| Table of Contents, Book Review Section, Vol. 34.2 (Fall 2001) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| : | ||||
| Intermediate Textbook | Grammar | Teaching Reading | Teaching Literature/Writing | Zertifikat Deutsch |
| Landeskunde | Business German | Methodology | Linguistics | CORRECTION |
I. Intermediate Textbook
Schumann, Johannes. Mittelstufe Deutsch. Aktualisiert und mit neuer Rechtschreibung . Hueber: München, 2000. Textbuch 319 pp. + Arbeitsbuch 238 pp.
Dieses vollständig einsprachige Lehrwerk wurde für Deutschlernende aller Ausgangssprachen geschrieben, was es eher für den Universitätsunterricht konzipiert. Es eignet sich sowohl zum Individual- als auch zum Gruppenunterricht, aber auch zum Selbststudium, als Vorbereitung auf die Zentrale Mittelstufenprüfung des Goethe-Instituts. Die nüchterne, farblose Aufmachung ermöglicht einen günstigen Preis (Textbuch ca. EUR 16, Arbeitsbuch ca. EUR 13) im Vergleich zu vielen anderen Lehrwerken.
Zu den Arbeitsmaterialien gehören für Lernende das Textbuch mit Schlüssel zum Selbststudium, zwei Kassetten mit Texten und Übungen, ein Arbeitsbuch mit Schlüssel, Prüfungsvorbereitung mit Schlüssel, zweisprachige Glossare und zwei Kassetten mit Hörverständnis-Übungen. Zusätzlich sind für den Lehrer ein Lehrerhandbuch, 35 Diapositive zu den Lehrbuch-Themen und 21 Folien.
Nach einem Einstufungstest kommen sieben Themenkapitel: Liebe und die liebe Familie; Medien; Krieg und Frieden; Naturwissenschaft und Technik; Aus der Welt der Wirtschaft; Ausländer und Deutsche; und Reisen, Auto und Verkehr.
Jedes Kapitel bietet Grammatikschwerpunkte und Übungen zum gesprochenen bzw. geschriebenen Deutsch sowie zum Wortschatz und zur Grammatik. Am Ende des Buches steht ein der ZMP formal sehr nahe kommende Musterprüfungssatz.
Das Angebot an unterhaltsamen, informativen und tiefgreifenden Textsorten ist ungemein vielfältig: Dialoge, Berichte, Diskussionen, Referate, Briefe, Bewerbungen, Annoncen, fiktionale Texte, Lyrik, Parabel, Korrespondenzen, Kurzgeschichten, Fachtexte, Kommentare und Interviews. Sowohl Themen wie Textauswahl sind so allgemein gestaltet, dass sie kaum an Aktualität verlieren werden.
Unentbehrlicher Bestandteil des Lehrwerkes ist das Arbeitsbuch, dessen Kapitel thematisch und grammatisch parallel zum Textbuch sind und in folgende Abschnitte aufgeteilt sind: Textarbeit, Übungen zu Grammatik und Wortschatz, zu mündlichem und schriftlichem Ausdruck und zur Prüfungsvorbereitung. Im Abschnitt "Textarbeit" kommt es zu Textverständnisfragen mit weiterführenden Übungen wie z.B. Brainstorming, Wortschatzübungen, themenbezogene Referate, Leserbriefe und Rollenspiele. Es gibt zwar keine Nachschlage-Grammatik, da der Verfasser vermutlich annimmt, Lernende auf dieser Stufe besitzen schon Grammatik-Bücher. Im Lehrerhandbuch wird auf gute Grammatiken verwiesen. Im Abschnitt zum mündlichen und schriftlichen Ausdruck erweitern zusätzliche themenbezogene Texte das ohnehin schon reichhaltige Material des Textbuches. Mittelstufe Deutsch wird seinem Anspruch gerecht, gezielt auf die ZMP vorzubereiten.
Das Verhältnis zwischen Text- und Grammatikarbeit ist sehr gut ausgewogen, wobei der Verfasser versucht, grammatische Schwerpunkte auf die sich dafür anbietenden Themen zu verteilen, etwa Konjunktiv I zum Thema "Medien", um Grammatik möglichst im Kontext anzuwenden. Somit stellt das Buch offensichtlich den Anspruch, den Bruch beim Übergang von Grund- zur Mittelstufe reibungsloser zu gestalten und wird dieser Anforderung gerecht.
Jedes Kapitel setzt sich aus disparaten Lese- und Hörtexten, Materialien, Übungen, Spielen und Diskussions- und Arbeitsanregungen zusammen, was für jeden Lernertyp und Geschmack etwas anbietet, Monotonie verhindert und dem Lehrer viel Freiheit ermöglicht. Das "Lehrerhandbuch" bietet allerdings irreführenderweise minimale Vorschläge bezüglich Stundengestaltung (Hinführung, Kontexterstellung, Durchführung, Personalisierung, Nachbereitung) und entspricht vielmehr einem Lösungsschlüssel zu den Aufgaben und Übungen.
Dem kommunikativen Ansatz wird Genüge getan, indem es viele Sprechsituationen anbietet. Was zu diesem Zweck allerdings hilfreich wäre, nämlich Redemittel (also sprachliche Muster zur Hilfestellungen bei der Diskussion, etwa zustimmen, ablehnen, relativieren, begründen, vermuten, usw.) sind kaum vorhanden. Für die Interpretation von Statistiken und Schaubildern gibt es keine begleitenden sprachlichen Beispiele. Für die Erstellung von Referaten wird keine Anleitung zum Aufbau und Inhalt geboten. Zur Wortschatzerweiterung wird dem Lernenden nach jedem Kapitel mittels einer leeren "Vokabelseite" die Möglichkeit gegeben, neue Wörter aufzuschreiben, wozuman allerdings auch ein eigenes Heft verwenden kann. Stattdessen wären landeskundliche Informationen willkommen; es sind im Buch keine Landkarten.
Für Lehrassistenten an US-Universitäten, die oft mit wenig bzw. keiner Erfahrung ans Unterrichten gehen, scheint mir dieses Buch weniger geeignet zu sein, da es so gut wie keine Hilfestellungen bezüglich Unterrichtsplanung oder -organisation leistet. Für erfahrene Lehrer andererseits bietet die außerordentlich vielseitig und offen gestaltete Mittelstufe Deutsch viel Möglichkeit und Freiheit, die Stunden nach eigenem Geschmack und Stil zu gestalten.
Natürlich kann dieses Buch, von seiner Konzeption als Vorbereitungshilfe auf die ZMP einmal abgesehen, auch für einen ganz normalen Sprachunterricht für fortgeschrittenere StudentInnen empfohlen werden. Es könnte auch gut als Quellenbuch dienen, da selektive Verwendung von interessanten Texten durchaus spannende Beiträge liefern könnte.
Gabriele Niegelhell
II. Grammar
Helbig, Gerhard und Joachim Buscha. Übungsgrammatik Deutsch . Berlin: Langenscheidt, 2000. 379 pp.
Die Verfasser haben sich besonders mit ihrer Deutschen Grammatik und dem Leitfaden der deutschen Grammatik, die immer wieder aktualisiert und neu aufgelegt werden, einen Namen gemacht. Nun haben sie einen dritten Band veröffentlicht, der ebenso für den Deutschunterricht für Ausländer gedacht ist.Mit ihrer Übungsgrammatik Deutsch wird, so heißt es im Vorwort, "nicht nur einem Erfordernis der Praxis Rechnung getragen, sondern zugleich auch eine noch bestehende Lücke im Angebot der Lehrmaterialien auf dem Gebiet Deutsch als Fremdsprache geschlossen" (11). Diese Einschätzung mag man zunächst ein wenig anmaßend finden, da es bereits mehrere Übungsgrammatiken gibt, von denen einige (wie z. B. die Übungsgrammatik für Fortgeschrittene, Verlag für Deutsch) sogar ausgezeichnet sind.
