Abstract
Abstract Most research on German as a pluricentric language to date has focused on differences between the standard varieties in Germany, Austria or Switzerland. Moreover, the focus in these studies is mainly on linguistic-structural features, with pragmatic differences (if any) only briefly touched upon. In Belgium, German is a minority language within a region, where French is the dominant language, resulting in both individual and societal language contact. By looking at the realisation of requests for repair in complaints across varieties of the same language on the one hand and different languages on the other, the present study wants to identify whether there are variety specific pragmatic features of Belgian German as opposed to German in Germany and Belgian French. Researching both intra- and interlingual pragmatic differences, the present study can be situated at the interface between variational and contrastive pragmatics.
Highlights
The current study compares two varieties of German (German spoken in Belgium and German spoken in Germany), focusing on the realisation of requests for repair in complaints
In order to study such intralingual pragmatic differences, variational pragmatics was introduced in the mid-2000s (Barron and Schneider, 2009), according to whom, “variational pragmatics can be conceptualized as the intersection of pragmatics with sociolinguistics, or, with dialectology as the study of language variation” (p. 426)
Barron and Schneider (2009: 425) rightly point out “that speakers who share the same native language do not necessarily share the same culture” and “cultures may be shared by speakers with different native languages”. This would imply that pragmatic similarities may occur across different languages, “while pragmatic differences may occur across varieties of the same language” (Barron and Schneider, 2009: 425)
Summary
The current study compares two varieties of German (German spoken in Belgium and German spoken in Germany), focusing on the realisation of requests for repair in complaints. Most research on German as a pluricentric language to date has focused on differences between standard varieties in the separate nations of Germany, Austria and Switzerland (Auer, 2014; Muhr, 2008; Norrby et al, 2020). Barron and Schneider (2009: 425) rightly point out “that speakers who share the same native language do not necessarily share the same culture” and “cultures may be shared by speakers with different native languages”. This would imply that pragmatic similarities may occur across different languages, “while pragmatic differences may occur across varieties of the same language” (Barron and Schneider, 2009: 425). The attitudinal profile of many German-speaking East Belgians could be “characterized by their position between on the one hand a French and a German cultural sphere and on the other the Belgian state that can count on their loyalty” (Nelde and Darquennes, 2002: 71)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
