German-speaking Research Articles

Becoming a speaker of German as an L1 French speaker: elite multilingualism as a means of distinction in a globalised world

ABSTRACT This article presents an analysis of the relationship between language ideologies, elite multilingualism, and the identity of migrants with a focus on L2 speakers of German. Relying on interviews with the Francophone community in Berlin, I show that two main language ideologies circulate: ‘language as a skill’ vs ‘language as an identity marker’. While these ideologies may seem opposite, I argue that both are in fact shaped by dominant language ideologies around German being hard to learn. Even if the argumentation differs, in both cases, becoming a speaker of German enables the interviewees to profile themselves as different from other non German-speaking communities. Both ideologies are a reaction to English as a dominant language that can be traced back to early metadiscourses on foreign language learning in French schools. Ultimately, I suggest that both positions correspond to elite multilingualism in which learning and using German works as a means of distinction in a globalised world.

Supportive teachers, active students: Is teacher support a promising key to engaging students with and without migration backgrounds?

Students with and without migration backgrounds differ in terms of their achievement. One approach to reducing the gap between the two groups may be through equal participation in classroom discourse. Here, supportive teaching behavior can be particularly important for promoting student participation. Especially teacher support after a student has made a mistake, the so-called error culture in the classroom, could pave the way for students to become active participants. In this study, we analyzed whether error culture as a facet of teacher support could be a promising key to engaging students with and without migration backgrounds. To investigate the generalizability of the process across different subjects, we examined video data from 20 eighth-grade classrooms of academic-track secondary schools in both German Language Arts and Mathematics (N = 387 students). The results from nested hierarchical linear models indicate that error culture is related to student participation in German Language Arts but not in Mathematics. Interestingly, students with and without migration backgrounds did not differ in terms of their participation in classroom discourse. Furthermore, teachers’ positive error culture supported students’ participation irrespective of their migration background. Therefore, we encourage teachers to continue to pay attention to their error culture as this seems relevant for all students in the classroom.

Узуальная метафора как средство репрезентации концепта-регулятива ABNEIGUNG в современном немецком языке

The purpose of the study is to determine the content of the value component of the regulative concept ABNEIGING (ANTIPATHY), expressed by the usual metaphors representing the conceptual metaphor ‘Abneigung ist ein Naturwesen’ (Antipathy is a natural organism). The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that, for the first time, the value characteristics of the regulative concept ABNEIGUNG are described on the basis of the German language and linguistic metaphors that verbalize the conceptual metaphor ‘Abneigung ist ein Naturwesen’ are classified according to the level of linguistic hierarchy and stylistic significance. The article examines the physiological and emotional components of the emotion “antipathy”, justifies the choice of its mental representation – a regulative concept related to universal, cultural, nonparametric emotional regulative concepts. Linguistic metaphors explicating the conceptual metaphor ‘Abneigung ist ein Naturwesen’ are analyzed. As a result, it is determined that the distinctive characteristic of the regulative concept ABNEIGUNG is its pronounced value component, represented by rationalistic assessments – utilitarian (useful – harmful, correct – incorrect) and teleological (effective – ineffective). Based on the analysis of linguistic metaphors explicating the conceptual metaphor ‘Abneigung ist ein Naturwesen’, it has been established that they are metaphors-words, metaphors-phrases, metaphors-sentences, according to the type of stylistic significance – customary metaphors.

Is Word Order Responsive to Morphology? Disentangling Cause and Effect in Morphosyntactic Change in Five Western European Languages.

This study examines the relationship between morphological complexity and word order rigidity, addressing a gap in the literature regarding causality in linguistic changes. While prior research suggests that the loss of inflectional morphology correlates with the adoption of fixed word order, this study shifts the focus from correlation to causation. By employing Kolmogorov complexity as a measure of linguistic complexity alongside Granger Causality to examine causal relationships, we analyzed data from Germanic and Romance languages over time. Our findings indicate that changes in morphological complexity are statistically more likely to cause shifts in word order rigidity than vice versa. The causal asymmetry is robustly borne out in Dutch and German, though waveringly in English, as well as in French and Italian. Nowhere, however, is the asymmetry reversed. Together, these results can be interpreted as supporting the idea that a decline in morphological complexity causally precedes a rise in syntactic complexity, though further investigation into the underlying factors contributing to the differing trends across languages is needed.

