This book is a follow-up to the authors' grammar Klipp und Klar: Übungsgrammatik Grundstufe Deutsch in 99 Schritten (2000) and uses the same self-guided approach. It allows students to learn vocabulary independently of classroom instruction. In addition, Sage und Schreibe can also be used in conjunction with most textbooks for German as a second language. There are 14 themes in Sage und Schreibe that progress in complexity and are familiar to the teacher of German as a second language, e.g. 'Rund um die Person,' 'Alltag und Freizeit,' 'Haus, Wohnung, Auto,' 'Ausbildung und Beruf,' 'Gesellschaft.' The book is written entirely in German and includes all vocabulary that is required for the 'Zertifikat Deutsch als Fremdsprache.'
Sage und Schreibe is well organized, providing clarity in the layout, with each chapter on a double page. On the left side is the vocabulary, often organized in tables, with illustrations of a typical situation, examples, short dialogues or texts. On the right side are a variety of exercises including mind-maps and puzzles that progress from recognition to productive exercises. In addition, cross-references to other chapters are made wherever appropriate.
In addition to the 14 themes, there are four sections on the use of language: 'Unterrichtssprache,' 'Wortbildung,' 'Redestrategien,' and 'Logische Verbindungen.' These sections are very helpful to the learner in understanding structure, but they are, unfortunately, incomplete. For example, compound nouns are not mentioned. Other aspects of structure are not included in these sections but integrated with the themes. For example, the use of prepositions is explained in the chapter on 'Haus, Wohnung, Auto.' Another problem is that those sections are dispersed throughout the book. Chapter 97 explains negations ('Logische Verbindungen'), but the exercises include negations as early as Chapter 3. It might have been more helpful to put those four sections as a reference at the end of the book in order to avoid the problem of interrupting themes. For example, the section on 'Redestrategien' is in between chapters on the European Union and the United Nations on the one hand and cultural minorities on the other.
The problems that arise from the question of how much grammatical structure should be in a book on vocabulary should not, however, distract from the 14 themes that are not only well chosen but allow the learner to encounter the German language in social contexts. A particularly strong aspect of the book is the presention of the vocabulary in a situational context that gives the learner the opportunity to apply the vocabulary to everyday communicative situations. For example, many chapters include a segment called 'Das sagt man oft,' which provides phrases commonly used with the particular words of that chapter. In addition, there are practical applications for the learner, including a section on different ways of writing a 'Lebenslauf,' a section on 'Job interviews,' and a section on 'Trinkgeld.'
The book provides an alphabetical appendix of the vocabulary covered, along with chapter references. There is also an answer key to all exercises listed by chapter number. In conclusion, the authors were successful with the daunting task of producing a book on vocabulary that can be used both as a self-study guide and as a supplement to most textbooks. It is equally useful for both teachers and learners of German as a second language and provides the user with a cultural language experience that is grounded in social contexts.
Ulf Schuetze
University of British Columbia
Lovik, Thomas A., J. Douglas Guy, and Monika Chavez. Vorsprung. Updated edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2002. Cloth, 617 pp., $93.56. <college.hmco.com>
Vorsprung is an excellent first-year text that emphasizes the communicative approach. This updated edition reflects not only the new Rechtschreibreform but also the new citizenship laws that took effect in 2000. Accompanying this text is a Workbook/Lab Manual, an Instructor's Text, Instructor's Resource Manual (with testing program and transparencies), computer study modules, a website with activities, and the Unterwegs video program.
Each chapter opens with a highlight of the chapter's goals relative to communicative functions, grammatical structures, vocabulary, and cultural information. The latter is accompanied by a picture, which also functions as a preview of the upcoming chapter. All chapters are divided into three parts, with each organized around either a written or spoken text. All activities (grammatical, lexical, and cultural information) come from these texts.
The chapters start with an Anlauftext--a storyboard that runs throughout the book and tells the story of an American student studying in Germany. This Anlauftext helps contextualize the dialogues that provide the thematic information. There are several lexical activities, which are not only pertinent to the vocabulary in the Anlauftext but also necessary for the students' early communicative practice. The second section revolves around an Absprungtext--an authentic text such as advertisements, brochures, letters, short stories, etc. Each of these is accompanied by pre- and post-reading activities that move the students from receptive to productive and then to interactive skills. Through the use of authentic texts, recordings, and realia, the cultural notes (Brennpunkt Kultur) offer students information on German-speaking countries and people as well as German influences in the United States and Canada. Whenever possible, the cultural information is linked to the thematic information of the chapter.
English is used to explain all grammar and relay all cultural information. Additionally, it is used in the activity instructions for Chapters One through Three. German is used thereafter. The audio program includes not only the exercises in the student lab manual, but also recordings of the Anlauftexte, the Absprungtexte when appropriate, and authentic audio texts such as a developing novel, interviews, and a weather report. The video program includes twelve five- to seven-minute episodes that are thematically linked to the textbook but do not duplicate the characters therein. An interesting addition not seen in most beginning textbooks is the section entitled Deutsch im Beruf. Following Chapters Three, Six, Nine, and Twelve, these sections highlight the practical advantages of learning German. Although this text starts its focus on comprehension with TPR activities, for those instructors who prefer a less aerobic means of teaching, not using this approach will not detract from the effectiveness of the text.
The chapters are relatively longer than in most textbooks, but this is due to a great extent to the storyboard and the large number of exercises. Despite the chapter lengths, the authors submit that each chapter can be taught over a two-week period for classes meeting 3-4 times a week. This seems very plausible, especially if one assigns the Anlauftext and some of the many exercises as homework. The text reflects the authors' belief that the majority of class time should be spent on communicative activities found in partner- and group-work versus grammar instruction. For this reason, there are fewer grammatical exercises (both in the text and in the workbook) than might be desired, but the instructor can easily compensate for this lack, should one prefer more structure. Those activities that are offered in the text and workbook/lab manual are solid in that they reincorporate the new vocabulary and structures in ways that are always personalized to the students' own lives as well as contextualized to the thematic information of the chapter and the on-going storyline of the Anlauftext. While the whole text is contextualized very nicely and presented in an aesthetically pleasing manner, what is truly unique and attractive about this book is, in fact, the Anlauftext, which addresses all the joys as well as anxieties of a beginning language-learner.