Wenn man jedoch den Band von Helbig und Buscha mit anderen Übungsgrammatiken vergleicht, revidiert man sein voreiliges Urteil, denn diese Lücke wurde bisher tatsächlich nicht geschlossen. Den beiden Autoren ist es nämlich gelungen, eine Übungsgrammatik zu erarbeiten, an denen sich Perfektionisten messen können, die bereits perfekt Deutsch beherrschen. Andere Deutschlerner werden dieses Buch meiden oder--was schlimmer wäre--den Eindruck bekommen, Deutsch sei weitaus komplizierter, als bisher angenommen. Der Grund, warum Helbig und Buscha ihr Zielpublikum verfehlen, liegt vor allem an den unnötig komplizierten Grammatikerklärungen. Als eines der vielen abschreckenden Beispiele sei nur das folgende zitiert: "Wenn der Nebensatz ein Vordersatz ist, steht im nachfolgenden Hauptsatz das finite Verb nicht --wie im Satzgefüge mit einem Nebensatz als Nach- oder Zwischensatz--an zweiter Stelle, sondern an erster Stelle, weil der vorausgehende Nebensatz als Äquivalent für ein Satzglied aufgefasst wird" (249)
An solchen Formulierungen erfreut sich nur der Grammatiker, der sich bereits bestens auf diesem Gebiet auskennt. Es verwundert daher nicht, dass man an der Universität Wien den Leitfaden der deutschen Grammatik der beiden Autoren für Magisterstudenten der Germanistik empfiehlt, die sich auf Sprachwissenschaft konzentrieren. Denn die Erklärungen sind exakt, sachlich und aufgrund der Beispiele wird das Beschriebene auch klarer. Schleierhaft erscheint es aber, wie Ausländer mit den Büchern von Helbig und Buscha lernen sollen, wenn das Niveau der abstrakt-theoretischen Erläuterungen Muttersprachlern entspricht, die schon mit der deutschen Grammatik vertraut sind. Nicht immer sind allerdings die Grammatikerklärungen der Übungsgrammatik Deutsch ausreichend, worauf auch im Vorwort hingewiesen wird. In solchen Fällen sollten sich die Lernenden an den Leitfaden der deutschen Grammatik oder an die Deutsche Grammatik wenden. Dies mag in manchen Fällen gerechtfertigt sein, wenn man einer ausführlicheren Erklärung bedarf.
Einige Erläuterungen wichtiger Grammatikkapitel ersparen sich die Autoren allerdings. So wird beispielsweise eines wohl schwierigsten Kapitel, die indirekte Rede, gar nicht erst erörtert. Stattdessen muss man mit einer lapidaren Einteilung vorlieb nehmen: "Die Redewiedergabe ist als direkte Rede oder als indirekte Rede möglich. Die indirekte Rede ist charakterisiert durch
1. Identität der Person in der Rede mit der gemeinten Person in der Redeeinleitung (Pronominalverschiebung),
2. fakultativen Gebrauch des Konjunktivs (vor allem im uneingeleiteten Nebensatz" (79).
Soll man aus dieser Halbherzigkeit schließen, dass Lernende der Mittel- und Oberstufe ohnehin wissen, warum und in welchen Fällen die indirekte Rede eingesetzt wird? Warum finden sich dann überhaupt Grammatikerklärungen in dieser Übungsgrammatik, wenn offensichtlich mit diesem Vorwissen gerechnet wird?
Lassen sich aber zumindest die Übungsbeispiele der Übungsgrammatik Deutsch im Sprachunterricht verwenden? Wenn man sich die Mühe machen will, des öfteren das angegebene Vokabular zu vereinfachen, so kann man manche Übungen für den Unterricht adaptieren. Nicht wenige Übungen erscheinen jedoch unnötig kompliziert. Der erste Übungssatz, den man in indirekte Rede umformulieren soll, lautet: "Ich habe zu ihr über dich gesagt: 'Er hat eine gute Stimme' ".Studierende, die ihre Freude an kniffligen Aufgaben haben, kommen wenigstens auf ihre Rechnung, während andere wahrscheinlich auf der Strecke bleiben.
Wenn man auf eine Übungsgrammatik für das Selbststudium oder für den Sprachunterricht zurückgreifen will, wird man wohl kaum den vorliegenden Band auswählen. Für annähernd perfekte Perfektionisten, die sich nicht vor knochentrockenen Erklärungen und z.T. überaus komplizierten Übungen scheuen, sei die Übungsgrammatik Deutsch wärmstens empfohlen.
Gregor Thuswaldner
Rinvolucri, Mario, and Paul Davis, eds. 66 Grammatik-Spiele(DaF) . Stuttgart: Klett, 1999. 118 pp.
66 Grammatik-Spiele contains a variety of interactive exercises dealing with major elements of German grammar. According to the book's introduction, the activities, intended for all levels of German instruction, provide an entertaining means of evaluating and improving students' knowledge of German grammar. One important benefit of 66 Grammatik-Spiele, the editors stress, is that little or no advance preparation is required to be able to use the grammar games profitably in the classroom, since the manual contains detailed instructions and all the worksheets needed. Overall, 66 Grammatik-Spiele delivers what the editors promise. Most importantly, it provides teachers with material to structure effective, student-centered lessons.
Although Rinvolucri and Davis provided the inspiration for this book (see Rinvolucri's Grammar Games, Cambridge University Press, 1992, and Rinvolucri and Davis's More Grammar Games, Cambridge UP, 1995), it was Barbara Huter and Susanne Schauf who selected and adapted the games in the present volume for German language instruction. Klett Verlag is to be commended for making available to teachers of German some valuable advances in teaching methodology from English as a Second Language.
Rinvolucri and Davis divide their games into five groups. The first group of games can be used to determine students' existing knowledge of a given point of grammar. These activities are particularly useful as diagnostic tools in classes where students come from diverse first- or second-year programs. The second group of games was inspired by a methodology called "Silent Way," in which the teacher says as little as possible and relies instead on pantomime to guide the activity. Students do not compete with each other but work together to complete an activity, usually reconstructing sentences and passages.
The third group of games requires students to make statements about themselves or their families and friends, using certain structures. Here the students have a chance to experience the communicative value of grammar first-hand. The fourth group of games resembles a collection of TPR (Total Physical Response) activities, in which students are asked to combine physical activity with linguistic output. Games in the fifth group focus on specific structural differences between German and English.
The presentation of each activity or game in 66 Grammatik-Spiele is organized in similar fashion. The authors first list the game's title and then indicate the grammar topic treated, the difficulty level, the required class time, and any necessary materials such as dice, a game board, or photocopied worksheets. Next, the authors provide a detailed description of the game and a list of expected outcomes. Special care is taken to warn teachers about possible pitfalls.
Instructors are also given suggestions for modifying the activities to suit student needs. When appropriate, photocopiable worksheets are included for classroom use; the publisher, happily, has granted photocopying permission for all worksheets.
66 Grammatik-Spiele is a highly useful book, but it is not without certain drawbacks. First, each activity is rated by appropriateness for the first, second, third, or fourth year of German, but the rating system is based on the progress of students who are learning German in European schools. Often students in North America acquire their knowledge of German grammar at a markedly different pace. In addition, it is unclear whether the scale reflects learners' progress in secondary schools or universities. Second, Rinvolucri and Davis include some types of games that are common in Europe but relatively rare in North America. Thus, teachers may have to spend a greater amount of class time explaining these games. Third, while the activities are a valid means of reinforcing students' grammatical and communicative proficiency, they cannot be used to introduce grammar. In order to participate successfully in a given activity, a student must already possess a good grasp of any necessary grammar.
All in all, 66 Grammatik-Spiele is a useful addition to any teacher's collection of supplementary materials. My students responded favorably to the competitive nature of the games. Even those learners who normally show little enthusiasm for German, and who are reluctant to volunteer, participated willingly. I found that students were quite able to run the games themselves. I enjoyed giving up my position in the limelight, however briefly. Perhaps the most important benefit for the students was experiencing the communicative aspect of German grammar.
David Witkosky
Tenberg, Reinhard, and Guido Rings. NTC's German Grammar. Lincolnwood,IL: NTC, 1998. Paper, 192 pp.