Pengembangan Pembelajaran Menggunakan Media Aplikasi Quiziz untuk Menambah Minat Belajar Bahasa Jerman pada Tema Familie

The development of digital-based learning media on the Quizizz application to improve German language skills on a family theme includes the use of the Quizizz platform as a means to improve understanding and comprehension of German reading. This application aims to make learning German easier by providing family-themed interactive tests and exercises. The main aim of this development is to improve understanding and knowledge of the German language through a digital-based approach that allows students to learn independently and interactively.

Prohibiting Babel-A call for professional remote interpreting services in pre-operation anaesthesia information.

Language barriers within clinical settings pose a threat to patient safety. As a potential impediment to understanding, they hinder the process of obtaining informed consent and uptake of critical medical information. This study investigates the impact of the current use of interpreters, with a particular focus on of engaging laypersons as interpreters, rather than professional interpreters potentially affecting patient safety. A further objective is to explore the reliability of phone-based telemedicine in terms of the retention of important medical facts. In three groups (N per group = 30), we compared how using lay or professional interpreters affected non-German speaking patients' subjectively perceived understanding (understood vs. not understood) and recollection (recollected vs. not recollected) of information about general anaesthesia. Proficient German speaking patients served as the control group. Statistical analyses (χ2 tests and binomial) were calculated to show differences between and within the groups. All three groups indicated similar, high self-reported levels of having understood the medical information provided. This was in stark contrast to the assessed objective recollection data. In the lay interpreter group, recollection of anaesthesia facts was low; only around half of participants recalled specific facts. For patients supported by professional interpreters, their recollection of facts about anaesthesia was significantly enhanced and elevated to the same level of the control group (fluent in German). Moreover, for these patients, providing information by means of phone-based telemedicine before anaesthesia yielded high levels of understanding and recollection of anaesthesia facts. Phone-based telemedicine is a safe and reliable method of communication in the professional interpreter group and German speaking control group, but not in the lay interpreter group. Compared to lay interpreters, professional interpreters significantly improve patients' uptake of critical information about general anaesthesia, thus highlighting the importance of professional interpreters for patient safety and informed consent.

ІГРОВА ФОРМА НАВЧАННЯ ЯК СПОСІБ МОТИВАЦІЇ ДО ВИВЧЕННЯ НІМЕЦЬКОЇ МОВИ

The article focuses on the game form of teaching German as a way to motivate students to learn it. The main competences and skills, formed during the game (communicative, cognitive, emotional, social, motor, mental), are investigated. The game in educational and pedagogical contexts is described, the game, learning and cognition for students of different age groups are compared, as well as the great interest in the game even outside the classroom. The problems of gamification in various spheres of human activity are outlined. The importance of the game is noted with reference to scientific sources, the relevance of its study, which dates back to ancient times. The main characteristics of the game are presented, the conditions necessary for the successful use of games in the classroom (favourable learning environment, silence, elimination of stress factors, teacher's behaviour, duration, completeness of the process, etc.) and the use of the game in the psychological context in general are described. The game is described as a motivating factor from the point of view of the player, when it should be enjoyable, because this effect contributes to the most beneficial learning of something new, often subconsciously. Particular attention is paid to the game as an intrinsic motivation to learn a language, when a learner does not have to learn through external motivating factors, but wants to learn through his/her own intrinsic motivation. The study presents the main types of exercises used in the form of games in German language classes to train the main language skills: speaking, writing, listening, reading, as well as grammar and basic soft competences. A game is a way of presenting a complex topic in an easy, unconscious way and transferring/acquiring new competences. The main types of games are outlined (dominoes, memos, cards to match an image with a word in German, bingo, Black Peter, autograph hunting, class walk, class survey, detective game, riddles, taboos, pantomime, etc.)

«Русская идея» Вл. Соловьева и «О русской идее» Вяч. Иванова: риторика пророческого слова и тезаурус мысли

