Exploring the German Language

by Sally Johnson , Natalie Braber

• ISBN13: 9780521872089
• ISBN10: 0521872081
• eBook ISBN(s): 9780511421266
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-09-01
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• More Book Details

Summary

If we want to understand how German speakers think about themselves and the world in which they live, then a useful place to begin is by looking at the language they use. This fully revised and updated edition provides a systematic approach to the study of the German language and an introduction to the social aspects of the language, including its dialects, its history and the uses of the language today. No previous knowledge of linguistics is assumed, and each chapter is accompanied by a series of practical exercises. This edition includes a brand new section on gender, purism and German unification, fresh examples for analysis and an updated chapter on the geography of Germany today. The book will help students not only to find new ways of exploring the German language, but also of thinking and talking about German-speaking cultures.

Table of Contents

Introduction

The History and Geography of German

The German language past and present

The German-speaking areas

The Structures of German

The sounds of German

Putting the sounds together

The structure of German words

The structure of German sentences

The meaning of German words

The German Language in Use

Meaning in context

Variation in German

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