In thirty-six chapters of one to twelve pages each on the various parts of speech, this useful, pocket-sized review grammar provides a handy reference of "the core structures of German, illustrated by examples using current, everyday language" (3). The target audience is adult learners at the college level (or self tutored) as well as high school students. Because of its limited scope it is not intended to be the type of text used in a college advanced grammar course.
The book is clear, well organized, and generally well written. At a list price of well under ten dollars, it is certainly worth a recommendation even though it has some weaknesses, both major and minor. Its most serious flaw, but one that need not be considered fatal, is that it was written without any of the new German orthographic changes. This renders Chapter 2, Spelling and Punctuation, virtually useless in this edition. Perhaps that is just as well because it is this chapter that has "phonetic renderings" of the German alphabet that are either questionable or wrong:"way" for "w" and "eeks" for "x" (p. 15), or inconsistent: "day" and "gay" (p. 15) vs. "deh" and "geh" (p. 19).
Billed as the "easiest-to-follow grammar book ever" (front cover), it provides a clearly formatted Table of Contents, followed by a Glossary of Grammatical Terms - a useful addition for students of German who are grammatically challenged in English.
Perhaps because of the less comprehensive nature of this book, the emphasis in coverage of the various parts of speech is somewhat different from that found in three other review grammars checked (Conant/Cochran, Dippmann, Moeller/Liedloff): fairly thorough coverage is given to adverbs, pronouns, and modal particles; adequate coverage to other parts of speech. Verb explanations occupy only about 30% of the book, compared to 40-50% of other review grammars.
The goal of "examples using current, everyday language" is generally met, although occasionally there are example sentences that could be simpler if, in fact, the beginning or intermediate student is to be taken into account. For example, section 2.2.2 demonstrates the capitalization of "Sie" and "Ihr" with a more complicated structure than necessary to make this elementary point: "Haben Sie Ihr Auto in der Nähe parken können?" (17). Succinctness occasionally takes its toll on clarity: for example, the nominative forms of the definite article are omitted in the chart on 5.1.1 (31), presumably because they are mentioned in the section above the chart.
The only sections that seem to provide incorrect examples are actually the victims of misplaced punctuation. After the example "Nach Meinung der Experten ist das falsch" comes the statement: "Note that in the set phrase 'meiner Meinung nach' . . . the preposition follows the noun: Er strebt nach sozialem Prestige" (15.2.6, p. 88). The explanation refers to the preceding sentence, not to the following one as indicated by the colon. Here and there, one could wish for a cross reference or a bit more detail, but neither this nor the few minor errors ("das Chlor" is chlorine, not chloride - p. 39 in 6.3.1) seriously detract from the overall value of the book.
As stated above, the book neither purports to be nor, given its size, could be a comprehensive German grammar; however, it is surprising that at least one structure found in formal written German and one found in both written and spoken German are omitted completely, namely, the extended modifier construction and the future perfect tense. All in all, though, the positive elements of this book far outweigh the negative ones.
Phillip J. Campana
III. Teaching Reading
Eiselt, Marianne, and Christoph Lorey. A New Guide to Reading German . North York, Ontario: Captus Press, 2000. 146 pp.
A New Guide for Reading German is intended for English-speakers to glean a basic, working knowledge of written German. With a dictionary in hand, a novice learning German at the university can use the text in a translating (or reading) class over the course of a semester or a year.
The book is divided into ten chapters. Chapter one provides the necessary overview to understanding the symbiotic relationship between the two languages: learners are presented with a comparative approach to English and German consonants and vowels, the linguistic "shift" between the languages over the last 1500 years, and a key to exploring language patterns in German. Although the book focuses on written German, beginning with the "oral" nature of German pronunciation through a cursory examination of vowels, diphthongs, umlauts, and consonants--so the argument goes--helps students better commit vocabulary to memory. Score a point for Walter Ong and the primacy of orality. This initial chapter later presents loanwords (Handy, Star, Trend) and internationalisms (Relevanz, Demokratie, authentisch) based on English, thus allowing the English speaker to begin with a solid foundation before starting to explore the structural intricacies of German.
Chapters 2-10 provide an overview to German grammar and sentence structure. Each chapter is well-organized around three-to-seven smaller concepts. Examples are provided in German with English translation. Two special features, distinguished by their shaded and boxed sections, stand out for their assistance to the reader. The occasional Remember rectangle helps focus the reader on more problematic concepts, e.g., possessive adjective endings or the function of werden. In addition, frequent Use of the Dictionary boxes allow the reader to become more familiar with a German-English dictionary. In chapter two with "nouns" as the theme, this engaging section highlighted the following: the distinction between proper and common nouns, plurals, compound nouns listed as one entry, and compound nouns broken into words.
Following the descriptive presentation of subject matter, practice usually includes translation with several individual sentences presented in German for the learner. Each chapter concludes with German essays that progress in length (from one to several paragraphs) and difficulty. In general, these descriptive selections are contemporary, with articles on German attitudes on global warming, the European Union, or the Internet. Only the last selection, fiction from the esteemed Bertolt Brecht entitled, "Wenn die Haifische Menschen wären," although a fine illustration of subjunctive II verbs, seems strangely anachronistic. The photos too are well-chosen, revealing common German cultural artifacts, like Straßenbahnen, Wohnhäuser, and Fussgängerzone.
At the end of A New Guide for Reading German, an appendix charts the structure of nouns, adjective endings, pronouns, and assorted verb conjunctions. Strong German verbs also receive their due, with a listing of the principal parts of irregular, mixed, and modal verbs. An index at the end of the book makes it easy to locate grammatical concepts; however, non-grammatical items are neglected. Neither Brecht nor Haifische are found there. For students working independently, an answer key would also have proven a useful addition; in its present state, answering the exercises and translations remains the domain of the German teacher, thus excluding the self-directed student.
Nonetheless, the writers from the University of New Brunswick work diligently to keep their audience in mind. For the German teacher more familiar with the typical textbooks for classroom instruction, this text provides some surprises. Numbers are located toward the end of the book in chapter nine. In a tour de force of noun organization, the genitive case is introduced immediately after the nominative case, much as it was in older German grammars and as it is in Latin instruction. In chapter three, present verb tense is taught alongside the simple past tense; the present perfect tense follows distantly in chapter seven.
Its 8 1/2"x 11'' size makes A New Guide for Reading German inviting to leaf through. Perhaps the publishers would three-hole punch the slender text, only 146 pages, in order to allow the learner to position it within a three-ring binder, along with one's many translations.
Stephen Brock
IV. Teaching Literature/Writing
Koppensteiner, Jürgen. Literatur im DaF-Unterricht: eine Einführung in produktiv-kreative Techniken . Wien: öbv und hpt, 2001. Paper, 141 pp.
Das Buch hält, was es in seinem Untertitel verspricht. DaF-Lehrer finden darin ein reichhaltiges Angebot an praktischen Aufgaben, Übungsformen und "Techniken". An kurzen Erzählungen, die für den Unterrichtsalltag wohl am ehesten in Frage kommen, führt der Verfasser vor, wie man die Lerner zu einem "produktiv-kreativen" Umgang mit literarischen Texten anleiten kann. Der in der Natur der Sache liegende methodische Dreischritt sieht so aus: In der "Vorbereitungsphase" geht es darum, Aufmerksamkeit und Interesse zu wecken und erste Äußerungen anzubahnen (55-60). Für die Phase der "Textarbeit" (61-67) gibt es ein Repertoire von Arbeitsschritten und Impulsen, die so angelegt sind, dass die Lerner ihre Beobachtungen und Reaktionen auch in der fremden Sprache ausdrücken können. Es folgt schließlich die sogenannte "Erweiterung" (67-72), wo etwa die Erzählperspektive gewechselt, die fiktive Begegnung mit einer Textfigur dargestellt, ein anderer Schluss konstruiert wird, oder wo Leseeindrücke in Form von Briefen, Tagebuchnotizen, Zeitungsartikeln o.ä. mitzuteilen sind.