The paper examines the significance of the philosophy of all-unity and moral philosophy of Vladimir Solovyov based on the little-studied problem of comparative analysis of his essay “The Russian Idea” (1888) and Vyacheslav Ivanov’s essay “On the Russian Idea” (1909). Ivanov's essay was supplemented and published in Germany in German language under the title “The Russian Idea” (“Die Russische Idee”) (1930). Both essays address the issues of overcoming the crisis of humanistic and religious consciousness in Russia and Europe. The cultural-philosophical ideas and thesaurus of the essays are analyzed. The thesaurus approach, as a basis for comparative analysis, allows for the identification of constants in the thinking of Solovyov and Ivanov, which are based on the concepts of “the Russian idea”, “Russia and Europe”, “national idea and nationalism”, “religious consciousness”, “religious culture and all-world unity” and “Christian revival”. It is shown that in Ivanov's understanding, the concept of “the Russian idea” represents the ideal of a revived Christian self-consciousness, similar to that of Solovyov and his predecessor F.M. Dostoevsky. It serves as “the first principle” of religious and national self-determination and stands in opposition to the notion of “nationalism”. These issues are also addressed in Ivanov's essay “The Religious Case of Vladimir Solovyov” (1916), his collection of essays “Native and Universal” (1917), and his book “Dostoevsky: Tragedy – Myth – Mysticism” (1932). Analyzing the thesaurus of Solovyov's and Ivanov's essays leads to the conclusion that they are characterized by rhetoric based on universal words, which are united by the symbolic significance of the concept of “the Russian idea”. Its meaning is determined by the humanistic and religious mission of Russia, which is important for preserving a space of cultural and religious unity between Russia and Europe, overcoming enmity among nations, nationalism, and authoritarianism. A comparative analysis is conducted between the ideas of Solovyov and Ivanov and the problematic aspects of Oswald Spengler's book “The Decline of the West” (1918–1922). The cultural-philosophical prophecy of Spengler regarding the cyclicality and “decline” of European culture is considered. The problem of the revival of Christian culture on the basis of the “Russian idea”, which represents the direction of thought of Solovyov, Ivanov, Dostoevsky, is of interest for understanding the meaning of Solovyov's Christian universalism, the ideas of which are relevant today.

The aluminum standard: using generative Artificial Intelligence tools to synthesize and annotate non-structured patient data

Background Medical narratives are fundamental to the correct identification of a patient’s health condition. This is not only because it describes the patient’s situation. It also contains relevant information about the patient’s context and health state evolution. Narratives are usually vague and cannot be categorized easily. On the other hand, once the patient’s situation is correctly identified based on a narrative, it is then possible to map the patient’s situation into precise classification schemas and ontologies that are machine-readable. To this end, language models can be trained to read and extract elements from these narratives. However, the main problem is the lack of data for model identification and model training in languages other than English. First, gold standard annotations are usually not available due to the high level of data protection for patient data. Second, gold standard annotations (if available) are difficult to access. Alternative available data, like MIMIC (Sci Data 3:1, 2016) is written in English and for specific patient conditions like intensive care. Thus, when model training is required for other types of patients, like oncology (and not intensive care), this could lead to bias. To facilitate clinical narrative model training, a method for creating high-quality synthetic narratives is needed.MethodWe devised workflows based on generative AI methods to synthesize narratives in the German language to avoid the disclosure of patient’s health data. Since we required highly realistic narratives, we generated prompts, written with high-quality medical terminology, asking for clinical narratives containing both a main and co-disease. The frequency of distribution of both the main and co-disease was extracted from the hospital’s structured data, such that the synthetic narratives reflect the disease distribution among the patient’s cohort. In order to validate the quality of the synthetic narratives, we annotated them to train a Named Entity Recognition (NER) algorithm. According to our assumptions, the validation of this system implies that the synthesized data used for its training are of acceptable quality.ResultWe report precision, recall and F1 score for the NER model while also considering metrics that take into account both exact and partial entity matches. Trained models are cautious, with a precision up to 0.8 for Entity Type match metric and a F1 score of 0.3.ConclusionDespite its inherent limitations, this technology has the potential to allow data interoperability by using encoded diseases across languages and regions without compromising data safety. Additionally, it facilitates the synthesis of unstructured patient data. In this way, the identification and training of models can be accelerated. We believe that this method may be able to generate discharge letters for any combination of main and co-diseases, which will significantly reduce the amount of time spent writing these letters by healthcare professionals.

The effect of task authenticity on second language writing product and process: The case of a morphologically complex language – Russian

AbstractThere is compelling empirical evidence suggesting that more authentic learning tasks improve second language learners' motivation and learning (Long, 1996; Van Lier, 2014). However, most research on this topic has focused on Germanic and Romance L2 languages, primarily in the context of speaking skills. Little is known about the effect of task authenticity on L2 writing, especially in languages other than English. The present study investigated how increased task authenticity, operationalized as writing to a real recipient rather than an imaginary friend, affected L2 writing in Russian—a language that exhibits a high level of morphological complexity (Gilabert & Castellví, 2019; Nuss & Martelle, 2022). We adopted a mixed‐methods approach to investigate participants' writing behaviors and underlying cognitive processes. Twenty‐eight intermediate and advanced L1 English speakers, learning Russian as an L2, completed both more and less authentic writing tasks involving composing letters to either real or imaginary recipients. Dependent‐sample t‐tests revealed a significant effect of task authenticity on subordination complexity and fluency. Specifically, participants wrote texts with fewer subordinate clauses and exhibited a slower writing pace in more authentic tasks. These findings underscore the importance of investigating writing processes alongside writing products to achieve a more nuanced understanding of L2 writing.