Stephanie E. Libbon
Kent State University
Treffpunkt Deutsch is an elementary German text that emphasizes the acquisition of communicative competence with a strong emphasis on vocabulary building. Each of the thirteen chapters opens with a picture and an overview of the communicative, structural, and cultural objectives. According to the Preface, each chapter is divided into three major sections and several subsections. With little difference in the presentation of major headings and subheadings, however, this distinction is rather unclear. Indeed, to this reader, the chapters appear to have eight major categories: Vorschau; Wortschatz 1; Kommunikation und Formen; Zwischenspiel; another Kommunikation und Formen section; Zusammenschau; Wort, Sinn und Klang; and finally Wortschatz 2.
The Vorschau introduces the students to new vocabulary and structures as well as cultural readings. Following these introductions are activities that reinforce or expand on the topics presented. Unfortunately, there seems to be little context in many of these exercises. For example, in one section of Chapter One where students are learning to use plurals, or in another section where they are required to supply the correct form of kein, the examples given range from articles of clothing, to scientific instruments, to animals. This lack of context is seen also in the transitions from one dialogue to the next.
With a strong focus on vocabulary building, each chapter offers two active vocabulary lists under Wortschatz and application activities in a subcategory entitled Wörter im Kontext. The placement of this subcategory within the yellow-colored pages of the Wortschatz has a "misplaced"-feel about it particularly since similar activities appear within the main body of the chapter. More appropriately placed within the Wortschatz would be the category Wort, Sinn und Klang, which appears later in the chapter. This category addresses cognates, words whose meanings change in different contexts, word families, etc. Additionally, this segment makes correlations between English and German orthography that are especially interesting and helpful.
The "misplaced" feeling carries over to some of the exercises in the main text as well. In the first Kommunikation und Formen section of Chapter One, for example, the authors introduce verb placement in statements. Directly following this introduction is a fill-in-the-blank exercise dealing with coordinating conjunctions. The next exercise requires students to translate a dialogue from German into English. It is only in the last three exercises that students are finally required to practice word order, first in the form of written responses to questions and then by creating their own statements.
Unlike the presentation of exercises, the introduction of grammar in the Kommunikation und Formen sections is quite clear and rather innovative. Wherever possible, contrasts between English and German usage are shown. Additional information is often given in the Sprachnotizen. In an interesting approach to grammar, the authors spread the introduction and expansion of many grammar points over several chapters. Adjective endings, for example, are not presented all at once, but instead as each case is introduced. Thus, the introduction of the nominative case in Chapter Two introduces only the adjective endings for that case. The same approach holds true for der-words and ein-words, relative pronouns, and the placement of nicht, which is first introduced in Chapter One and then expanded upon in Chapters Four and Six. Following the advice of their publisher, the authors address the past perfect and future tenses only briefly in side notes.
The Zwischenspiel and Zusammenschau sections offer students the opportunity to develop their listening skills as they are guided from a preliminary understanding of the texts they are hearing to a more detailed understanding. Role-plays, interviews, and writing activities are also components of these sections and lend themselves nicely to further development of the themes as they lead the students from questions that check for comprehension to more personalized responses. Under the topic Leute, each chapter offers a reading selection with pre- and post-reading activities. Chapters 10-12 augment these readings with authentic texts that also contain pre- and post-reading activities. The cultural information is presented in English through Chapter Seven and thereafter in German. While offering interesting information on German life and German-speaking countries, these sections are more like little snippets as they rarely fit with the themes of the chapters.
Visually the text is very appealing, with wonderful drawings and excellent photographs. This, however, does not make up for the lack of context and continuity within the chapters that lend this text a very fragmented feel.
Stephanie E. Libbon
Kent State University
Jannach, Hubert, and Richard Alan Korb. German for Reading Knowledge, 4th ed. Boston: Heinle, 1998. Paper, x, 326 pp., $64.95. <www.heinle.com>
Obwohl immer weniger Graduate Programme an nordamerikanischen Universitäten Fremdsprachenkenntnisse verlangen, ist damit der Bedarf an Textbüchern für einschlägige Sprachkurse keineswegs hinfällig geworden. Umso mehr ist die neue Auflage von German for Reading Knowledge zu begrüßen (1. Aufl.1961), die im Unterschied zu den früheren Auflagen nicht mehr primär Graduate Studenten in den Naturwissenschaften anspricht, sondern diejenigen in Humanities, Arts und Social Sciences. Dies macht sich insbesondere anhand der Auswahl von Lesetexten bemerkbar, die ein breites Themenspektrum abdecken und sich durchweg als attraktiv beweisen.
Alle grammatischen Erklärungen sind auf Englisch gehalten, wozu als Hilfestellung auch die Beispielsätze übersetzt worden sind. Der Aufbau dieses Lernbuches reflektiert einen großen Schatz an praktischer pädagogischer Erfahrung, denn die Autoren gehen beeindruckend systematisch vor und zielen daraufhin, in möglichst schneller Weise die Grundlagen der deutschen Sprache beizubringen, so dass schon im ersten Kapitel ein kurzer Text erscheint, der keineswegs so einfach ist, zugleich aber wegen der vielen cognates auch für denjenigen erschließbar sein dürfte, der gerade mit dem Deutschstudium begonnen hat. Sympathisch wirken die Gestaltung der grammatischen Erklärungen und die Beispielsätze, denn mittels bewusst eingesetzter Parallelen wird bekannter Wortschatz aufgegriffen und ständig erweitert. Jedes Kapitel bietet auch eine Liste des neuen Basiswortschatzes.
Die Autoren haben sich offensichtlich darum bemüht, ihre Texte bzw. Übungssätze auch inhaltlich mehr oder weniger auf den neuesten Stand zu bringen, so wenn wir erfahren, dass Christiana Nüsslein Volhard 1995 den Nobelpreis für Medizin erhalten habe, wenn wir Informationen über Naturschutzgebiete in Deutschland erhalten, die den Stand von 1991 reflektieren, oder wenn wir einen Bericht über AIDS erhalten, der auf Daten von 1996 beruht.