Koppensteiners Buch enthält aber nicht nur eine Fülle von erprobten Handgriffen. Man kann darin auch ein Kapitel der Fachgeschichte gespiegelt sehen. Die Abschnitte 1 bis 5 (11-53) vermitteln ein Bild jener Aufbruchjahre, in denen die allgemeinen Reformbestrebungen den Umgang mit Literatur in der Schule erfassten. Bestimmte Einsichten der Rezeptionstheorie, vor allem die Rolle des Lesers betreffend, beflügelten damals die didaktische Phantasie. DaF-Lehrer erhalten Abrisse verschiedener literaturtheoretischer Positionen, von denen die "Rezeptionsästhetik" die greifbarsten Konturen gewinnt (27-30 und 33-38). Sie werden außerdem in literaturdidaktische Problemfelder eingeführt: Argumente gegen und für die Verwendung literarischer Texte (12-19), Gesichtspunkte bei der Textauswahl (41-46) und bei der Lernzielbestimmung (49-53) werden zusammengestellt. Die Zitate und die ausgiebigen Lesehinweise rufen die in den 80er Jahren aus Deutschland herüberdringenden Stimmen in Erinnerung. Die literaturdidaktische Diskussion ist dort natürlich weitergegangen, u.a. durch die Aufnahme und Weiterentwicklung von Konzepten, die in umgekehrter Richtung drüben ankamen, wie etwa die Schematheorie und andere kognitivistische Modelle, oder durch den Einbezug kulturwissenschaftlicher Vorstellungen.
Koppensteiner gesteht im Vorwort, die Erschütterung traditioneller Auffassungen vor mehr als zwei Jahrzehnten selber als eine Art Erweckungserlebnis empfunden zu haben. Literatur im DaF-Unterricht ist dafür ein eindrucksvoller Beleg. Den Charakter einer persönlichen Bilanz nimmt das Buch besonders auch in den Überlegungen und Entwürfen zu einer Reihe von sogennanten "Ganztexten" an, also umfänglicherer Werke wie Christine Nöstlingers Jugendbuch Maikäfer flieg (75-85), Kellers Kleider machen Leute (87-93), Handkes Wunschloses Unglück (95-99) und, mit einem Sprung über die Gattungsgrenzen hinweg, Dürrenmatts Besuch der alten Dame (101-106). Diese didaktischen Aufbereitungen mit ihren Zielangaben, Arbeitsblättern und Aufgabenformulierungen sind abermals eine Fundgrube für Rat suchende Lehrer. Die Anwendung "produktionsorientierter Techniken" auch auf lyrische Gedichte (109-125) kommt dagegen über eine nahezu kommentarlose Beispielsammlung nicht recht hinaus. Unnötig zu sagen, dass sich auch die verwickelten Beziehungen von "Landeskunde und Literatur" auf den wenigen Seiten des Schlusskapitels nicht zulänglich schildern und erörtern lassen (129-140).
Das mit dem Haupttitel umschriebene Programm gehört weiterhin auf die Tagesordnung. Koppensteiners Buch kann Skeptiker in zweierlei Hinsicht beruhigen: es zeigt, dass und wie der Literaturunterricht die Lerner zugleich fremdsprachlich weiterbringen kann, und es zerstreut zum anderen den Verdacht, diese würden ermuntert, mit den Kunstgebilden leichtfertig umzuspringen, weil das angeblich die Motivation aufpulvert. Man muss sich allerdings, wie hier zu sehen, etwas einfallen lassen, damit ihnen der durchaus ernsthafte Umgang mit Literatur auch "Spaß" macht. Zu wünschen bleibt ebenfalls zweierlei: schwer zu fassende Begriffe wie etwa "kreativ" sollten zurückhaltender benutzt und die "produktiven" Leistungen der Lerner, also die mentalen Zugriffe und die sprachlichen Äußerungen, in denen diese sich manifestieren, noch genauer unterschieden und benannt werden. Der andere Wunsch: an unverbrauchten Gedichten und Erzählungen ist wahrlich kein Mangel--warum nicht, mit Augenmaß, zugreifen?
Hans Weber
V. Zertifikat Deutsch
Gick, Cornelia with Reiner Schmidt. Zertifikat Deutsch--Der schnelle Weg . Langenscheidt, Berlin 2000, 79 pages + cassette or CD.
Instructors preparing students to take the Zertifikat Deutsch will want to use a text like this one. Subtitled "Das Programm für die Prüfungsvorbereitung," this volume offers preparation tips, a battery of practice exercises and a sample test.
Tightly organized, the book quickly orients instructors and students to structure and content of the new Zertifikat Deutsch, formerly called the Zertifikat Deutsch als Fremdsprache. More in line with today's teaching methods and goals, the revised exam is designed to measure the candidate's communicative competence in a variety of functions one might encounter while traveling or working in German-speaking areas. An excerpt from the exam description indicates the successful candidate "kann sich einfach und zusammenhängend über vertraute Themen und persönliche Interessengebiete äußern. (Er/sie) kann über Erfahrungen und Ereignisse berichten, Träume, Hoffnungen und Ziele beschreiben und zu Plänen und Ansichten kurze Begründungen oder Erklärungen geben." The communicative tasks in the exam require not only proper vocabulary and adequate grammatical means, but also communicative strategies appropriate to the conversation partner or context. Exam content has been shifted to reflect the current goals of many language learners. Consequently, exam functions come from the private sphere, public sphere, workplace and educational institutions.
A pluricentric orientation of the new exam to reflect the German language in its regional and supra-regional colorations means that reading and listening texts come not just from Germany, but also from Austria and Switzerland. Thus, test-takers should be prepared to encounter variations in accent (in listening sections) and in vocabulary (in both listening and written sections). The book offers a number of specially designed practice exercises to help students become more aware of vocabulary that varies by country. Regional variations in German often get short shrift in traditional curricula, making Zertifikat Deutsch--Der schnelle Weg an invaluable tool in test preparation.
Gick's book also describes structure and grading of the exam. Instructors will want to be aware of the heavier weight given to reading comprehension and the oral exam, as opposed to listening, writing and the "Sprachbausteine" (grammar and vocabulary), the last of which accounts for a very small fraction of the total exam points. She further makes readers aware of variations in testing and grading procedures by country.
The value of this book lies in its ability to help instructors and test-takers learn how to prepare for the Zertifikat Deutsch. Successful test-takers will have to perform under time pressure. My sense is that students who have practiced the type of tasks they will encounter in the Zertifikat Deutsch are much more likely to succeed, and with much less stress. Integrated into Gick's exercises are "Prüfungstipps" as well as small activities that help students reflect on their own best test-taking strategies. These skills will be of value to students in testing situations even in other subjects.
Having examined the structure of the exam as well as the difficulty of the tasks, I would not want to send students to take the exam without the orientation and practice offered in a volume like this one. Clearly, the type of tasks required can by anticipated, and students who learn to work quickly will accomplish more. Zertifikat Deutsch-Der schnelle Weg could easily be used to complement any number of upper-level courses, perhaps most logically a composition and conversation or style course at the third- or fourth-year level.
Laura Green McGee
VI. Landeskunde
Cella, Alexander, Roland Fischer, Wolfgang Hackl, Maria Hirtenlehner, Paul Rusch, Manfred Waitzbauer, und Ewald Weillechner. Landeskunde deutschsprachige Länder: Österreich . Regensburg: Dürr + Kessler, 1998. Paper, 188 pp.
Wenn auch über das Prinzip, was Landeskunde ist (oder sein soll), kein Konsens zu bestehen scheint, so ist es erfreulich, eine landeskundliche Buchreihe vor sich zu haben, in der Österreich quasi "gleichrangig", also durch einen eigenen Band, vertreten ist. Dass dieser Band dem "legitimen Wunsch nach Hintergrundwissen und Orientierung und Vergleichbarkeit in Bezug auf alle deutschsprachigen Länder" entspricht (III), kann eingangs gerne bestätigt werden (auch wenn damit das im Vorwort angesprochene Muster eines "auf Selbständigkeit, entdeckendes Lernen, Neugier und Sensibilisierung" ausgerichteten Landeskunde-Unterrichts nicht erreicht wird).
