Language and German Disunity: A Sociolinguistic History of East and West in Germany, 1945-2000 - Hardcover

Stevenson, Patrick

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0198299699 ISBN 13: 9780198299691

Publisher: OUP Oxford, 2002

Synopsis

This title investigates the history of national disunity in Germany since the end of World War II from a linguistic perspective. It asks: what was the role of language in the ideological conflicts of the Cold War and in the difficult process of rebuilding the German nation after 1990? In the first part of the book, Patrick Stevenson explores the ways in which the idea of "the national language" contributed to the political tensions between the two German states and to the different social experiences of their citizens. He begins by showing how the modern linguistic conflict between east and west in Germany has its roots in a long tradition of debates on the relationship between language and national identity. He then describes the use of linguistic strategies to reinforce the development of a socialist state in the GDR and argues that they ultimately contributed to its demise. The second part considers the social and linguistic consequences of unification.

About this title

About the Author

Patrick Stevenson studied at the Universities of Oxford, Sussex and Reading. He is currently Reader in German and Head of German Studies at the University of Southampton. He has published widely on many aspects of German sociolinguistics.

Edition details

• Publisher: OUP Oxford
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0198299699
• ISBN 13: 9780198299691
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288