Gelegentlich unterlassen es Jannach und Korb, genauer die Struktur bestimmter grammatischer Phänomene abzuleiten und beschreiben sie bloß rein faktisch, so im Fall vom Passiv, oder begnügen sich damit, nur Teile davon zu analysieren, so im Fall der da- und wo-compounds, die freilich in einem späteren Kapitel dann doch ausführlich behandelt werden. Die Bildung von Konjunktiv-Formen findet nicht genügend an Erklärung, vielmehr sieht sich der Student etwas unvermittelt mit den einzelnen Zeitstufen konfrontiert, ohne dass der Unterschied zum Indikativ genügend transparent würde. Völlig zu Recht haben aber die Autoren den Konjunktiv I genauso stark berücksichtigt wie Konjunktiv II, denn er taucht überall in der gehobenen Sprache und Literatur auf und muss selbstverständlich von denjenigen gelernt werden, die besonders an Politik, Literatur und Wissenschaft interessiert sind.
Im Anhang finden sich eine nützliche Liste der unregelmäßigen Verben und ihrer Konjugationsformen sowie ein Wörterverzeichnis. Mit Hilfe eines Indexes lassen sich leicht spezielle grammatische Fragen beantworten und spezielle Ausdrucksformen aufspüren.
Es besteht mit diesem nützlichen Lehrbuch die Hoffnung, dass das Interesse an Deutsch seitens von Graduate Studenten neu geweckt werden könnte, denn hier wird die Spracharbeit nicht nur leicht gemacht, sondern sie wirkt anregend und verspricht, schnelle Ergebnisse zu zeitigen. Mit dieser Neuauflage dürfte es wieder Spaß bereiten, einen entsprechenden Deutsch-Intensivkurs anzubieten.
Albrecht Classen
University of Arizona
Graves, Paul. Barron's Learn German the Fast and Fun Way, 2nd ed. Hauppauge, NY: Barron's Educ., 1997/2001. Paper, 272 pp. + 4 audio CDs, $44.96. <www.barronseduc.com>
Das vorliegende Unterrichtswerk richtet sich an Personen, die sich selbständig in eine Fremdsprache, also Deutsch, einarbeiten möchten. Dazu sind nach dem Autoren nur 15 Minuten pro Tag notwendig. Ein kleines Symbol in Form einer Stoppuhr zeigt den jeweiligen Tagesabschnitt an. Das Werk richtet sich inhaltlich und strukturell vor allem an AmerikanerInnen, die nach Deutschland fliegen wollen. Besondere Vorkenntnisse werden nicht vorausgesetzt. Die Themenauswahl erscheint viel versprechend und breit gefächert, dennoch verwirrt die Reihenfolge etwas (z.B. Ankunft am Frankfurter Flughafen, [] "Camping", "Airplanes", "Theater", etc.). Die unterschiedlichen Themen sind zwar in 8 Kapitel ("Getting to Know People", "Arrival", "Seeing the Sights", "Entertainment", "Ordering Food", "How're We Doing? ", "At the Store" und "Essential Services") eingeteilt, doch ein Zusammenhang der Themen und Geschichten wird nicht deutlich.
Positiv fällt auf, dass Graves am Anfang mit den Vorurteilen Deutschlands "aufräumt" und in witziger Weise die wichtigsten Punkte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, z. B. Geschichte, Kultur und Politik, anspricht und klarstellt. Schade ist nur, dass sehr vieles auf Englisch angeboten wird. Alle Dialoge sind parallel ins Englische übertragen, so dass der/die Lernende die entsprechende Übersetzung nebenstehend finden kann. Das wäre eigentlich kein Problem, denn die Suggestopädie arbeitet ja mit ähnlichen Mitteln, doch fehlen im ganzen Werk Transferaufgaben (bis auf zwei Quizze im Anhang), in und mit denen kleine Erfolgserlebnisse verbucht werden könnten. Das eigenständige Zuhören und Verstehen von unbekanntem Material, wie es sich ja in realen Situationen darstellt, wird nicht geschult.
Die Gestaltung des Werkes, die Bebilderung und die Grammatikerklärungen sind meines Erachtens gut gelungen. Weil der/die Lernende ohne Lehrkraft arbeitet, wird besonders am Anfang großen Wert auf die Aussprache der deutschen Konsonanten und Vokale gelegt. Da keine phonetischen Kenntnisse vorausgesetzt werden, hat der Autor ein einfaches System zur Aussprache der deutschen Wörter entwickelt. Das Wort "Wände" beispielsweise wird im Unterrichtswerk von der erklärenden Beifügung "(VEN-deh)" begleitet, allerdings nur bei der Einführung von neuen Vokabeln.
Das Werk spricht die aktuellen Gegebenheiten in Deutschland allerdings nur bedingt an, denn in einigen Fällen ist das ausgewählte Material veraltet und nicht mehr gültig. So zum Beispiel findet sich die deutsch-deutsche Grenze noch immer auf der Landkarte, die Liste deutscher Feiertage ist unvollständig und die dargestellten Geldscheine sind noch die von vor der Umstellung im Jahre 1990 (für Kenner: die mit den Dürer-Porträts)!
Das Werk hat allerdings auch überraschend gute Seiten. Es ist beispielsweise mit 4 CDs zu haben, die eine zentrale Stellung im Lernprozess einnehmen. Die angehängte Vokabelkartei (Teil des sogenannten "activity kit[s]" mit 162 Vokabeln und Beispielsätzen leitet zu mehr Eigenverantwortung, d.h. zum Erweitern dieser Kartei, an. Eines der besten Aspekte ist das angehängte, 32-seitige Wörterbuch, das sich heraustrennen lässt. Es fungiert als separates "Dictionary," das auch auf Reisen mitgenommen werden kann. Darüber hinaus bietet es eine Auflistung der häufig gebrauchten Vokabeln, eine Weinliste und kulturelle Tipps zum Trinkgeldgeben.
