German Linguistics

You will familiarise yourself with the phenomena, theories and methods of the two sub-areas of synchronic and diachronic German Linguistics. In synchronous linguistics, you will acquire theoretical and applied knowledge about the structure and use of contemporary German in all its facets. The programme follows the linguistic levels of description and analysis from sound to word, sentence and text to complex communicative processes. In diachronic German Studies, the focus is on the presentation of the oldest language stages of German in their historical and linguistic context and the development of their basic grammatical structures in texts. Your ability to read German literary texts from the Middle Ages will be promoted. You will acquire knowledge of the development of the functional levels of the German language and its history from its beginnings to the present day.