Multilingualism from a comparative linguistic perspective

Organization: Astrid Lange M.A.Department DaFZ Speakers:Prof. Dr. Ulrich Mehlem, Prof. Dr. Bernhard Brehmer, Prof. Dr. Yong Liang, Astrid Lange M.A.

As part of the lecture series German after X - Multilingualism from a Comparative Language Perspective, guest speakers from various universities were invited to give a lecture followed by a practical exercise under the direction of Astrid Lange M.A. in the winter semester 2016/17. During the weekly accompanying seminar, the seminar participants prepared intensively for the main topics and thus benefited greatly from the exchange of content with the external experts. The topic met with great interest among students on the Master's degree program in German as a foreign language, the continuing education program in German as a foreign language and employees of the University of Kassel, with the contributions being dedicated to the contrastive comparison between German and the languages Arabic, Russian and Chinese, with each speaker focusing on different aspects. The relevance of the individual languages as potential languages of origin for language course participants is currently a result of the strong migration movements to German-speaking countries (e.g. among refugees and international students) both in local GFL courses and in GFL work abroad, for example at Goethe-Instituts and at foreign universities. The strongly divergent focus of the speakers from different academic disciplines provided a varied and diverse insight into the topic.

The event kicked off on November 8, 2016 with the Islamic studies and linguistics expert and didactician Prof. Dr. Ulrich Mehlem (Goethe University Frankfurt). After an introductory presentation of the structural characteristics of the Arabic language with a focus on diglossia and the differences in the various Arabic varieties, Mr. Mehlem presented the Arabic writing system, which the participants tested themselves with the help of a phonetic chart. Contrasts between German and Arabic, such as differences in the phonetic and graphemic inventory or the different syllable structure, were thus directly experienced as a learning hurdle, which also made it possible to recognize the stumbling blocks of native Arabic speakers when learning German. The Syrian teachers Hala Mouammar, Jwana Mohammad and Marina Maqdesi , who live in Germany, gave an insight into school requirements and the role of the standard Arabic language in Syrian schools in the form of a short presentation, which the participants found helpful for their future professional practice, in which they will most likely be confronted with Syrian learners.

In his contribution on November 22, 2016 Prof. Dr. Bernhard BrehmerProfessor of Slavic Linguistics (Ernst Moritz Arndt University of Greifswald) addressed differences in the German language skills of the first and second generation of Russian-speaking learners of German. In particular, the use of the definite and indefinite article represents a language barrier for Russian native speakers when learning German, as the corresponding categories are missing in Russian. In the practical part of the article, language data in the form of audio recordings and transcripts from both generations were analyzed, which highlighted the problem of the delay in the acquisition of articles in the second language German, especially in the parents' generation.

The last guest article was published on January 24, 2017 by the Germanist and sinologist Prof. Dr. Yong Liang from the University of Trier. After introducing some of the special features of the Chinese language, which differs from the German language in many respects, such as the non-phonographic writing system, tonality and the different morphemes and syntax, Mr. Liang highlighted the different communication conventions in Chinese and German as a particularly high barrier to learning. The high potential for communicative misunderstandings between Germans and Chinese learners of German was demonstrated to the participants in a practical exercise: After exemplary communicative situations were assessed by all participants - including many Chinese students - in terms of appropriate linguistic options for action, a stimulating discussion about cultural similarities and differences ensued.

The lecture series was characterized by the versatility and interdisciplinary approaches of the individual speakers, so that it became clear on what different levels contrastive comparisons between languages can be carried out and be useful. The students of GFL were particularly positive about the link between theoretical input and practical exercises, as this made the content more vivid and directly applicable.

Text: Astrid Lange M.A., Photos: Jinyan Wang