German 2 (MA)
A.Y. 2024/2025
Learning objectives
The course, which in its monographic part is in common with German Language 1 LM, aims to introduce the concepts of language variation and language contact for the German language. By the end of the course, students will be familiar with the fundamental concepts of variational linguistics, recognise the features of the language varieties presented and use corpora for linguistic analyses. In the language exercises, they will reach language level C2 of the CEFR.
Expected learning outcomes
Knowledge and Comprehension:
At the end of the course, students will be able to give an oral report or write a term paper on a chosen topic of German linguistics, they will be able to construct a corpus of specialised texts and to analyse it, and they will be familiar with the software necessary for constructing and analysing corpora.
Students will further consolidate their linguistic competence in the areas of language production, reception, interaction and mediation. The aim of the course, supplemented by exercises, is to achieve a secure mastery of structures and vocabulary corresponding to CEFR level C2.
At the end of the course, students will be able to give an oral report or write a term paper on a chosen topic of German linguistics, they will be able to construct a corpus of specialised texts and to analyse it, and they will be familiar with the software necessary for constructing and analysing corpora.
Students will further consolidate their linguistic competence in the areas of language production, reception, interaction and mediation. The aim of the course, supplemented by exercises, is to achieve a secure mastery of structures and vocabulary corresponding to CEFR level C2.
Lesson period: year
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
year
More specific information on the delivery modes of training activities for academic year 2024/25 will be provided over the coming months, based on the evolution of the public health situation.
Course syllabus
The monographic course is entitled: Teaching German as a Foreign Language and Corpus Linguistics. Theoretical reflections and practical applications.
The course aims to bring students closer to understanding the mechanisms behind the teaching of German as a foreign language supported by corpus linguistics, in various perspectives and with various applications.. It consists of the following three parts:
A: Language as an expression of culture and society [Prof. Christine Arendt] (1. Semester)
Part A is devoted to language as an expression of culture and society - Sprache als Ausdruck von Kultur und Gesellschaft.
After a brief theoretical introduction, the lectures focus 1) on the German language of specific historical periods (e.g. National Socialism, Bundesrepublik and DDR) and 2) its socio-cultural implications, analysing key texts of different types. The aim is to analyse the extent to which cultural phenomena can influence language (e.g. gendering, use of foreign words). In addition, with regard to the didactics of German as a foreign language, the aim is to raise students' awareness of the differentiated use of the language.
B: Introduction to corpus linguistics. Theoretical Reflections and Practical Applications [Prof. Carolina Flinz] (2nd Semester)
In B we will deal with corpus linguistics from a theoretical point of view. The following topics will be examined: definition of corpus; basic elements of a corpus; corpus types; analysis approaches; tokens/type/lemma; German language corpora; KWICs; collocations; word profiles; tools (Sketch Engine, COSMAS II, DGD, Intercorp etc.) and its functionalities; construction of an ad hoc corpus; research questions and their operationalisation; research results. The description will be complemented by contrastive reflections and practical applications.
C: Teaching German as a Foreign Language - Corpus Linguistics. [Prof. Carolina Flinz] (2. Semester)
In C, the use of corpus linguistics for foreign language teaching will be dealt with in depth from a theoretical perspective. In particular, the various uses of corpora for teaching will be reflected upon. The following topics will be examined: definitions and characteristics of DDL (data-driven learning), direct and indirect use of corpora, use of tools for the selection of materials suitable for the learners' level (ZuMult for DGD, GDE in Sketch Engine etc.), discourse analysis and didactics, translation and didactics, specialised vocabulary and didactics, possibilities of analysis (semantic analysis, pragmatics etc.). The description will be supplemented by contrastive reflections and practical applications, with the use of corpora and databases. The focus will be on written language, oral language and CMC.
The course provides 9 CFU. It is not possible to acquire only 6. The course contains a module of an international joint course, in which students will collaborate with students and lecturers from 4EU+ partner universities (subject to module activation).
The course programme runs until September 2026 (inclusive).
The monographic part, which takes place in German and is shared with German Language 1 LM, is intended as an introduction to discourse analysis, reflecting its connections with politolinguistics and corpus linguistics. The monograph is accompanied by the Esercitazioni (4 hours per week) with a native speaker expert.
The course aims to bring students closer to understanding the mechanisms behind the teaching of German as a foreign language supported by corpus linguistics, in various perspectives and with various applications.. It consists of the following three parts:
A: Language as an expression of culture and society [Prof. Christine Arendt] (1. Semester)
Part A is devoted to language as an expression of culture and society - Sprache als Ausdruck von Kultur und Gesellschaft.