Lower extremity lymphedema in patients with gynecologic cancer: Validation of the Gynecologic Cancer Lymphedema Questionnaire (GCLQ) in German language and investigation of lymphedema real-world treatment

Abstract Purpose The Gynecologic Cancer Lymphedema Questionnaire (GCLQ) is an established patient-reported outcome measure for lower extremity lymphedema (LEL) in gynecologic oncology. We aimed to validate the GCLQ in German language (GCLQ-GER) for lymphedema detection in German-speaking patients and also investigated real-world patterns of lymphedema treatment. Methods The GCLQ was translated from English into German in accordance with the standards of a professional translation process. Subsequently, the questionnaire was administered in a prospective observational study including 102 patients who had undergone lymph node dissection (LND) within gynecologic cancer surgery. Various test quality criteria were calculated for the GCLQ-GER. As gold standard of testing methods, patients were clinically evaluated for LEL, and limb volume measurements were taken. Further data for lymphedema treatment were collected in patients with lymphedema diagnosis. Results Patients with LEL had increased GCLQ-GER total scores (mean 7.27) compared to patients without LEL (mean 1.81), p < 0.001. High diagnostic accuracy was indicated by the large area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) of 0.874 (95% CI 0.802–0.946). Based on sensitivity and specificity values ≥ 79.0%, the GCLQ total score ≥ 4 was determined as the optimal cut-off value to identify LEL. Excellent internal consistency was demonstrated by Cronbach’s alpha of 0.876. The clinical examination revealed a LEL prevalence of 48.0% (n = 49), and 85.7% (n = 42) of these patients received treatment. Conclusion The GCLQ-GER is a valid and feasible patient-reported outcome measure for lymphedema detection in German-speaking gynecologic cancer survivors. Its clinical introduction could improve secondary prevention of lymphedema and real-world treatment.

Digitalized Everyday Past: History of Everyday Life Database

The article presents the international digital humanities project called History of Everyday Life Database and its possibilities for use in humanities research. The foundations of this project, which is run by the Institute of History of the Czech Academy of Sciences, were laid in the 1990s. Its main goal is to form a digital collection of sources (mainly biographical documents) on the history of “everyday life”. The database includes hundreds of such sources in the Czech and German languages and makes them accessible to scholars, students and the public, helping them get a different perspective on the past, one that was not shaped only by “great history”. The project also aims to create an interdisciplinary platform for mutual discussion and a common research space for scholars dealing with the topics of the history of everyday life and memory studies.

Tysk som tillægskompetence – lærendes motivation, behov og erfaringer

This study explores how L2 learners of German as an Additional Competence (GAC) reflect on motivation, needs, expectations, experiences, and persistence. GAC is a new initiative that was launched in 2022 at Aalborg University, supported by a special budget from the Danish Ministry of Education and Research for boosting German and French language skills in higher education in Denmark. At Aalborg University, GAC is offered as courses outside of the academic curricula and ECTS system. To evaluate and further develop this new initiative, we have conducted 14 semi-structured interviews with course participants to inquire about their motivation, needs, expectations, and experiences. Theoretically and methodologically, the study is based on Dörnyei’s (2005) model of Motivational Self System in second language (L2) acquisition, the concept of target needs by Hutchinson and Waters (1987), Unger’s (2022) study of narrative constructions of needs in foreign language teaching, and Tinto’s (2020) concept of persistence, involving self-efficacy, sense of belonging, and perception of curriculum. The study provides insights into a broad variety of motivational factors, needs, persistence, and experiences from both previous German language learning and the GAC-courses. The findings of the study point towards both career-strategic and personal goals as key factors for the motivation of the participants. Moreover, their perceived needs focus on the enhancement of practical language skills. Accordingly, most participants expect the courses to allow for extensive training and practical exercises. Also, an informal and safe atmosphere to overcome a fear of speaking and making mistakes are desirable and form a contrast to the participants’ prior learning experiences, and it seems that participants need both academical and social support in their learning.

