Learning objectives
Expected results:
- Knowledge and understanding: students will be able to identify different dimensions of linguistic variation when dealing with both oral and written texts.
- Ability to apply knowledge and understanding: students will be able to analyse complex texts on several levels, also with respect to variation dimensions in contemporary German.
- Autonomy of judgment: students must be able to critically discuss their own and others’ interpretations and choices.
- Communication skills: students will acquire the ability to communicate fluently in written and oral German, arguing effectively their positions and using terminology appropriate to the sectoral areas of, among others, sociolinguistics, linguistic variation.
- Learning skills: by developing the ability to reflect on their own work, students will learn to improve their language skills, also finding new resources autonomously.
Prerequisites
Knowledge of the German language (at least B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference.).
Course unit content
The theoretical course, which combines lectures and practical activities, aims at reflecting on different aspects of authentic language use.
It will introduce sociolinguistic aspects related to German as a pluricentric language; in this respect, attention will be given to diatopic as well as to diamesic and diaphasic variation. Drawing on authentic spoken corpora available on the Database for Spoken German (DGD; see http://dgd.ids-mannheim.de) of the Leibniz-Institut für deutsche Sprache (Mannheim), reflections related to, among others, the concepts of written (geschriebenes Deutsch) and spoken German (gesprochenes Deutsch) will be applied to the discussion of texts and, among others, to intralinguistic translation processes.
Attention will also be given to theoretical and methodological tools for approaching the analysis of spoken German. With this respect, topics related to language repertoire, plurilingualism and language biographies will be discussed.
Non-attending students are requested to contact the teacher during reception hours or by e-mail.
The theoretical course is accompanied by the practical language lessons (lettorato), which will take place throughout the whole academic year.
The activities will take place in presence. The theoretical lessons will be recorded. The video recordings will be available online for two weeks from the day in which they are held.
Full programme
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Bibliography
• Lessons 1, 3, 5, 6 of the MOOC “Il tedesco in prospettiva pluricentrica” (Eva-Maria Thüne & Simona Leonardi), which can be accessed at the following link (after registration): https://lms.federica.eu/enrol/index.php?id=265.
• Koch, P./Oesterreicher, W. (1985): Sprache der Nähe – Sprache der Distanz: Mündlichkeit und Schriftlichkeit im Spannungsfeld von Sprachtheorie und Sprachgeschichte. In: Romanistisches Jahrbuch, 36, 15-43.
• Fiehler, R. (2000): Über zwei Probleme bei der Untersuchung gesprochener Sprache. In: Sprache und Literatur, 31 (85), 23-42.
• Fiehler, R. (2003): Mündlichkeit und gesprochene Sprache als wissenschaftlicher Gegenstand - Wo ist das Problem? In: Barthel, H. (Hg.): Zum Wissenschaftsverständnis der Sprechwissenschaft. München/Basel: Reinhardt, 20-32.
• Selting, M. et al. (2009): Gesprächsanalytisches Transkriptionssystem 2 (GAT 2).
• Busch, B (2010): Die Macht präbabylonischer Phantasien. Ressourcenorientiertes sprachbiographisches Arbeiten. In: Zeitschrift für Literaturwissenschaft und Linguistik LiLi, 40, 58-82.
• Fiehler, R. (2011): Mündliche Verständigung und gesprochene Sprache. In: Moraldo, S. M. (Hg.): Deutsch aktuell 2. Einführung in die Tendenzen der deutschen Gegenwartssprache. Roma: Carocci, 83-107.
• Thüne, E.-M. (2020): Sprache, Identität und Erinnerung – Sprachbiographische Untersuchungen italienischer StudentInnen. Zur Einführung. In: Thüne, E.-M./Nissen, A., Sprachbiographisches Arbeiten in der angewandten Linguistik. Bologna: Quaderni del CeSLiC, Occasional Papers M1, 1-8.
• Schwitalla, J. (2012): Gesprochenes Deutsch. Berlin: Schmidt Verlag.
Further materials, to be considered an integral part of the bibliography, will be made available on the Elly platform during the course.
Teaching methods
The course will combine lectures and seminar classes, group and individual activities; it will also include the analysis and the discussion of case studies and exercises. The examples proposed in class will help the students to develop a method to be applied through in-depth studies and individual analysis paths.
The theoretical course goes together with practical language lessons (lettorato) held during the whole academic year and aimed at consolidating students’ language skills to a B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference.
Both the theoretical course and the practical language lessons (lettorato) are taught in German.
Assessment methods and criteria
The exam is passed when the learning of the theoretical course and the practical language lessons (lettorato) has been verified.
1) The assessment of the practical language lessons (lettorato) will be based on students’ performance in the four skills based on the descriptors of the B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference in a final exam;
2) the assessment of the theoretical course will be based on:
a) a presentation (Referat) to be held during the course;
b) an essay in German (wissenschaftliche Hausarbeit; further instructions will be given during the course) to be handed in 7 days before the oral exam at the latest;
c) an oral examination (ca. 20 minutes) focused on the contents of the theoretical course.
The lettorato test is mandatory and preliminary to the oral exam of the theoretical course.
The exam is the same for non-attending students; however, instead of holding the presentation (Referat) during the theoretical course, they will have to hold it during the oral exam.
All tests will be in German, including the essay.
An insufficiency rating is determined by the lack of understanding and of knowledge of the minimum course contents. A sufficient evaluation (18-23 / 30) is determined by the student’s understanding and learning of the minimum and fundamental contents of the course. Middle-range scores (24-27/30) are assigned to the student who proves to have a more than sufficient (24-25/30) or good (26-27/30) level of the evaluation indicators listed above. Moreover, middle range scores are due to acceptable to good levels of competence in applying the knowledge acquired. The highest scores (from 28/30 to 30/30 cum laude) are assigned on the basis of a very good to excellent level in the knowledge of the contents, in the personal processing capacity of the same and in the mastery of specific terminology.
Other information
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