After a brief theoretical introduction, the lectures focus 1) on the German language of specific historical periods (e.g. National Socialism, Bundesrepublik and DDR) and 2) its socio-cultural implications, analysing key texts of different types. The aim is to analyse the extent to which cultural phenomena can influence language (e.g. gendering, use of foreign words). In addition, with regard to the didactics of German as a foreign language, the aim is to raise students' awareness of the differentiated use of the language.
B: Introduction to corpus linguistics. Theoretical Reflections and Practical Applications [Prof. Carolina Flinz] (2nd Semester)
In B we will deal with corpus linguistics from a theoretical point of view. The following topics will be examined: definition of corpus; basic elements of a corpus; corpus types; analysis approaches; tokens/type/lemma; German language corpora; KWICs; collocations; word profiles; tools (Sketch Engine, COSMAS II, DGD, Intercorp etc.) and its functionalities; construction of an ad hoc corpus; research questions and their operationalisation; research results. The description will be complemented by contrastive reflections and practical applications.
C: Teaching German as a Foreign Language - Corpus Linguistics. [Prof. Carolina Flinz] (2. Semester)
In C, the use of corpus linguistics for foreign language teaching will be dealt with in depth from a theoretical perspective. In particular, the various uses of corpora for teaching will be reflected upon. The following topics will be examined: definitions and characteristics of DDL (data-driven learning), direct and indirect use of corpora, use of tools for the selection of materials suitable for the learners' level (ZuMult for DGD, GDE in Sketch Engine etc.), discourse analysis and didactics, translation and didactics, specialised vocabulary and didactics, possibilities of analysis (semantic analysis, pragmatics etc.). The description will be supplemented by contrastive reflections and practical applications, with the use of corpora and databases. The focus will be on written language, oral language and CMC.
The course provides 9 CFU. It is not possible to acquire only 6. The course contains a module of an international joint course, in which students will collaborate with students and lecturers from 4EU+ partner universities (subject to module activation).
The course programme runs until September 2026 (inclusive).
The monographic part, which takes place in German and is shared with German Language 1 LM, is intended as an introduction to discourse analysis, reflecting its connections with politolinguistics and corpus linguistics. The monograph is accompanied by the Esercitazioni (4 hours per week) with a native speaker expert.
Prerequisites for admission
The course, which is held in German, the materials and the examination bibliography presuppose an initial competence of level B2.
Teaching methods
The course adopts the following teaching methods: lectures and lessons which imply the active partecipation of the students, pair and group work, written papers (Hausarbeiten) and multimedia oral presentations. In addition, the course is supplemented by practical classes, for which please refer to the Esercitazioni form on MyAriel.
Teaching Resources
The course has a website on the online platform for teaching MyAriel, to which you can refer for notes of lessons and other materials provided by the teachers.
Bibliography
Part A: Language as an expression of culture and society [Prof. Christine Arendt] (1. Semester)
Gerd Antos/Tomas Niehr/Jürgen Spitzmüller (Hg.) (2019): Handbuch Sprache im Urteil der Öffentlichkeit. Berlin/Boston: de Gruyter.
Heine: Matthias (2019): Verbrannte Wörter. Wo wir noch reden wie die Nazis - und wo nicht. Berlin: Dudenverlag.
Riehl, Claudia Maria (2018): Sprachkontaktforschung. Tübingen: Narr Francke Attempto.
Materials and slides available on MyAriel.
Further bibliographical references will be provided during the course.
Part B:
Beißwenger Michael/Lemnitzer Lothar/ Müller-Spitzer, Carolin (Hg.) (2022): Forschen in der Linguistik. Eine Methodeneinführung für das Germanistik-Studium. Paderborn: Fink (selected chapters).
Flinz Carolina (2024): Linguistica dei corpora: una nuova prospettiva teorico-metodologica per lo studio di morfologia e sintassi in ambito DaF. Milano: Milano University Press. https://libri.unimi.it/index.php/milanoup/catalog/book/165 (selected chapters).
Lemnitzer, Lothar/Zinsmeister, Heike (2015): Korpuslinguistik: Eine Einführung. Tübingen: Narr (selected chapters).
Flinz Carolina (2021): Korpora in DaF und DaZ: Theorie und Praxis. In: Flinz Carolina / Britta Hufeisen: Korpora in DaF und DaZ: Theorie und Praxis. (Themenheft). Zeitschrift für Interkulturellen Fremdsprachenunterricht. Didaktik und Methodik im Bereich Deutsch als Fremdsprache. Jahrgang 26, N.1 (April 2021), 1-43. (https://tujournals.ulb.tu-darmstadt.de/index.php/zif/).
Flinz Carolina (2021): Attributive Funktion und weitere Funktionen von ganz. Vorschläge für den DaF-Unterricht polyfunktionaler Wörter anhand von Korpora. In: Fandrych, C./Foschi Albert, M./Hepp, M./Thurmair M.: Attribution in Text, Grammatik, Sprachdidaktik. Berlin, Verlag Erich Schmidt, 2021 (Bd. 13 der Reihe »Studien Deutsch als Fremd- und Zweitsprache«), 275-301.