Der Aufbau des Buches entspricht den Bänden über Deutschland und die Schweiz (vgl. UP 33.2); es gibt also zehn Kapitel, die jeweils aus zwei Teilen bestehen, dem Autorentext, der in erster Linie der Information dient, und einer Auswahl an authentischen Materialien (hauptsächlich Zeitungsartikel), die "individuelles Erleben und die subjektive Sicht" auf die Wirklichkeit der Zielsprachenländer ermöglichen sollen (III). Die Auswahl ist gut, manchmal etwas skurril (siehe Hausordnung des Bundesgymnasiums Wels oder "Die Leiden eines Müll-Rebellen"). Jedem Kapitel folgen ein Glossar und Literaturangaben. Hier kann man sich u. a. darüber informieren, was der Ortstafelkonflikt ist, das Südtirolpaket, ein Sozialschmarotzer, Ökopunkte und eine Selbstbesteuerungsgrupppe. Die statistischen Angaben enden durchwegs mit den Jahren 1996/97 und müssten in Einzelfällen aktualisiert werden.
Die Themen entsprechen mehr oder weniger dem Standardrepertoire derartiger Lehrwerke und reichen von Geographie und Geschichte (nach 1918), Bevölkerung (Familie, Religion und Sprache), öffentliches Leben (Politik, Medien, die Rolle der Frau im öffentlichen Leben), Alltag (Wirtschaft, Essen und Trinken, Gesundheitswesen), Bildung sowie Kultur und Freizeit bis zu Verkehr, Reisen und Tourismus sowie Umwelt. Überraschenderweise wird die derzeit so brisante Ausländerfrage nur knapp behandelt. Das Kapitel 10, "Österreich im Spiegel" enthält großteils literarische Texte zum Thema Österreich, u.a. H. C. Artmanns bekanntes und mittlerweile viel zitiertes Gedicht "Mein Vaterland Österreich", Ausschnitte aus Thomas Bernhards Heldenplatz und andere, die sich mit dem widersprüchlichen Wesen der Österreicher und Österreicherinnen befassen.
Das Buch enthält also eine Fülle von Informationen und sollte Lernenden tatsächlich ein umfassendes Bild Österreichs geben. Dass das Autorenteam dem Land gegenüber eher kritisch eingestellt ist, überrascht nicht, scheint dies doch ein Kennzeichen österreichischer DaF-Materialien zu sein. Aber droht Österreich wirklich “zu einer sterilen Kulturwüste im vereinigten Europa zu verkommen“ (104)? Und die Kaviar verschlingenden Kulturzelebranten? Immerhin wird dem Land auch ein "sehr vielfältiges Kulturangebot" mit "großem Publikum" (105) zugebilligt. Der Abschnitt über den Tourismus versprüht auch nicht gerade Optimismus. Leider ist das, was über den Nepp gesagt wird, noch immer aktuell.
Wie bei allen ähnlichen Landeskundebüchern verlieren manche Informationen rasch an Aktualität. Der Erzbischof Groer verdient wohl keine Seite mehr, die Unis sind nicht mehr gratis, "Täglich Alles" wurde eingestellt, und die anonymen Sparkonten sind auch passé. Der Schweinebraten hätte sich nicht einschleichen dürfen, ebenso wenig die Pensionäre. Bei dem von Thomas Bernhard provozierten Minister handelt es sich im Übrigen um den Unterrichtsminister Piffl (nicht den Außenminister).
Die Frage stellt sich nun, an wen sich dieses Buch wendet. Sicher wird es in den USA hierfür nur beschränkte Einsatzmöglichkeiten geben. Das liegt in der Natur derartiger Bücher. Anfänger sind wohl nicht das Zielpublikum. Für einen Landeskundeunterricht für Fortgeschrittene, auch zum Querlesen, ist das Buch hingegen sehr gut geeignet, ebenso als Informationsquelle für Lehrende, die ihr Wissen über Österreich aktualisieren möchten. Überhaupt sollten Bücher wie dieses in keiner Handbibliothek fehlen. An die Adresse des Verlages: Ein etwas gefälligeres Äußeres hätte diese Österreich-Landeskunde schon verdient.
Jürgen Koppensteiner
VII. Business German
Hager, Michael. Deutsch im Berufsalltag. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt, 2002. Paper, 446 pp.
Created specifically for the North American audience, Deutsch im Berufsalltag engages students in a story line that centers on a fictional American intern named Daniel Walker, as he prepares for and secures employment with a German company called Meyers Chip A.G. This central premise and the emphasis on the development of sensitivity to points of potential cultural conflict are strong features of the book and provide an intercultural perspective.
At the approximate level of the Goethe Institut's "Grundkurs Wirtschaftsdeutsch," this program provides good practice in the areas of reading and listening comprehension, written and oral expression. Aspects of grammar are reviewed and integrated into the material of each chapter, but in order for students to do the program at a reasonable pace, particularly the research activities on the web sites, students should already be at the intermediate level.
The main program is contained within a single book, consisting of chapter theme material (including website references), a reference grammar with exercises, a section of theme-related practical exercises, tape scripts, and glossaries. So much material in one volume is, not doubt, intended to be cost-efficient and practical, but the book would more nearly achieve these goals if adequate space were provided for the completion of its grammar and theme-based exercises.
The first half of the book is divided into five main chapters ("Segmente"), which are further subdivided into between 4 and 6 sub-chapters ("Abteilungen"). Topics are organized in a logical sequence and in reasonable amounts. The first of the book's main chapters begins with a discussion of the formal job application process from the point of view of its central character, a young American university graduate. Sample job announcements are presented, "Werdegang" and "Lebenslauf" are contrasted with a résumé, and cover letter and the job interview are discussed. The five main chapters continue from the application process, to the office environment, sales and marketing, banking, and the organizational structure of businesses.
Each main chapter is followed by a section of useful expressions and theme-specific "Fachwortschatz" used contextually in sentences. In addition, each chapter includes a list of up-to-date resources for further information on relevant topics. Visual material such as diagrams and pictures is varied, interesting, and taken from authentic sources. Ancillary to the book is an audio CD (included). Despite some inconsistencies in the referencing between the audio segments and the accompanying tape script, the forty listening dialogues relating to the experience of the central character are well-integrated, informative, and humorous. Not included with this program is video material depicting authentic business interaction, such as job interviews, business-related social events and other communicative situations; such material would strengthen this program. Learned material, which students first encounter receptively in written form (dialogue or information item) and on audio CD, is actively reinforced in each chapter through written assignments and partner/group discussion.
The integrated website activities are divided into four components: "Web-Aktivitäten," "Testen Sie Ihr Wissen," "Artikel zum Thema," and "Student Resource Links." In the first of these sections, students gain access to practical online exercises. In one such exercise, students are required to supply answers to questions regarding telephone use in a business situation and can find the relevant information on another site. Students thus learn relevant information about the workplace while using a method of research that is increasingly familiar and useful. The section "Artikel zum Thema" allows students to develop their knowledge of business German by completing activities based on more advanced web-based readings. "Testen Sie Ihr Wissen" provides students with practice with grammar, vocabulary, and theme content. The "Student Resource Links" complement specific activities with a list of more than 150 related and categorized sites on topics such as professions in Germany, women in the workforce, intercultural communication, stock market (and games), advertising, and business technology..
In summary, this program would serve very well as an introduction to business German. Its emphasis on intercultural awareness, web research, and its well-rounded approach to listening, speaking, and writing help students develop a communicative competency in business German that includes both linguistic proficiency and cultural knowledge.
Michael Zimmermann
Paulsell, Patricia Ryan, Anne-Katrin Gramberg, and Karin U.H. Evans. German for Business and Economics. 2nd Edition. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, undated.
This second edition of German for Business and Economics offers a comprehensive and well-organized set of materials for courses in Business German for advanced undergraduate or graduate students. Each volume of the text comes shrink-wrapped with the series CD. A cassette with the listening comprehension selections and an instructor's handbook are available separately for each of the two volumes. The textbook format is designed specifically for North American students, in that the scope of topics covered and the proficiency-based approach to the exercises are well-suited to prepare students for internships in German-speaking countries and for the Prüfung Wirtschaftsdeutsch International.
