What is German?

Different dimensions - view of Astrid Stedje:

1. Medium

2. Historical

3. Regional

4. Social

5. Stylistic

• Form of language e.g. literature 
• 2 main different forms - written or spoken (dichotomy - mutual exclusivity/either or)
• Spoken language - die Urform der Sprache (model/original form of the language) - how the language started - all written forms are modelled on spoken langauge 

|Distanzsprache ------------------------------|---------------------------Nähesprache|

                                                   <--    Continuum    -->

• Distanzsprache e.g. a standard language
• Nähesprache e.g. a local dialect, spontaneous 
• Different between is level of mediation and monitoring 

How much you think about language defines what sort of language you use

• Process of linguistic development

• Modern Standard German (one form of German) - developed since late 18th Century
• Old High German (first written German, -700 - 1000) - e.g. Old Bavarian, Old Franconean 
• Protogermanic (around 0ac) -  no written sources exist - proto = reconstructed 

1. Dialects of German (Nähesprache)

• highly regional
• intimately linked with geography

2. Umgangssprachen (between dialects and German)

• primarily spoken
• colloquialism etc. 
• some dialectic features
• more standard than dialects

3. Standard German

• not geographically linked

Theoretically a speaker could move between all 3 forms - normally context determined - social and stylistic forms brought in 

Social

Refers to factors such as: age, gender, social background 

These factors determine how someone speaks and uses the German language

Stylistic

Shows how the language is written or spoken

Distanz- and Nähesprache can help to define how langauge is being used