the relevance of Labov’s linguistic studies and highlighting key criteria such as objectivity, reliability, and validity.
The chapter on “Criteria” further expands on the factors considered in the research, including age, gender, educational background, origin, and ancestry. It draws on the concept of generational change to explain the potential influence of family background on Low German use. The chapter also addresses the issue of potential biases in gender-related language use, but ultimately focuses on other influences to maintain the scope of the study.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The key concepts and themes explored in this paper include Low German, language change, apparent time study, sociolinguistics, generational change, Standard German, non-Standard German, ancestry, origin, social contacts, and language use. The research focuses on the decline of Low German and its potential extinction, exploring the role of social factors and generational shifts in this phenomenon.
- Quote paper
- Anonym (Author), 2019, Low German Varieties. Its Use and its Importance, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/992467