The Passives of German in an RRG Account

The German language distinguishes between three major forms of passive. They are differentiated according to the auxiliary used to form the passive. In that manner the different types of passive are termed “werden-passive” “sein-passive,” and “bekommen-passive.” This paper will show the complexity and the link between the syntax and semantic elements of the German passive in Role and Reference account and present two different constructional schemas. An analysis of the data has shown that the three passives express differences in terms of valency, case marking, and undergoer selection. Semantically, there are differences in perspective between the three passives. While the sein-passive expresses a state, the werden-passive expresses a process, and the bekomm-passive allows for marked undergoer selection. All three passives allow to put the focus on different parts of the sentence.

Von der Nützlichkeit des Unnützen: Über den Sinn der Poesie im fremdsprachlichen Unterricht

The article discusses the role of literature in foreign language teaching, with a specific focus on the genre of poetry. It unequivocally answers the central question of whether incorporating literary texts into foreign language classrooms is meaningful and beneficial. The article challenges the widespread notion that students must have an advanced level of language proficiency to engage with literary texts. Through three very different examples of authentic poetry, it demonstrates how literary texts can be seamlessly integrated into foreign language teaching and which competencies can be developed through poetry. The analysis of the poem Der Apfel (The Apple) by Reinhard Döhl illustrates that literary texts can be meaningfully utilized from the very first lessons of language learning. Furthermore, the article focuses on one of the most prominent figures of contemporary German poetry, Jan Wagner. His linguistically simple haiku titled teebeutel (tea bag), which has also been translated into Slovenian, shows how inspiring, liberating, and creative German language teaching can be when one dares to include literary texts. Finally, the discussion turns to a canonical author, the giant of German literature, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The analysis of his poem Gefunden (The Found Flower) reveals various ways the text can be approached in German lessons: from traditional nature poetry to eco-critical perspectives, and interpretations related to the themes of love and gender discourse at the turn of the 18th century (and beyond). In conclusion, it can be stated that the use of poetry in German as a foreign language teaching is meaningful, not despite the fact but precisely because it confronts students with different, previously unknown, and unusual perspectives on language, society, interpersonal relationships, and aesthetics.

‘A surprise I will never forget’: How do adolescent Spanish-German heritage speakers express the emotion of surprise in both their heritage language and the societal language?

Aim: The affective valence of surprise depends on both individual and contextual factors. This study examined the role of language and cultural background in the linguistic and affective properties of written narratives of surprise produced by adolescent heritage language (HL) speakers and first language (L1) users. Methodology and Data Analysis: Quantitative and qualitative methods were employed to investigate the overall emotional valence, the themes, and the valence and the emotional arousal of the affective vocabulary used in the narratives of surprise written by 148 adolescents, consisting of 60 bilingual speakers of HL Spanish who had grown up in Germany, 27 L1 Spanish speakers and 61 L1 German speakers. Findings: Most of the narratives of surprise had positive emotional valence. Narratives of surprise in Spanish (both L1 and HL) contained more positive, negative and high-arousal words. The heritage speakers recalled different experiences of surprise depending on the language they used and expressed this emotion following similar linguistic and cultural patterns to those of L1 speakers, but with specific attributes that were related to their bilingual/HL speaker status. Originality: We adopted a holistic approach to examine how adolescent heritage speakers express the emotion of surprise and to gain an in-depth understanding of this non-prototypical emotion that has varying affective properties. The methodological innovation is due to the combination of different paradigms and data analysis techniques, including a content analysis, a thematic analysis, and both a within- and a between-subjects design. Implications: The linguistic and cultural factors influencing the expression of surprise should be considered in language teaching and other fields of human communication. Narratives of surprise can be used as a source of second language learning, and surprising information must be transmitted considering the positive or negative effect it might have on the audience.

Exploring cross-language transfer among children in multilingual education: a longitudinal study in Luxembourg

ABSTRACT This longitudinal study explores cross-language transfer among children attending multilingual public schools in Luxembourg, where Luxembourgish is the instruction language in preschool and German the language of instruction in elementary school. Following 132 children from preschool (age 5) to grade 2 (age 7), annual assessments were conducted to evaluate their vocabulary proficiency in both Luxembourgish and German. Bilingual learners were systematically classified based on theoretically motivated criteria, encompassing home language background and Luxembourgish language proficiency. Longitudinal analyses were carried out employing linear mixed models and multigroup path modeling, targeting both monolinguals and various groups of bilingual learners. The results provide robust support for the presence of cross-language transfer between Luxembourgish and German. Notably, Luxembourgish vocabulary proficiency in preschool emerged as a significant predictor of subsequent German proficiency for both monolingual and bilingual learners. Furthermore, bilingual learners with lower Luxembourgish vocabulary in preschool exhibited compromised German vocabulary in elementary school. These findings underscore the importance of cross-language transfer theories and their implications for multilingual education practices in Luxembourg.

