Spelling trouble? : language, ideology and the reform of German orthography / Sally Johnson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Johnson, Sally A.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

German language--Orthography and spelling.

German language.

Spelling reform--Germany.

Spelling reform.

Language policy--Germany.

Language policy.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (viii, 208 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Clevedon, U.K. ; Buffalo, N.Y. : Multilingual Matters, LTD, c2005.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In 1995 an official reform of German orthography was announced and a new set of rules for spelling and punctuation was introduced into schools between 1998 and 2005. These changes, however, unleashed a wave of public protest such that by the beginning of 1996 the question of how the German language should be written had evolved into a major judicial wrangle requiring the intervention of the Federal Constitutional Court. In this book Sally Johnson explores the linguistic, cultural and political issues underpinning the constitutional challenge brought by various individuals and groups against the reform. Drawing on sociolinguistic theories of language ideology, Johnson critically analyses the conflicting views of language that were produced, reproduced and challenged in the course of this dispute. At the same time her book attempts to situate those ideologies, together with the dispute as a whole, within the wider historical context of state involvement in the standardisation of German orthography from the mid-19th century onwards. Spelling Trouble? will be of interest to speakers and students of German as well as sociolinguists studying language politics, language planning and language ideology.

Contents:

Introduction to the 1996 reform of German orthography

Historical background

Linguistic details

The constitutional challenge

The 1996 reform as language ideological debate

The trouble with spelling? Discussion and conclusions.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 175-202) and index.

ISBN:

9786610828494

9781280828492

1280828498

9781853597862

1853597864

OCLC:

605342863