Zusammenfassend lässt sich sagen, dass Learn German the Fast and Fun Way ein recht ungewöhnlicher Ansatz zum Deutschlernen ist. Ob sich das Lernen tatsächlich schnell (fast) und mit Spaß (fun) vollzieht, sei dahingestellt; es erscheint aber ein viel versprechender und effektiver Sprachkurs zu sein.
Birger Sachau
The Pennsylvania State University
Keller, Suzy. Lesevergnügen sowieso. Heft 1. Berlin: Langenscheidt, 1998. Heft 2, 1998. Heft 3, 1999. Heft 4, 2000. Each: Paper, 40 pp., $7.95. <www.langenscheidt.com>
Currently there are four readers in the Lesevergnügen series, each with a different theme. They do not seem to spiral in level of difficulty, so they can be used in any order. The books have a vocabulary level that would put them into a level three (at the earliest), level four, or even level five high school curriculum. Since the readers feature younger teenagers, they may not appeal to older learners in a college setting.
The readers contain plenty of graphics, authentic pictures, and activities. The answers to all activities are included as the last four pages in the back, which could be easily removed if necessary. The readers are written entirely in German, including the directions to the activities. Students would probably need assistance from a dictionary or teacher, even though the blurb on the back states that it can be used "allein oder in der Klasse." If used as individual reinforcement, it would be most useful at an upper level.
A problem is the dichotomy of the younger students featured vs. the higher level of vocabulary. The readers seem geared towards younger learners, yet the vocabulary required to read the stories and do the exercises would put the usability level at a higher, possibly even college level.
A very practical and time-saving use of the books would be for the gifted and talented student who needs an extra challenge. Many German teachers have mixed levels, such as levels three, four, and five, all in the same classroom. In this situation, the level four or five students could work through the books independently after completing class work or at home. The readers are varied enough to hold the independent learner's interest. The teacher could provide any extra help needed to understand directions for activities.
Lesevergnügen 1 revolves around the summer vacation of ten young teenagers who are all friends. Seven chapters are included: "Rate die Autokennzeichen," "Hurra der Zirkus ist da!," "Das Stundenplan-Puzzle," "Ein Nachmittag im Zoo," "Das Stammbaumspiel," "Auf der Fahrt nach Süden," and "Wer sucht, der findet."
A reading selection about the ten teenagers begins each chapter. The readings contain mostly dialogues, in which the teenagers discuss ideas for the summer vacation, and then dialogues, as they are involved in each activity. After each reading are varied exercises such as crossword puzzles, fill-in-the-blank, fill-in-the-grid, word search, comparison, a "Stammbaum," multiple-choice quiz, and a board game, among others.
Lesevergnügen 2 features a German girl preparing for and celebrating her birthday. The characters in this reader seem to be younger teen to pre-teen. The six chapters include: "Der Stadtbesuch," "Das Rockkonzert," "Zum Geburtstag viel Glück," "Spaß ohne Grenzen," "Die Fahrradtour," and "Auf den Spuren Wilhelm Tells." The format of the second reader is similar to the first.
The six chapters of Lesevergnügen 3 cover the stories written by six students between the ages of 14 and 15. The stories include: "Schwarz und weiß," "Schule, welch ein Stress!," "Da hatte ich wirklich Angst!," "Konflikte kann man lösen," "Zum Glück hat's keiner gemerkt," and "Model? Nein, danke!"
Upper-level students (who are generally 17 or 18 years old) may bristle at the idea that the stories were written by 14 and 15 year-olds. The stories would be very appealing to the older age group, however. If the teacher thinks age might be a factor, pages three and four with the student pictures and descriptions could be omitted. Another candidate for possible editing would be the pictures of nude statues on page 35.
A further potential problem is the small print in some of the longer reading sections, such as page 22 of Lesevergnügen 3. If used in upper levels, that would not be a problem, but if used with younger learners, it could prove a visual challenge.
Lesevergnügen 4 follows the format of the third book. In this case, however, students between the ages of 14 and 16 tell stories about themselves, about friends, or have written creative stories. Chapter titles are: "Der Erdbeerjoghurt," "Der Sportmagier," "Heidis Taschengeld," "Die Fledermaus," "Jonathan," and "Geklaut und gelogen."
Readers 3 and 4 would be suitable for an International Baccalaureate (IB) or Advanced Placement (AP) class, in which an emphasis on authentic materials is placed. Both of those volumes were written by German students, albeit younger ones, but they contain appealing topics, plenty of activities and opportunities for discussion.
Rob Williams
Fairfax County Public Schools
Moser, Beverly, Dolly J. Young, and Darlene F. Wolf. Schemata: Lesestrategien. Boston: Heinle, 1997. Paper, 283 pp., $53.95. <www.heinle.com>
Anyone who has taught second-year college language is aware of the challenges inherent to this level. Students enter this level from both high school and beginning courses at the university, their strengths and commitment to language learning varying widely. For many of these students, the transition from first-year to second-year is the most challenging of the language sequence. While reading and writing in the first year are often developed as ancillary skills only, they frequently occupy more prominent positions in the second year. Indeed, they may receive nearly equal attention to listening and speaking, in order to prepare students for composition and conversation courses and, ideally, the language major.
Textbook authors of recent decades have responded to the challenges of second-year language instruction by creating materials that couple grammar review with short texts or video sequences. In many instances, these second-year textbooks mirror the first-year structure, with the exception that reading passages provide the basis for vocabulary and in-class activities instead of cultural topics and realia. Surveying the second-year texts available today, one may determine that grammar review and reading practice has become a favored segue into upper-level instruction.
