Using Authentic Materials to Teach Varieties of German: Reflections on a Pedagogical Experiment

Abstract

German is a language with multiple standard and non‐standard varieties (Fagan, ). Yet L2 textbooks still favor one standard form, offering little information about other varieties of the language. In particular, Austrian and Swiss Standard German are underrepresented, and even when present, the language is often in a mixture of dialect and standard varieties. This is an important limitation, since students who embark on study abroad programs will inevitably be confronted by different standard forms and dialects in spoken language (Lam & O'Brien, ). In order to help learners develop an awareness of varieties of German so that they can succeed in L2 environments, it is essential to supplement textbook materials with other resources. This article describes a ten‐week pedagogical experiment whose objective was to raise learners’ awareness of several spoken varieties of German (standards and dialects) through the use of authentic materials. An attitude survey revealed that the 18 participants viewed learning about German as a multi‐variable language positively. A critical review suggests, however, that not all teaching materials were equally effective in achieving the learning objectives.