GENRE-BASED EDUCATIONAL TRANSLATION: MODELLING OF THE TRANSLATION PROCESS

The author addresses the problem of translation of texts of legal discourse, modelling of educational translation of a special text on the example of translation of causative vocabulary of German and English languages. Special attention in the aspect of translation training is paid to the process of analysing the source language and the target language, as well as creating a secondary text of legal subjects. The author presents the current state of research in the field of genre aspects of translation, significant in theoretical and didactic aspects. The appeal to the semantic-semiotic model of translation is associated with the allocation of referential/cognitive elements (semes) in the source text and the choice of translation language units that contain the same semes. The author also examines the concept of a situation in terms of nomination and situational (denotative) translation model. The sequence of analysing the compatibility of a lexical unit in a sentence within the framework of an educational translation includes consideration of its syntactic structure, the semantics of the components of this structure and the formation of the semantic structure of the sentence. The onomasiological approach proposed by the author includes an introduction to the structure of the event nomination, an analysis of the nomination mechanism. The main result of the presented research is its applied nature, methodological justification of the use of component analysis, semantic – semiotic model as a condition for a translation solution based on the analysis of the linguistic technique of naming situations with sentences presented in legal discourse.

"FAR TOO HEAVY TO BEAR...": THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN CONTEMPORARY GERMAN-LANGUAGE POST-MIGRANT PROSE

The experience of genocide usually locks the mouths of the victims' descendants for two generations. It is usually communicated in the third or grandchildren's generation. The literary expression of this externalization is a prose that oscillates between fiction and factography, which emerged already decades ago in the large Armenian diaspora communities of the USA and France and is now very widespread. Peter Balakian's Black Dogs of Fate and Micheline Aharonian Marcom's genocide trilogy are probably the most internationally known examples. In Germany, the evolution was considerably delayed. There is no quantitatively large Armenian diaspora here. The community of around 60,000 people is also heterogeneous in terms of their countries of origin. Most of them originally came from Turkey; in the meantime, numerous Armenians from the post-Soviet space have joined them. The Young Turks’ genocide of 1915/6 was first addressed in German by authors of Jewish origin, namely Franz Werfel and, after WW2, Edgar Hilsenrath. Since 2019, four novels by authors of Armenian descent have been published: Katerina Poladjan’s Hier sind Löwen (2019), Laura Cwiertnia’s Auf der Straße heißen wir anders (2022), Marc Sinan’s Gleißendes Licht (2023) and Corinna Kulenkamp’'s Aprikosenzeit, dunkel (2023). With the exception of K. Poladjan’s novel, these are all debut novels, which is at the same time indicative of the importance of the topic for the authors. The genre hybridity of these works, which combine the features of family, coming-to-age and travel novels, is likewise characteristic. As a subgenre of German-language post-migrant prose, these novels are about the authors' or their protagonists' confrontation with their hybrid descent from Armenian-German or Turkish-Armenian homes, about identity and belonging, as well as the confrontation with the post-Soviet state of Armenia, which remains alien and incomprehensible to the authors or their protagonists, just as the acceptance of the genocide as an obligation to remember and a legacy seems difficult to bear. In this article, dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the heroic novel The Forty Days of Musa Dagh, I intend to describe the peculiarities and weaknesses of the recent post-genocidal remembrance prose in the German language on the basis of the four novels mentioned above.

8. un 9. klases skolēnu vārdu krājuma apguve vācu valodā, izmantojot un neizmantojot informācijas un komunikācijas tehnoloģijas

In an age where information and communication technologies are being used in all areas of education, the question arises whether mobile phones and various digital tools can help in learning a foreign language. This study analyzes 8th and 9th grade German language lessons where a new vocabulary about nature was taught with and without the use of information and communication technologies. The aim of this study is to determine how students learn new vocabulary more effectively, using the latest technologies or learning words in the traditional way with the help of dictionaries and notebooks. Through the analysis of the lessons, it was found that in the short term, the vocabulary learned with the help of communication and technology is practically equal in quantity to the vocabulary learned without computers and mobile phones. However, in the long term, students remember better the new words learned with the help of printed dictionaries and notebooks/flashcards.