Schemata follows in this tradition by specifically focusing on the development of reading (and, to a lesser extent, writing) skills, yet with a few differences. While some textbooks provide reading materials with a few pre-reading activities and follow-up questions, these authors effectively encourage the development of reading skills by incorporating strategies explicitly and implicitly throughout. Guiding students through new vocabulary are quick lessons on the second consonantal sound shift, literary language, and interpreting dictionary entries. Pre-reading and post-reading exercises that involve educated guessing, pacing of reading, and ordering of information further encourage students to develop effective strategies for approaching texts. While this reviewer has often found it necessary to create supplementary activities for second-year readings, Schemata offers a practical alternative (particularly for instructors unaccustomed to teaching the second-year level or those under time constraints), for it promises to require minimal preparation time overall.
By leaving grammar review out of the equation, the authors create a versatile textbook that may be used either alone for a semester or in concert with a grammar textbook over a year. This first option would work particularly well in language programs where a beginning textbook is used over three semesters, leaving the fourth open for such a reading-intensive course. Those accustomed to the parallel structure of first-year and second-year instruction could partner the book with a grammar text for a full-year sequence and yet stay within students' budgets.
The book is divided into eight chapters, each averaging thirty pages, with a comprehensive table of contents, though no index for cross-referencing. Because the authors emphasize context-driven vocabulary learning, there are no vocabulary lists in the chapters themselves, those being provided instead in the accompanying instructor's manual, which also offers an answer key and tips on error correction and testing.
No test bank accompanies the book, which leaves the instructor to create meaningful examinations according to the brief tips provided, or to use the suggested writing assignments as a final follow-up to student learning. While composition certainly provides students an opportunity to use newly acquired vocabulary, it does not necessarily assess students' acquisition of reading skills, the ultimate focus of this textbook. Given the authors' commitment to the development of reading skills in Schemata: Lesestrategien, clearer models of how to carry such commitment through to assessment would have been a helpful addition to these materials.
K. Julia Karolle
John Carroll University
Fischer-Mitziviris, Anni, and Sylvia Janke-Papanikolaou. So geht's: Fertigkeitentraining Grundstufe Deutsch. Stuttgart: Klett, 2002. Übungsbuch mit Lösungen: Paper, 239 pp., EUR16.80. Übungsbuch ohne Lösungen: Paper, 184 pp., EUR15.50.
2 audio CDs or 2 audio cassettes: EUR20.50.<www.klett-verlag.de>
So geht's ist ein Buch mit Audiomaterial, das zur Vorbereitung auf das Zertifikat Deutsch als Fremdsprache dient. Das Lernbuch, das entweder mit oder ohne Lösungsteil erhältlich ist, kann laut Verfasser ab Grundstufe 2 sowohl im In- als auch im Ausland zusätzlich zu einem anderen Lehrwerk im Unterricht eingesetzt werden. Zudem wird das Buch zur Bearbeitung im Selbststudium empfohlen.
Das Buch besteht aus drei Teilen zu jeweils fünf Lektionen. Die Lektionen des ersten Teils richten sich an Anfänger (Grundstufe 2), die Lektionen des zweiten Teils sind für das mittlere Niveau konzipiert, und der dritte Teil besteht aus Übungen auf dem Zertifikatsniveau. Jeder Übungsteil ist thematisch angeordnet, wobei die Themenauswahl den Anforderungen der Zertifikatsprüfung entspricht.
Die einzelnen Lektionen werden optisch ansprechend präsentiert. Jede Lektion beginnt mit einer Collage, die als Einführung zum Thema bzw. als Anregung zum Brainstorming dienen soll. Bei Verwendung des Lernmaterials im Unterricht empfehlen die Verfasser, anhand der Collage und mit Hilfe eines Assoziogramms bekannten Wortschatz zu wiederholen bzw. einzuführen. Mögliche Wortfelder und die dazugehörenden Oberbegriffe werden im Lösungsteil des Buches jeweils unter dem Stichwort "Collage" aufgeführt. Auf die Collage folgen jeweils drei Übungsteile zum Leseverstehen. Der Übungsteil 1 jeder Lektion besteht aus einer Zuordnungsübung, bei der verschiedene Überschriften den jeweils passenden Texten zugeordnet werden sollen. In Teil 2 folgen Multiple Choice Aufgaben zu verschiedenen Lesetexten. Im dritten Übungsteil sollen dann verschiedene Situationen den entsprechenden Anzeigen zugeordnet werden.
Ab der zweiten Lektion von Stufe 1 gibt es einen Übungsteil zum Hörverstehen. Auch hier gibt es in jeder Lektion drei Übungsteile, die aber ausschließlich aus richtig/falsch Übungen bestehen. Die Hörtexte selbst, die entweder anhand von zwei Kassetten oder aber mit einer Audio-CD abgespielt werden können, bestehen aus kurzen Dialogen zwischen jeweils unterschiedlichen Sprechern. Die teilweise mit, teilweise ohne Hintergrundgeräusche aufgenommene Dialoge weisen ein normales Sprechtempo auf. Auf die Dialoge folgt ein Übungsteil zum Wortschatz. Hier gibt es Kreuzworträtsel, verschiedene Zuordnungsübungen, Lückentexte mit dazugehörenden Wortkisten sowie Übungen zur Erweiterung des mündlichen Ausdrucks.
Der Übungsteil zur Förderung des schriftlichen Ausdrucks besteht aus Briefen, auf die der Lernende reagieren soll. Die Übungen dienen dazu, das Schreiben zu lenken. Auf diesen Übungsteil folgen die Übungen zum mündlichen Ausdruck. Dieser Teil beginnt mit zwei bis vier Einführungsfragen zum Thema und der Aufforderung, darüber in der Klasse zu sprechen. Der zweite Übungsteil zum mündlichen Ausdruck besteht aus Lückentexten, der in einigen Lektionen von einem dritten Übungsteil mit einer Dialogübung gefolgt wird.