The two student text volumes are in workbook format with removable perforated pages. Each volume is intended for a one-semester course, although the chapter division facilitates using both volumes in a three-quarter sequence. Volume I, Die Volks- und Weltwirtschaft, covers many of the general economic topics included in a one-semester Business German course. Volume II, Die Betriebswirtschaft, includes more specialized microeconomic topics and exercises involving more advanced German. Both texts are strongly proficiency-oriented. The authors point out that the books "do not teach economics and business per se, but rather use thematic areas within these fields as a foundation for developing more sophisticated language skills." The primary objective of these materials is "to increase language and cultural proficiency."
Each volume has three parts subdivided into chapters. In each part, three chapters introduce new material, and a fourth provides for review. Each of the thematic units is introduced by a reading text, followed by vocabulary acquisition exercises, a comprehension exercise, and grammar exercises emphasizing key aspects of Business German. More reading comprehension vocabulary, a pre-reading exercise, and a second reading text follow. There are also oral and written exercises in various formats. Many chapters feature assignments in business correspondence. The units conclude with cultural-awareness segments, in many cases readings in English. The review units include vocabulary and conceptual exercises followed by a reading.
Perhaps the most attractive and innovative component of the materials packet is the CD-ROM, which for this edition includes both Macintosh and Pentium-compatible formats. The CD includes a listening comprehension text for each of the chapters presenting new thematic material. Basic vocabulary for these texts is included in the textbook, and the spoken version is available on cassettes. The spoken text on the CD is accompanied by screens showing key vocabulary and images, however. Each text is followed by three types of exercises leading students to mastery of unit vocabulary. With a fill-in-the-blanks dictation exercise, the CD format makes it possible to verify correct answers immediately. The second format has students match key terms with German synonyms or definitions. The third reviews key concepts with true/false statements, which again can be verified immediately.
The instructor handbooks will be especially valuable for teachers with limited Business German experience, but more experienced teachers will also value the ancillary materials. Each volume offers a discussion of pedagogy and methodology, a fifteen-week syllabus, model tests for each chapter, transparency masters for new vocabulary introduction, texts of all listening comprehension exercises, and brief comprehension exercises supplementing those on the CD.
German for Business and Economics is well organized and innovative in its effective integration of the CD-ROM, and although the wealth of material makes this a demanding textbook, well-prepared upper-intermediate and advanced students should find it both accessible and rewarding.
Thomas Leech
Volgnandt, Gabriele, Claus Ehrhardt, Dieter Volgnandt. Exportwege 1: Wirtschaftsdeutsch für die Grundstufe. Regensburg: Dürr + Kessler, 1999. Ehrhardt, Claus. Arbeitsbuch Exportwege 1: Wirschaftsdeutsch für die Grundstufe. Regensburg: Dürr+Kessler, 2000.
Exportwege 1: Wirtschaftsdeutsch für die Grundstufe, consisting of a textbook, a workbook, and 2 CDs of listening texts, is the first set in an eventual three- volume set developed under the auspices of an EU project, LINGUA/LEONARDO, a large and varied group of sponsoring universities and other institutions.
The target group for Exportwege 1 is non-Germans with business interests in Germany, but with little or no knowledge of German. Much of the information, vocabulary and many of the forms of expression are, however, too difficult and specialized for beginners; the textbook series is entirely in German. The perspective of the textbook is that of a foreigner making business contacts with Germans.
Trade fairs are the central topic for Exportwege 1, probably because they are a major element of the German economy and ideal for interaction between foreigners and German companies. Some examples of such interactive situations and activities are: German companies and products, trade fair locations, introductions and greetings, making appointments, making reservations, business meals, product catalogs, placing orders for products, developing contracts, arranging product shipment, business letters, company structure and organization, and telephoning. Additionally, several major trade fairs in Germany are featured.
Each of ten chapters is divided into three parts. The first part is made up of three or more related topics. The last of these smaller topics in each chapter is often a more general, cultural or Landeskunde topic. A number of drills and exercises are distributed throughout this section of the chapter. These exercises are based on short reading selections, pictures, charts, listening texts available on the accompanying CDs, and other authentic materials, and represent a variety of exercise types.
The second part of each chapter is a grammar section. The amount of grammar presented and the order of presentation in the ten chapters is consistent with many grammar-driven elementary textbooks. The presentations are generally clear and concise with good examples. One potential problem in planning a course with this book is that the grammar is presented in very uneven amounts. Chapter 6, for example, is particularly grammar-packed, with "sollen" as indirect command, dative verbs and dative forms of the indefinite article, verbs with dative and accusative objects, dative and accusative personal pronouns and word order, possessive pronouns, prepositions taking dative, prepositions taking accusative, and compound nouns. This amount of material would require a longer unit time. By comparison, the Chapter 3 grammar section contains some time phrases with prepositions, verbs + nominative, verbs + accusative, nominative and accusative singular and plural of definite and indefinite articles and of personal pronouns.
The recycling of grammar points and topics from earlier chapters or the previous textbook is a feature of the Exportwege series which the authors call "cyclic progression," allowing for increasingly more detailed presentations of certain points and/or quick review of certain grammar points or topics when new related material is presented and after the student has mastered a basic level of competence.
The third part of each chapter is a visually distinct exercise section. A number of exercises in this section correspond to the grammar explanations and examples given in the previous grammar part of the chapter. A number of the exercises are based on listening exercises on the CD. There is a huge variety of exercises available in each chapter of the textbook, so a teacher can pick and choose which exercises to use in class and to assign.
At the end of Exportwege 1 there is a glossary of German words which appear throughout the textbook along with the chapter number where they first appear. This is followed by a list of the principal parts of irregular verbs and a chart of the most important rules of pronunciation and spelling, plus a grammar index.
The workbook (Arbeitsbuch Exportwege 1) to accompany the textbook also has 10 chapters, followed by answer keys and listening-text transcripts. Although the exercises in each chapter do not necessarily move from directed to less-directed to open as one might expect in a communicative approach, they are quite thorough, varied and engaging for the students. They include, among others, fill-in-the-blank sentences, sentence completion, matching, dialogue completion, question/answer, crossword puzzles, constructing sentences using specific words, and word building.
The completion of Exportwege 1 assumes 140 contact hours of German (2-3 semesters of US college German. To complete Exportwege 1 in just two semesters would require a very tight course plan and completely dedicated students. I would recommend using Exportwege 1 not as the text for beginning German, but as the text for the first semester of business German after a minimum of two semesters of basic German. As a third semester text, the grammar sections could be the basis for review and the class could concentrate on content and vocabulary. Finally, neither a teacher's handbook nor a test bank is provided.
Exportwege 1 is well-organized and communicative, including topics and situations which are typical and appropriate for foreigners preparing to do business in Germany, and the business information and language are current and accurate. Notwithstanding my previously mentioned reservations, I would recommend Exportwege 1 as an excellent choice of textbook for use in a beginning Business German course at the university level.
Janet Van Valkenburg
VIII. Methodology
McNally, Joanne Maria. Creative Misbehaviour. The Use of German Kabarett within Advanced Foreign Language Learning Classrooms. Oxford: Peter Lang, 2000. Paper, 297 pp.
Cabaret may first appear to be a difficult form to integrate into the German classroom. It is a time-driven art with complex satirical strategies, and it can be filled with obscure topical references that students--and even teachers--may not recognize. Cabaret or Kleinkunst is also a performance-oriented art that integrates many dimensions (literature, music, design, theater, dance) and demands live reception. Its effect derives from a complex interaction with both its audience and its social, historical and political context, and therefore requires strong background knowledge and "extraordinarily sophisticated processing" (122) by its audience on many levels (physical, gestural, inflectional). Students of a language may have a particularly hard time recognizing the irony of the texts, which are deliberately ambiguous, misleading and subversive. Cabaret doesn't work on paper alone; even a video recording is at best a historical document of a live event. In Creative Misbehaviour, McNally develops a methodology to turn these challenges into positive opportunities for learners of language and culture.
