National vs. regional models of language variation: The case of Austrian German
Titel:
National vs. regional models of language variation: The case of Austrian German
Auteur:
Rusch, Paul
Verschenen in:
Language culture and curriculum
Paginering:
Jaargang 2 (1989) nr. 1 pagina's 1-16
Jaar:
1989
Inhoud:
The case of Austrian German illustrates the powerful role of historical and political factors in the creation of language norms, and the continuing conflict of national vs. regional models of language variation in Europe. The dominance of the national model leads to the assumption that there are four main varieties of German, corresponding to the political units of East and West Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. This leads, in turn, to the idea that Austrian and Swiss German are inferior to the varieties of German spoken in West and East Germany. It also influences the search for internal norms within the German-speaking nations as a group, by giving undue precedence, in the case of Austria at any rate, to the language spoken in the region of the capital city. The paper examines the historical background to the concept of Austrian German, looks at some representative features of the German language in this area, and argues for the separation of the concepts of language and nationality.
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