Die Lösungen zu den einzelnen Übungsteilen befinden sich in dem Lernbuch mit Lösungsteil jeweils im Anhang. Für die Übungen zum schriftlichen Ausdruck ist im Lösungsteil jeweils ein Schülerbrief mit einem Korrekturvorschlag aufgeführt. Auf diesen Musterbrief folgt eine Tabelle zur Bewertung des Schülerbriefes, in der die für das Bestehen der Zertifikatsprüfung erforderliche Mindestpunktzahl sowie die mögliche Höchstpunktzahl angegeben wird. Für den Übungsteil zum mündlichen Ausdruck sind nur Lösungen für den zweiten Übungsteil und, wenn vorhanden, die Vorbereitung für den im dritten Teil angestrebten Dialog aufgeführt. Die Ausgabe des Lernbuchs mit Lösungsteil enthält zudem im Anhang noch einen Antwortbogen, wie er bei der Zertifikatsprüfung verwendet wird. Weiter werden die Transkriptionen der Hörtexte im Lösungsteil aufgeführt. Die Hinweise zur Bearbeitung des Lernbuches befinden sich vor dem Lösungsteil. Sie richten sich jedoch nur an den Kursleiter und sind ausschließlich in der Zielsprache gehalten.
Obgleich das Lernmaterial auch zum Selbststudium angeboten wird, fehlen Anleitungen und Lerntipps für Selbstlerner völlig. Zudem ist eine Überprüfung der Übungen zum gelenkten Schreiben oder eine Überprüfung der Übungen zum freien Sprechen im Selbststudium nicht möglich. Das Buch, d.h. insbesondere das Buch mit Lösungsteil, kann jedoch ohne Einschränkungen als Ergänzungsmaterial zum Einsatz im Unterricht in den USA empfohlen werden.
Ute S. Lahaie
Baylor University
Rankin, Jamie, and Larry D. Wells. Handbuch zur deutschen Grammatik, 3rd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. Paper, 445 pp., $61.96.
Rankin, Jamie, and E. Pauline Hubbell. Arbeitsheft for Handbuch zur deutschen
Grammatik. 3rd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. Paper, 264 pp., $39.16. <college.hmco.com>
Anyone teaching a German grammar course is well familiar with Wells' Handbuch zur deutschen Grammatik, which has recently been revised by his former colleague Jamie Rankin. The new edition offers a textbook and a workbook, an audio program available not only on cassettes, but now also as CDs, a new computer study module on CD-ROM both for Windows and Macintosh, as well as a more than welcome Instructor's Resource Manual consisting of chapter tests, tape scripts to the listening comprehension section of the workbook, an answer key to its exercises, and an answer key to exercises in the textbook. The layout and format of both textbook and workbook has not been altered much, except that the textbook nowadays comes in paperback, which should please every cost-conscious student. Certainly, the new rules of spelling and punctuation made necessary by the "spelling reform" (Rechtschreibreform) have been added and are briefly explained in an appendix. In addition, some grammar explanations have been expanded and are summarized with new graphs to "provide a valuable cognitive tool for visually-oriented learners."
Handbuch zur deutschen Grammatik is a book that can be used in many ways. It serves as a reference book, a grammar review book, and also as a practice manual and guide. It can serve as a primary text in a grammar course or as a reference book in conjunction with other textbooks and resources. The book targets students who already had at least one or even two years of instruction in the German language and who are familiar with basic vocabulary and have mastered basic grammar concepts. The methodology underlying the concept of the handbook aims at a learner-centered communicative approach to language teaching and learning. Exercises and activities try to cover all four skills of reading, writing, listening, and speaking, and are generally personalized in a meaningful way to allow students to talk about their own interests and ideas.
The material presented in the textbook is divided into thirty chapters along with an introduction and a reference section containing appendices, a German-English vocabulary list, and an index. Each chapter covers one grammar point and is organized in the same fashion throughout the book. Grammar explanations in English accompanied by examples in German are presented first, followed by a vocabulary list conducive to the exercises and activities that are presented next. Each chapter ends with topics for writing comprehension, and a summary of important grammar rules. Typically, exercises range from very controlled, teacher-centered to more open-ended activities that involve partner or group work.
The workbook parallels the sequence of grammar points in the textbook. It is divided into three parts: a writing comprehension section focusing on creative, process-writing skills, a section dedicated to listening comprehension using the audio material that is a standard component of this book, and finally a section providing more written grammar exercises to reinforce what has been covered in the textbook. The audio program is definitely challenging to every non-native speaker: it is not only unscripted but also offers native-speaker discourse in a variety of situations. Since activities in this section are not designed for the student to understand every single word but rather to listen for key phrases and identify certain situations, a script is not necessarily needed. However, the resource manual provides a complete transcription of all recorded material, and, if need be, the instructor could copy the scripts for students.
Handbuch zur deutschen Grammatik can be covered in one semester, but it can also easily be drawn out for up to four semesters depending on the course itself. All in all, it adheres to its two goals that are: "(1) to present clear and complete explanations of all major grammar topics, and (2) to provide meaningful, communicative practice of those topics." But a word of criticism should not be missing. This latest edition prides itself on its new feature, the presentation of grammatical structures in graphic form. When I looked at some of these graphs, a word that one of my professors used in describing how people make something more difficult by trying to make it better, the German 'verschlimmbessern' came immediately to mind. Just as an example, Rankin comes up with the following graphic to describe the use of relative pronouns in the German language: "___A (V2), (prep) RP___ V1)(,...)" (347). To a person with a non-mathematical mind this is clearly confusing and of no help! Also, as the introduction states, the book wants to promote communicative proficiency, and therefore, closely controlled exercises and less structured and open-ended activities are designed to call for "creativity and spontaneous learner interaction." Unfortunately, many exercises are literally just that'unstructured,' i.e. unclear and vague. For example, and by far not the only one: "Bilden Sie Gruppen mit drei oder mehr Studentinnen und Studenten. Stellen Sie einander Fragen und benutzen Sie dabei die Pronomen ihr und euch so oft wie möglich" (219); or: "Schreiben Sie zuerst einen kurzen Text von acht bis zehn Sätzen. Versuchen Sie dann diesen Text durch den Gebrauch von Präfixverben stilistisch zu verbessern" (391). A text about what? Somewhat more directions so as to avoid blank stares from students would not have hurt the "spontaneous interaction," I believe. In addition, exercises are repetitive and follow the same form: talk about yourself/your partner/your family; talk about famous people/history/world events; talk about cities/countries/cultures. What is noticeable in this particular context is that this new edition does not provide any list of relevant websites in order to render these exercises more "meaningful." Since the activities in this book continuously ask students to 'travel,' web resources such as< www.deutschland.de>, < www.meinestadt.de>, or <www.europa.org>would have been a vital add-on. Also < www.wissen-unserer-Zeit.de>provides an abundance of material related to famous people or historical and current events. Since computer technology has vastly impacted our classrooms and the way we teach today, the inclusion of Web-related activities and resources would have made this third edition of Handbuch zur deutschen Grammatik a significantly revised, improved, and updated edition. As it portrays itself now, it is just another edition.