An art form which over a hundred years old, cabaret performance utilizes songs, sketches, monologues, poems, improvisational dance, and even puppet plays or short films. McNally's study opens with a brief overview of the development of the form and introduces those elements which make it an ideal teaching tool as well: its short , self-contained forms, its concise argumentation, the variety of sophisticated techniques, and above all its humor, which activates its audience to think critically. McNally sees the cabaret as a primarily verbal art, characterized by a playful use of language, a wealth of cultural references, and parody or inter-textuality. McNally's pedagogic method therefore puts the words and the satirical content squarely in the foreground. She emphasizes the intellectual and critical content rather than the performative aspects of the cabaret, and therefore uses the modern German term Kabarett to indicate the particularly satirical, literary-political strain. Her models are drawn from two eras: the late Weimar Republic (the wandering troupe "Die Wespen," Werner Finck's "Katakombe," and Erika Mann's "Pfeffermühle," all conscious of the collapse of democracy and the rise of National Socialism) and post-Wende Germany (Berlin's "Distel" as a skeptical perspective between East and West). McNally exposes parallels and contrasts between their themes and methods at points of social and political upheaval, and draws in other authors such as Kästner, Valentin, Brecht, and Hollaender.
The notion of "creative misbehaviour" forms the backbone of the study: cabaret makes use of "distortions, miscommunications, misunderstandings, misquotations, the expression of provocative opinions and attitudes, the breaking of taboos, blatant borrowing, or plagiarism of, well-known source materials (literary and media-related), and the modification of revered work" (12). Working with concrete examples, McNally demonstrates different models of linguistic play, allusion, and parody that subvert the "common-sense" logic of language, stereotypes, and facile political thought. But such understanding requires a shared consciousness on the part of the audience and complex processing skills, and in the classroom setting, strong guidance by the teacher.
There is a risk that by processing and reprocessing the material to understand all the references and puns, the immediate aesthetic pleasure will be lost and the exercise will turn into a study in frustration. Carefully structured, however, such activities can develop skills for comprehension, interpretation, and bi- and multilateral thinking, McNally argues. Cabaret can teach students to fill gaps in their linguistic and cultural knowledge, and the humor and "riddle" factors can be ideal motivators. The provocative materials elicit discussion and encourage students to create their own playful and subversive language, particularly through a performance project combining historical study with creative writing. By working with planned "errors" such as puns and false reasoning, students learn to discern correct and incorrect language use and to see the flowing borders between them.
To be clear: this is not a book on how to incorporate darstellendes Spiel with small forms or humorous topical performance into elementary and intermediate language classrooms, but rather a sophisticated model for using satire and complex verbal techniques in a course combining cultural study with advanced languages skills. McNally devotes a good portion of the book to summarizing theories of satire, drama in education, or culture in the foreign language classroom, but she also offers many practical techniques for work with a text and video, use of a language learning diary, study and application of idioms, and development of a group project.
The appendix includes a sample syllabus and lesson plans as well as fourteen selected cabaret texts which teachers may find particularly useful, including intertextual plays on texts by Kästner and Hollaender and several little-known "Distel" texts. There is also a glossary, which features more theoretical jargon (pushed output or backtrack) than cabaret terminology (concepts such as Chanson or Blackout are not included). The extensive biography would have benefited from the separation of pedagogical works and studies of the cabaret, and there are only two pages of source citations. Finding appropriate materials, from texts to CDs and videos, will surely be one of the biggest challenges for an instructor, and anyone intending to undertake such a course will need more extensive information on CD order numbers, contact addresses, and video sources. Yet upon reading this multi-faceted volume full of ideas and techniques, many teachers will surely want to try their own hands at a cabaret course.
Alan Lareau
Sion, Christopher, ed. 88 Unterrichtsrezepte. Eine Sammlung interaktiver Übungsideen. Stuttgart: Klett, 2000. Paper, 128 pp.
If you are looking for innovative activities to enrich your language classroom, you will want to add 88 Unterrichtsrezepte to your library. But perhaps you are already familiar with its contents: 88 Unterrichtsrezepte is based on three ESL books, Recipes for Tired Teachers and More Recipes for Tired Teachers edited by Christopher Sion and The Recipe Book edited by Seth Lindstromberg. Excerpts from these successful classroom activity books, activities shared initially by ESL teachers from Pilgrims language institute (University of Kent, UK), have been revised and translated by Barbara Huter and Susanne Schauf for the German language classroom.
Truly a collaborative effort, 88 Unterrichtsrezepte offers teachers of German a rich collection of interactive communication-based classroom activities which creatively engage students and enhance the language learning process. 88 Unterrichtsrezepte is an easy to use idea bank for both high school and college teachers who are looking for creative ways to augment their lesson plans. At a glance, the table of contents succinctly details all 88 easy-to-prepare activities. Each activity is first listed according to level of difficulty. A brief description of each activity is then provided: goal, content, and targeted skills. Estimates of class activity time along with materials and outside preparation on the part of the teacher complete the overview.
A white triangle indicates no prep work and a gray triangle means you need to bring a few office supplies to class or copy worksheets from the book. A black triangle indicates the most out-of-class preparation and generally you will need to bring a few readily accessible props, prepare index cards for your class, or find appropriate visual material to stimulate the activity. Activities vary in length from short and game-like to more intellectually rigorous and demanding of a full class session. There are also tips on how to expand or customize the activities to the uniqueness of different classroom environments.
Included in 88 Unterrichtsrezepte are a wide-range of interactive activities that embrace many of the prevailing trends in language acquisition. Activities foster a comfortable student-centered classroom community in which the decentralized teacher serves as a facilitator. Instead of subscribing to just one of the teaching methodologies, the authors support an integrative approach to teaching language. A rich blend of activities not only enables students to remain enthusiastic but offers them multiple ways to experience and acquire language in context.
Activities encourage students to respond spontaneously, naturally, and with relative accuracy in the target language. In fact students become active agents in the learning process, as they collaborate frequently, often working in pairs or small groups towards a common goal. At times they are responsible for monitoring their own progress and even encouraged actively to correct their classmates' mistakes both in speaking and writing. Particularly appealing is that most all activities remain stimulating and fun while remaining pedagogically sound by reinforcing the four skills of speaking, listening, reading, and writing.
In 88 Unterrichtsrezepte you will find activities that require students to solicit information and provide intelligible answers in context, pronunciation exercises, cultural information exchanges, synthesizing activities, numerous vocabulary building activities, and creative ways of reviewing grammar. In-class writing exercises assist students to view writing as an evolving process. Kinesthetic and olfactory activities further stimulate language learning. In general, activities for the lower levels are more lively, while many of the upper level activities are more tasked-oriented and focused on reading and text production or manipulation.
In short, 88 Unterrichtsrezepte is an excellent resource for teachers of German. The sheer number of clearly written, well organized, high-quality activities are recipes for success and provide teachers with refreshing activities that help support an innovative and interactive student-centered classroom which simultaneously enhances and stimulates the language learning process.
Janet Besserer Holmgren
IX. Linguistics
Eichhoff, Jürgen. Wortatlas der deutschen Umgangssprachen. Vierter Band. Bern: K.G. Saur Verlag, 2000. Paper, 56 pp. + 80 maps.
First the good news. Volume 4 of Jürgen Eichhoff's Wortatlas der deutschen Umgangssprachen (WDU) has appeared. The bad news is that this is the last volume. It is the culmination of a massive project that began in 1970, all four volumes containing highly interesting and informative data about lexical variation in colloquial German. Volume 4 is based on the same questionnaires as Volume 3.
Wortatlas means that it is a collection of maps, in this case illustrating the geographic distribution of the various words for a single concept. For example, the use of Samstag and Sonnabend is determined geographically, and Map 41 in Vol. 1 of WDU illustrates this north/south distribution vividly.) The adjective deutsch refers to the countries of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Luxembourg and the Südtirol region of northern Italy. Umgangssprachen suggests colloquial usage, i.e. not dialect and not necessarily standard language. The entries are all words that are used in everyday speech.
