Referenzketten und stilistische Variation in der Sekundarstufe

Abstract

Abstract If an entity is referred to multiple times in a text, a reference chain is created. This chain is considered neutral or unmarked when it is structured as follows: eine Frau – die Frau – sie – sie – sie … (‘a woman – the woman – she – she – she…’) (Thurmair 2003). Most studies on referential coherence (including those related to language acquisition) focus on animate entities in texts. For older school pupils to handle different types of texts (e. g. reports, descriptions, explanations) adequately, the question arises as to how references are made to inanimate objects in texts and whether simple possibilities of stylistic variation are used. In this experimental study with secondary-school pupils (Grades 5 and 8) and university students, we elicited chains of references to inanimate entities (eine Tasche – die Tasche – sie, ‘a bag – the bag – it’) and investigated the unmarked structuring of these references (indefinite NP – definite NP – personal pronoun) and the degree of precision in the introductory nominal phrase in terms of composition and/or attributes (e. g. eine Handtasche, eine gelbe Tasche, eine gelbe Handtasche, ‘a handbag, a yellow bag, a yellow handbag’). We also explored whether potential for variation was exploited through partial recurrence (e. g. eine Handtasche – die Tasche, ‘a handbag – the bag’). Although all three groups preferred using neutral reference chains, there were clear differences in the degree of preference between the two groups of pupils, on the one hand, and the students, on the other. The groups also differed regarding their use of precision and the extent to which they varied references through partial recurrence. In addition, deviations in agreement between a pronoun and its previous mention were observed in some pupils with German as a second language who followed the semantic strategy of referring to inanimate entities using the neutral pronoun es (independent of the grammatical gender) (e. g. eine gelbe Tasche – die Tasche – *es). Another surprising finding can be seen in the student group. In an effort to express themselves diversely and eloquently, the students varied the personal and demonstrative pronouns within the reference chains without considering that demonstrative pronouns fulfil specific grammatical functions in texts (Diessel, 1999; Bosch & Umbach, 2007) and that incorrect use confuses the reader, potentially leading to misinterpretation. As analyses of textbooks have shown that referential coherence is largely neglected in German instruction (Averintseva-Klisch, Bryant & Peschel, 2019), the findings are hardly surprising. They demonstrate once again that more attention needs to be paid to this phenomenon in teacher training and in work on texts in schools.