Christine Anton
Berry College
Werner, Grazyna. Langenscheidts Grammatiktraining Deutsch. Berlin: Langenscheidt, 2001. Paper, 127 pp., $13.50. <www.langenscheidteduc.com>
Wie im Vorwort versprochen, bietet dieses Buch mehr als 150 Übungen zu den wichtigsten Themen der deutschen Grammatik an, die in 23 Kapitel eingeteilt sind. Das Kapitel über Präpositionen führt mit 18 Übungen, gefolgt von Verbformen im Präsens mit 17, der Deklination von Adjektiven mit 15 und den Verbformen im Perfekt mit 13 Übungen. Leichteren Grammatikpunkten wie Imperativ, Adverb oder Fragesatz wird weniger Platz eingeräumt; das Kapitel über die schwierigen Relativpronomen ist allerdings mit nur zwei Übungen viel zu kurz geraten. Umsonst sucht man nach Übungen für Passiv oder Konjunktiv; deswegen ist das Grammatiktraining eher für die Anfänger- und Mittelstufe gedacht als für Fortgeschrittene.
Die progressiv schwieriger werdenden Übungen sind äußerst kreativ gestaltet; sie rangieren von Zuordnungs-, Einsetz-, Ankreuz-, Umschreib- und Verbindungsübungen, Multiple choice und Lückentexten bis hin zu Übungen mit einer Wortbank, tabellarischen Ergänzungen und einer Fülle von spielerischen Buchstabennetzen. Während die meisten Übungen ohne Kontext sind und sich rein auf die zu trainierende Struktur konzentrieren, gibt es dennoch auch Kontextübungen wie Briefe (Relativpronomen), einen Lebenslauf (Präteritum), einen typischen Tag im Leben einer Familie, der vom Präsens ins Perfekt gesetzt werden muss oder eine Stadtbeschreibung von Halle, wo die richtigen Formen von Adjektiven und Adverbien in einem Lückentext eingeübt werden.
Erfahrungsgemäß bereiten besonders Adjektivendungen und Präpositionen Schwierigkeiten bei Lernenden der deutschen Sprache. Darum sollen diese zwei Kapitel herausgegriffen werden, um die Vorgehensweise der Autorin näher zu betrachten. Das Prinzip der Adjektivendungsübungen dieses Lehrwerkes ist es, zunächst vom Nominativ auszugehen. In fünf Übungen werden die Endungen für Adjektive nach dem unbestimmten, dem bestimmten und ohne Artikel eingeübt. Dann geht die Autorin zum Akkusativ über; nur zweimal allerdings werden Possessivpronomen eingesetzt, die ja als "Ein-Wörter" fungieren und eigentlich noch mehr mitgeübt werden sollten. Übungen 8, 9 und 11 konzentrieren sich auf Adjektivendungen ohne Artikel, wiederum nur im Nominativ und Akkusativ. Dazwischen bietet eine Tabelle eine gute Übersicht über starke und schwache Adjektivendungen in den genannten zwei Fällen. Übung 12 befasst sich ausschließlich mit Endungen im Dativ und Übung 13 mit dem Genitiv; das Kapitel wird mit zwei komplexen Übungen, wo alle Fälle und starke und schwache Endungen vorkommen, beendet. Diese Vorgehensweise ist sinnvoll; man vermisst jedoch mehr Sätze mit anderen "Der- und Ein-Wörtern," ein weiterer Grund, dieses Lehrwerk eher für untere Stufen einzusetzen.
Das Kapitel über Präpositionen beginnt mit zwei Übungen für Dativpräpositionen, wobei allerdings die Präposition "außer" ausgespart wurde. Die dritte konzentriert sich ebenfalls auf den Dativ; man findet jedoch bereits die Wechselpräposition "vor" in der Wortbank. Es folgen drei progressiv schwerer werdende Übungen für Akkusativ; auch hier könnte es eventuell etwas verwirrend sein, dass die Wechselpräposition "an" mit eingeschlossen ist. Die nächsten ausgezeichneten Übungen, die ausschließlich Wechselpräpositionen einüben, gehen auf schwierige Verbpaare wie "stellen/stehen" und "legen/liegen" ein. Bei den Genitivpräpositionen findet man neben den üblicheren wie "trotz", "wegen", und "während" überraschenderweise auch seltenere wie "infolge" und "unweit;" jedoch fehlt "statt". Bei Übung 12, wo man aus isolierten Wörtern Sätze bilden soll, ist der Beispielsatz verunglückt: "seit --ein Jahr--hier--leben--Frank = Frank lebt hier seit einem Jahr", da die Regel "Zeit vor Ort" verletzt wurde und der Lerner irregeführt wird. Das Kapitel endet mit hervorragenden Übungen für Verben mit Präpositionen und Pronominaladverbien.
Langenscheidts Grammatiktraining Deutsch ist handlich, überschaubar und durch den Lösungsschlüssel vor allem für das Selbststudium oder als Auffrischer geeignet. Die Beispielsätze sind in der Alltagssprache geschrieben und basieren auf einem einfachen Wortschatz, so dass die Lernenden sich ganz auf die Grammatik konzentrieren können und nicht wertvolle Zeit auf das Nachschlagen von Vokabeln verwenden müssen. Hilfreich ist auch ein Glossar mit grammatischen Fachausdrücken und Beispielsätzen, das das Lehrwerk beschließt.