Volume 4 contains 58 word maps and 22 maps dealing with pronunciation and morphology. The concept areas for the word maps are Haus und Haushalt, Essen und Trinken, and Pflanzen und Tiere. Typical entries for word maps are die Treppe, der Aufzug, der Pfannkuchen, der Quark, das Brathähnchen, die Aprikose, and die Weberknecht. The other maps include, e.g. the pronunciation of ist (ist, is, isch, ischt), the form of (wir) sind (sind, sin, send, sen, sand, san, sein, sei, si, samma), the prefix of the past participle gefallen (ge-, je-, g'-), and the possessive form with a proper noun ("Das ist ... Ruths Kleid / das Kleid von Ruth / Ruth ihr Kleid / usw.). Easy to read symbols mark the geographical location of the various forms.
In addition to the primary entries which have a significant number of responses and are associated with a symbol on the map, many maps have a list of secondary entries, which are usually dialect forms restricted to a relatively small area and are not located on the map. For example, the entry for Quark has Quark, Topfen, weißer Käse, Weißkäse, Klatschkäse, Matte, Zibeleskäs(e), Bib(b)eleskäs(e), and Tschotten as primary entries and Weichkäs(e), Hotte, Matz, Schmierkäse, Stoffi, Brooch, Kässchmier, Siebkäse, Glumba, Käs, Kas, Luggeleskäs, Quargl, and Ziegere as secondary entries.
Readers unfamiliar with Volumes 1-3 of Eichhoff's WDU may wish to know about the methodology. 620 responses to written questionnaires and direct interviews were received from 404 localities. The questionnaire consisted of six printed pages with 147 items and a page of illustrations. In addition, an explanation of the project was included for those informants who were not contacted directly. As an example, the item intended to elicit the various forms of "grilled chicken" was: "Wie heißt an Ihrem Ort üblicherweise der gegrillte junge Hahn (Huhn), oft in Imbißstätten verkauft?" Sixteen different words were elicited: Brathähnchen, Hähnchen and Grillhähnchen in the North, Hendl, Brathendl, Henderl, and Grillhend(er)l in Austria and southern Bavaria, Broiler in the ex-GDR, Poulet and Güggeli in Switzerland, and Hähnle, Gockel, Gockerl, Göckele, Gickerl and Giegerla in various parts of the South.
The maps on which the results are recorded are divided into nine horizontal sections labeled A-I. In each section are numbers that correspond to the localities from which the responses were received. A useful "Verzeichnis der Aufnahmeorte" folds out from the back of the book to enable the user to identify each locality. Aside from the reference numbers, lexical symbols and markers of national borders and major rivers, there is no other information on the map. This has the disadvantage of requiring the reader to have a good knowledge of geography or else refer to the Verzeichnis, but it has the distinct advantage of making the maps clean and readable.
At the end of Volume 4 there is a Wörterverzeichnis, which lists the primary responses for entries in all four volumes, a total of approximately 2,700 words. Each word is indexed to the Anmerkung (a discussion of various aspects of that individual concept) and map in which it appears, thus making it relatively simple to find the word and its related variants in any of the four volumes..
It is easy for our students to develop a perception of the German language as a uniform system that is basically the same wherever it is spoken. Even students who have lived abroad are usually exposed to a limited geographical area, and therefore assume that the word they learned for "apricot", "butcher", "homework", or "breakfast roll" is the same everywhere. WDU will quickly disabuse them of this notion and educate them about the lexical richness of the German language. I have used Volumes 1-3 of WDU for my personal research and for the past several years I have made assignments in my advanced German courses for students to consult it in order to gain an appreciation of the lexical diversity of the German language. These assignments invariably receive high praise in the end of semester course evaluations. The only complaint I have heard is that some students become so engrossed in studying the entries they lose track of the time and miss other classes and important appointments. No apologies from me. But with Volume 4 now available I may want to add a warning to my course syllabus: caveat lector!
Randall L. Jones
Hufeisen, Britta, and Beate Lindemann, eds. Tertiärsprachen: Theorien, Modelle, Methoden. Tübingen: Stauffenburg Verlag, 1998. Paper, 186 pp.
Questions pertaining to the acquisition of third languages (L3) are receiving more and more attention by researchers and language teaching professionals. Their interest in the topic reflects the increasing number of people studying and using three or more languages. Europe, in particular, is making an effort to foster the instruction of multiple foreign languages. Therefore it may not surprise that "Tertiärsprachen" appeared as a compilation of European (and Israeli) perspectives on the theory, research, and practice of third language acquisition.
The book consists of thirteen articles, all but in German, organized in three sections: (1) empirical research reports, (2) implications for pedagogy, and (3) theories, models and research methods. Each section is preceded by an introduction summarizing and relating the different contributions. The empirical studies encompass investigations into L3 learning and processing as well as studies about L3 learners' beliefs, attitudes and motivation for language learning. In a psycholinguistic report, Wolfgang Feigs presents evidence for two dissociated speech production mechanisms (subject identification and number assignment) based on an error analysis of Norwegian and Icelandic learners' production of German as L3 and English as L2. The mechanisms are suggested to be universal, i.e., they apply to L1, L2, and L3 production.
Maria Groseva illustrates a particular strong influence that the L2 (English) imposes on the processing of L3 (German) syntax in Bulgarian native speakers, whereas Sigrid Dentler investigates regularities of lexical interference mostly from L1 Swedish but also from L2 English in L3 German writing. Christiane Kallenbach explores the subjective theories that German students develop about the learning of Spanish as L3/L4 and how their current attitudes, expectations and learning experiences differ from the previous learning of L2/L3 English/French. Marsha Bensoussan, Isabelle Kreindler and Eleanor Avinor present a comparative analysis of attitudes towards the learning and use of Arabic, English, Hebrew, and Russian of three groups of multilingual immigrants in Israel. Susanne Feigenbaum examines the status of German as L3-L5 in Israel and outlines particular challenges for German language instruction due to the learners' different language backgrounds.
Part 2 explores implications for the teaching of third languages. In her essay, Barbara Köberle criticizes that contemporary language instruction rarely exploits learners' language awareness and prior experience with language learning. She describes and proposes a comparative/contrastive approach that utilizes learners' knowledge of L1 German, L2 English and L3 Russian to teach Czech as L4. Based on error analysis, Ulrike Grube examines positive and negative interaction in the teaching of East-Slavic languages and proposes development of instructional materials and grammars that can be used for parallel instruction of related languages. Eva Maagerø points to possible applications from reader-oriented theories for the teaching of foreign languages through literature. In the last essay of this section, Maria Groseva discusses the importance of positive transfer between L2 English and L3 German in the speech of Bulgarian students and argues that teachers can exploit that mechanism efficiently for instruction.
In part 3, Ulrike Jessner outlines main assumptions of a dynamic model of multilingualism. She describes major aspects of the acquisition and maintenance of multiple languages with particular reference to the qualitative difference between the learning of L3 compared to L2, a claim that is not beyond controversy. Beate Lindemann devotes her article to a critical analysis of commonly used research methods in the study of L3 acquisition and provides methodological suggestions for future studies. In the book's closing article, Britta Hufeisen resumes the main findings of past research on L3 acquisition, and sketches out unresolved problems and tasks for the future.
Third language acquisition and use is also a reality in the Americas. Whereas English and Spanish (sometimes in addition to an indigenous L1) are the most frequently acquired L1 and L2 on this continent, German and other less-commonly taught languages are frequently acquired as third languages by students with considerable language learning experience. What this means with respect to the peculiarities of the L3 learning process and effective methods for language teaching and maintenance, we understand incompletely. Tertiärsprachen contains a valuable collection of research reports, hypotheses, theories, and practical suggestions that may stipulate reflection, discussion, and research about third language acquisition on both sides of the Atlantic.
Peter Ecke
CORRECTION: Through no fault of the reviewer, Jürgen Koppensteiner (University of Northern Iowa), nor the author, Elektra I. Tselikas, the publication date of Dramapädagogik im Sprachunterricht was erroneously printed in UP 34.1, p. 102, as 1991. The date should have correctly been printed as 1999.
END BOOK REVIEWS
UP 34.2 (Fall 2001)
University of New Mexico
University of North Carolina
Auburn University Montgomery
Tennessee Technological University
Omaha Public Schools
Bergische Universität Wuppertal
Western Kentucky University
University of Northern Iowa
Wilfrid Laurier University
Northern Kentucky University
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Pacific Lutheran University
Brigham Young University
University of Arizona
