Department of German
UW-Madison
College of Letters & Science

758, Section 1: Spoken German

Louden, TR 8:00-9:15:

In this course we will examine some of the major structural features of spoken German, paying special attention to the historical and modern influence of regional dialects on the colloquial standard language (Umgangssprache). After a brief review of patterns of phonetic variation due mainly to assimilation and syncope, we will spend most of the course looking at derivational morphological and syntactic structures. For morphology, we will analyze words that have been introduced into colloquial German since 1990, especially via youth speech. The processes of nominal compounding and derivation through affixation will be important here. In terms of syntax, the four main areas we will examine will be case, tense/aspect, modality, and clausal structure. Specific topics of interest will include: the dative case; the German “Perfekt”; modal verbs and related constructions; and word order variation resulting from movement to the left (topicalization) and to the right (extraposition). The final grade for this class will be based primarily on ten problem sets and two take-home, open-book examinations.

Required text: Duden, Die Grammatik (Bd. 4), 7th edition, 
2006 (ISBN 3-411-04047-5).