Materials and slides available on MyAriel.
Further bibliographical references will be provided during the course.
Part C:
Beißwenger, Michael/Lemnitzer, Lothar/Müller-Spitzer, Carolin (Hg.) (2022): Forschen in der Linguistik. Eine Methodeneinführung für das Germanistik-Studium. Paderborn: Fink. (Capitoli scelti)
Bubenhofer, Noah (2017): Kollokationen, n-Gramme, Mehrworteinheiten.
Girnth, Heiko/Hofmann, Andy Alexander (2016): Politolinguistik. Heidelberg: Winter. (Capitoli scelti)
Materials and slides available on MyAriel.
Further bibliographical references will be provided during the course.
Bibliography
Part A: Language as an expression of culture and society [Prof. Christine Arendt] (1. Semester)
Gerd Antos/Tomas Niehr/Jürgen Spitzmüller (Hg.) (2019): Handbuch Sprache im Urteil der Öffentlichkeit. Berlin/Boston: de Gruyter.
Heine: Matthias (2019): Verbrannte Wörter. Wo wir noch reden wie die Nazis - und wo nicht. Berlin: Dudenverlag.
Riehl, Claudia Maria (2018): Sprachkontaktforschung. Tübingen: Narr Francke Attempto.
Materials and slides available on MyAriel.
Further bibliographical references will be provided during the course.
Part B:
Beißwenger Michael/Lemnitzer Lothar/ Müller-Spitzer, Carolin (Hg.) (2022): Forschen in der Linguistik. Eine Methodeneinführung für das Germanistik-Studium. Paderborn: Fink (selected chapters).
Flinz Carolina (2024): Linguistica dei corpora: una nuova prospettiva teorico-metodologica per lo studio di morfologia e sintassi in ambito DaF. Milano: Milano University Press. https://libri.unimi.it/index.php/milanoup/catalog/book/165 (selected chapters).
Lemnitzer, Lothar/Zinsmeister, Heike (2015): Korpuslinguistik: Eine Einführung. Tübingen: Narr (selected chapters).
Flinz Carolina (2021): Korpora in DaF und DaZ: Theorie und Praxis. In: Flinz Carolina / Britta Hufeisen: Korpora in DaF und DaZ: Theorie und Praxis. (Themenheft). Zeitschrift für Interkulturellen Fremdsprachenunterricht. Didaktik und Methodik im Bereich Deutsch als Fremdsprache. Jahrgang 26, N.1 (April 2021), 1-43. (https://tujournals.ulb.tu-darmstadt.de/index.php/zif/).
Flinz Carolina (2021): Attributive Funktion und weitere Funktionen von ganz. Vorschläge für den DaF-Unterricht polyfunktionaler Wörter anhand von Korpora. In: Fandrych, C./Foschi Albert, M./Hepp, M./Thurmair M.: Attribution in Text, Grammatik, Sprachdidaktik. Berlin, Verlag Erich Schmidt, 2021 (Bd. 13 der Reihe »Studien Deutsch als Fremd- und Zweitsprache«), 275-301.
Materials and slides available on MyAriel.
Further bibliographical references will be provided during the course.
Part C:
Beißwenger, Michael/Lemnitzer, Lothar/Müller-Spitzer, Carolin (Hg.) (2022): Forschen in der Linguistik. Eine Methodeneinführung für das Germanistik-Studium. Paderborn: Fink. (Capitoli scelti)
Bubenhofer, Noah (2017): Kollokationen, n-Gramme, Mehrworteinheiten.
Girnth, Heiko/Hofmann, Andy Alexander (2016): Politolinguistik. Heidelberg: Winter. (Capitoli scelti)
Materials and slides available on MyAriel.
Further bibliographical references will be provided during the course.
Assessment methods and Criteria
The examination consists of a written test (based on the exercise classes) and written and/or oral tests for the monographic part, all compulsory and marked in thirtieths. The mark for the Lingua examination will be a single one and will take into account the results of all the tests.
The examination consists of the following parts, all of which are compulsory:
1) ESERCITAZIONI: ORAL + WRITTEN
2) CORSO MONOGRAFICO
1) ESERCITAZIONI:
Written and oral examination (the oral examination can only be taken after passing the written part)
a. WRITTEN EXAMINATION:
Written examination in official session. Students must bring a monolingual German print dictionary with them to the examination.
The written examination consists of:
- Grammatiktest/Grammar Test (40 minutes): grammar and vocabulary test at C1 level, without the aid of dictionaries;
- Sprachmittlung/Language Mediation (60 minutes): written task of language mediation. Only the paper version of the monolingual German dictionary may be used for this test.
