Multilingualism from a comparative linguistic perspective

        Organization:  Astrid Lange M.A.   Fachgebiet DaFZ                                                                  xml- 

As part of the lecture series Deutsch nach X - Mehrsprachigkeit aus sprachvergleichender Perspektive (German after X - multilingualism from a comparative linguistic perspective ), guest speakers from various universities were invited to give a lecture and a subsequent practice-based exercise under the direction of Astrid Lange M.A. in the winter semester 2016/17. During the weekly accompanying seminar, the seminar participants prepared themselves 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 the students of the Master's program DaFZ, the continuing education program DaFZ as well as among the staff of the University of Kassel. The contributions were dedicated to the contrastive comparison between German and the languages Arabic, Russian and Chinese, whereby each speaker focused on different aspects. The relevance of the individual languages as potential languages of origin of language course participants currently results from the strong migration movements to German-speaking countries (e.g. among refugees and international students) both in DaZ courses locally and in DaF work abroad, for example at Goethe Institutes and at foreign universities. The strongly diverging focus of the speakers from different academic disciplines in terms of content opened up a versatile and varied insight  into the topic.

The first speaker on November 8, 2016, was the Islamic and linguistic scholar and didactician Prof. Dr. Ulrich Mehlem (Goethe University Frankfurt). After an introductory presentation of structural peculiarities 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 tried out for themselves with the help of a phonetic table. Contrasts between the languages German and Arabic, such as differences in the phonetic and grapheme inventory or the deviating syllable structure, were thus directly experienced as a learning hurdle, whereby at the same time the stumbling blocks of Arabic native speakers in learning German could be grasped. The Syrian teachers Hala Mouammar, Jwana Mohammad and Marina Maqdesi, who live in Germany, gave an insight into the school requirements and the role of the Arabic standard language in Syrian schools in the form of a short lecture, which was perceived by the participants as helpful for their later professional practice, in which they will most likely be confronted with Syrian learners.

In his contribution on November 22, 2016. Prof. Dr. Bernhard Brehmer, Professor of Slavic Linguistics (Ernst Moritz Arndt University of Greifswald) addressed differences in the German language competence of the first and second immigrant generations of Russian-speaking learners of German. Especially the use of the definite and indefinite article is a language barrier for Russian native speakers in learning German, since corresponding categories are missing in Russian. In the practical part of the paper, language data in the form of audio recordings and transcripts of both generations were analyzed, revealing the problem of delay in the acquisition of articles in German as a second language, especially in the parent generation.

The last guest article was presented on January 24, 2017, by Germanist and Sinologist Prof. Dr. Yong Liang from the University of Trier held. After introducing some peculiarities of the Chinese language before, which differs from the German language in many respects, such as the non-phonographic writing system, tonality and different morphemics 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 - for 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 are carried out and can be useful. The students of the DaFZ department 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