German
A Linguistic Introduction

An introduction to the structure and sociolinguistics of the German language for students of German and linguistics.

Sarah M. B. Fagan (Author)

9780521618038, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 14 May 2009

332 pages, 43 tables
22.8 x 15.1 x 1.7 cm, 0.53 kg

'… there is much superb material here … Anyone who teaches German linguistics, or is just interested in the linguistic structure of German, should read this book.' Modern Language Review

Standard German is spoken by approximately 95 million people worldwide. This book provides an introduction to the linguistic structure of standard German that is rich in descriptive detail and grounded in modern linguistic theory. It describes the main linguistic features: the sounds, structure and formation of words, structure of sentences, and meaning of words and sentences. It surveys the history of the language, the major dialects, German in Austria and Switzerland, as well as sociolinguistic issues such as style, language and gender, youth language, and English influence on German. Prior knowledge of German is not required, as glosses and translations of the German examples are provided. Each chapter includes exercises designed to give the reader practical experience in analyzing the language. It is an essential learning tool for undergraduate and graduate students in German and linguistics.

Introduction
1. Phonetics and phonology
2. Morphology
3. Syntax
4. Semantics
5. History of the language
6. Regional variation
7. Sociolinguistic issues.

Subject Areas: Grammar, syntax & morphology [CFK], Phonetics, phonology [CFH], Semantics, discourse analysis, etc [CFG], Historical & comparative linguistics [CFF], Sociolinguistics [CFB]