Communication norms and communication barriers

Abstract

This chapter deals with some ongoing issues concerning norms in the German language, including the international controversy on orthographic reform. It then addresses the nature of communication barriers within German and Austrian societies, including limited access to information. Language norms and language planning in German Language planning may be defined as policy formulation and implementation, by official and non-official bodies, on the creation, alphabetization, standardization and use of languages. Two types of language planning (treatment) are usually differentiated (Kloss 1967): status planning , which emphasizes questions concerning the language as a totality and in relation to other languages (e.g. the international spread of German, see Chapter 1, and when to use dialect and Standard, see Chapter 4), and corpus planning , which is preoccupied with normative questions such as correctness and efficiency of particular forms. The German language does not possess central language planning authorities like the Academie Francaise, nor does the parliament of any German-language country pass laws concerning standard forms, as is the case in Norway (Haugen 1966). During the National Socialist regime, the Reichspresseamt (Reich Press Office) did possess and exercise planning powers, e.g. on 13 December 1937, it ‘abolished’ the word Volkerbund (League of Nations) and on 1 September 1939, it declared that tapfer (brave) could be collocated only with deutsch! (Berning 1964:163–4). There has been a ‘purist’ movement with a long tradition in Germany which has concerned itself with Sprachpjlege , i.e. stylistics.