The tests are graded in thirtieths. The examination is passed if a mark of 18/30 is achieved for each part.
The written examination can be taken at the MAY, SEPTEMBER and JANUARY sessions, starting in MAY 2025.
Students may inspect their written examination papers at the office of the Language Teachers.
Please refer to Ariel for details on the type of exercises required in the written examination.
b. ORAL EXAMINATION:
The examination consists of a linguistic mediation of a short text from Italian into German (without the aid of dictionaries) proposed by the teacher. This is followed by an interview in German with the native speaker on the topic. The choice of material will be based on the topics covered during the year.
The practice exam must be completed within one academic year of the first test passed (written), otherwise the exam will be repeated.
2) CORSO MONOGRAFICO:
The examination differs according to whether students are attending or not.
a. FREQUENTING STUDENTS:
Attending students may take intercourse examinations instead of the official written and oral examinations:
- PART A (20 hours, 3 CFU). Intercourse examination: oral presentation (mündliches Referat) in place of the official examination;
- PART B (20 hours, 3 CFU). Intercourse examination: written paper (Hausarbeit) in place of the official examination;
- PART C (20 hours, 3 CFU). Intercourse examination: oral presentation of a group work in place of the official examination. The work will involve the presentation of a research and analysis pathway (student's choice), involving existing corpora or the creation of ad hoc corpora.
b. NON-FREQUENCING students:
For Module A, presentation of an oral report on a topic agreed with the lecturer. For Module B, a dissertation must be handed in 10 days before the chosen roll call. In the thesis, the structure of which will be provided, the following must be included: theoretical background, presentation of the data and the chosen analysis approach, formulation of the research question(s), discussion of the results. For module C the starting point of the interview will be the oral presentation.
NB: The oral examination of the ESERCITAZIONI and the written/oral examination of the MONOGRAFICO are part of a single official exam.
International students or incoming Erasmus students are invited to contact the teacher as soon as possible. The examination procedures for students with disabilities and/or with DSA must be agreed with the teacher, in agreement with the competent office.
The examination consists of the following parts, all of which are compulsory:
1) ESERCITAZIONI: ORAL + WRITTEN
2) CORSO MONOGRAFICO
1) ESERCITAZIONI:
Written and oral examination (the oral examination can only be taken after passing the written part)
a. WRITTEN EXAMINATION:
Written examination in official session. Students must bring a monolingual German print dictionary with them to the examination.
The written examination consists of:
- Grammatiktest/Grammar Test (40 minutes): grammar and vocabulary test at C1 level, without the aid of dictionaries;
- Sprachmittlung/Language Mediation (60 minutes): written task of language mediation. Only the paper version of the monolingual German dictionary may be used for this test.
The tests are graded in thirtieths. The examination is passed if a mark of 18/30 is achieved for each part.
The written examination can be taken at the MAY, SEPTEMBER and JANUARY sessions, starting in MAY 2025.
Students may inspect their written examination papers at the office of the Language Teachers.
Please refer to Ariel for details on the type of exercises required in the written examination.
b. ORAL EXAMINATION:
The examination consists of a linguistic mediation of a short text from Italian into German (without the aid of dictionaries) proposed by the teacher. This is followed by an interview in German with the native speaker on the topic. The choice of material will be based on the topics covered during the year.
The practice exam must be completed within one academic year of the first test passed (written), otherwise the exam will be repeated.
2) CORSO MONOGRAFICO:
The examination differs according to whether students are attending or not.
a. FREQUENTING STUDENTS:
Attending students may take intercourse examinations instead of the official written and oral examinations:
- PART A (20 hours, 3 CFU). Intercourse examination: oral presentation (mündliches Referat) in place of the official examination;
- PART B (20 hours, 3 CFU). Intercourse examination: written paper (Hausarbeit) in place of the official examination;
- PART C (20 hours, 3 CFU). Intercourse examination: oral presentation of a group work in place of the official examination. The work will involve the presentation of a research and analysis pathway (student's choice), involving existing corpora or the creation of ad hoc corpora.
b. NON-FREQUENCING students:
For Module A, presentation of an oral report on a topic agreed with the lecturer. For Module B, a dissertation must be handed in 10 days before the chosen roll call. In the thesis, the structure of which will be provided, the following must be included: theoretical background, presentation of the data and the chosen analysis approach, formulation of the research question(s), discussion of the results. For module C the starting point of the interview will be the oral presentation.
NB: The oral examination of the ESERCITAZIONI and the written/oral examination of the MONOGRAFICO are part of a single official exam.
International students or incoming Erasmus students are invited to contact the teacher as soon as possible. The examination procedures for students with disabilities and/or with DSA must be agreed with the teacher, in agreement with the competent office.
L-LIN/14 - LANGUAGE AND TRANSLATION - GERMAN - University credits: 9
Lessons: 60 hours