Petra S. Fiero
Western Washington University
Gilzow, Douglas F., and Lucinda E. Branaman. Lessons Learned: Model Early Foreign Language Programs. Washington, D.C.: Center for Applied Linguistics, 2000. Paper, 217 pp., $18.95. <www.practiceseries.com>
This book is important for all community members interested in supporting, developing, and nurturing quality early foreign (second) language programs. The text is part of the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) Professional Practice Series that provides "practitioners with current information on topics, trends, and techniques in language teaching." Community members (e.g., foreign language coordinators, foreign language teachers, other subject matter teachers, foreign language learners and their parents, district administrators, and principals) from seven early foreign (second) language programs provide ample practical evidence of topics, trends, and techniques for early foreign (second) language program design, development, and evaluation. The examples in this text demonstrate why it truly does "take a village."
The book consists of nine chapters that are clearly written and organized. Most describe the seven model programs from various U.S. geographical regions, including "five content-enriched FLES [Foreign Language in the Elementary Schools] programs, one partial immersion program, and one middle school immersion continuation program." The first chapter sketches the selection of the programs, describes the general program qualities, and overviews the book. The final chapter summarizes ten specific areas that helped variously describe each of the programs in the preceding chapters including issues such as implementing national standards, teaching methods, program evaluation, technology use, and staff development. Additionally, five appendices offer actual examples of materials from two programs, valuable information about the selection of the seven programs, summary program overviews in table form, and contact details for people in the various programs.
Of particular note were the various ways in which assessment was described and presented. Programs relied variously on traditional outcome rubrics, oral proficiency interviews, and school, district, and state-wide tests, while also including innovative notions of portfolios, a home assessment system, student self-assessment of language skills, class participation, and creative writing samples. Central to all types of assessment, however, was the simple fact that each community sought to understand what the students did to demonstrate language proficiency. Assessment and proficiency remain challenges in various language education programs. Yet, some of these innovative and creative ideas have the potential to question traditional psychometric notions of validity and reliability and to challenge how proficiency can truly be measured and reported. Another notable aspect in many of the programs was how teachers used the content of various other academic disciplines to enhance their foreign (second) language activities. These teachers actively engaged students in the subject matter being learned in other content classes during the school day not only to enhance FL acquisition but also to reinforce academic content. The collaboration between FL teachers and other subject matter teachers in sharing (and at times discussing) such content seemed to be a worthy by-product that further supported and enhanced these language-learning communities.
Some may quibble with the book's focus on the various programs' positive attributes and selected quotes from very positive shareholders. Yet, even if other programs have challenges, much of the book's information should (at least partially) alleviate such concerns. And if all else fails, the contact details in the appendix afford the opportunity to seek advice from and ask questions of members in a wider professional community. CAL sought to provide timely information "supported by theory and research" to help enhance (early) language programs in this practical book series. This book succeeds in serving as a valuable model that supports theoretical notions of communities of practice (e.g., E. Wenger, 1998) and provides practical insights to research on learning environments (e.g., B. J. Fraser, 1998).
Robert C. Kleinsasser
University of Queensland
Sánchez, Juana, Carlos Sanz, and Michael Dreke. Spielend Deutsch lernen: Interaktive Arbeitsblätter für Anfänger und Fortgeschrittene. Berlin: Langenscheidt, 2001. Paper, 109 pp., $28.95. <www.langenscheidteduc.com>
This is a sourcebook of thirty activities for teachers wishing to supplement their primary textbook with a communicative element. The authors propose that their work can be used by learners of any native language, and that it is aimed at beginning as well as advanced students. More important than the previous two statements, however, is the underlying philosophy of this supplemental text, that is, learning German should be fun. As a fellow subscriber to this theory, I believe that Spielend Deutsch lernen, while not contributing anything extraordinarily new to the realm of second language acquisition, would make a solid addition to any German teacher's bag of communicative tricks.
The book consists of two parts: the first provides explanations and descriptions of each activity for the teacher, the second contains all of the necessary materials for the games, which can be divided into five categories. The first consists of classic memory-style activities like "Pass auf." Next there are the games that require the gathering of authentic factual information like formulating weather predictions. The third category includes games that end with the resolution of a specific task. Games described here include one dealing with giving and receiving directions in a town and one that involves crossing a river. The fourth category encompasses the more difficult games requiring role-playing with open-ended responses. Topics include "Soll in der Schule geküsst werden" or "Wer darf zuerst ins Badezimmer," among others. The final category involves the production of a written text and includes favorites like "Märchensalat."
While many of us have seen these games before, the importance of Spielend Deutsch lernen lies in Part One. The directions on how to proceed are helpful, but what makes these activities more than mere "games" are the detailed explanations of the target Redemittel and grammar topics, as well as the language skills addressed. This is the sleight of hand that is so important in a language classroom. On the one hand, the lesson should look like freewheeling fun to the student and the casual observer. On the other hand, the specific grammar, vocabulary and language skills should be transparent only to the observer learned in the ways of communicative second language acquisition.
Spielend Deutsch lernen does all of this thinking for us. "Märchensalat," for example, is a simple game involving groups of four to six students who are dealt pictures of various fairy tale people, places, and things. The first player begins with her first picture and the phrase "Es war einmal. . . ." Each player in turn lays down a card and makes up a sentence. The game ends when all cards have been played and the group has developed an original, often humorous, fairy tale. On one level, this activity is a great deal of fun for the students and the teacher. On another level, it is an excellent teaching tool because it can involve speaking, writing, listening, and reading. In addition, "Märchensalat" serves as a wonderful opportunity to reinforce simple past verbs. The book contains twenty-nine other activities that are equally as engaging and pedagogically sound as "Märchensalat."
The communicative approach to language teaching is the most effective method. Any text that offers the opportunity to enhance a solidly communicative classroom is well worth the purchase. As an enjoyable, well-organized, easy-to-use supplemental text, Spielend Deutsch lernen provides just such an opportunity. Remember-learning German should be fun; never pass up a chance to increase the fun.
Paul A. Youngman
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Sandrock, Paul. Planning Curriculum for Learning World Languages. Madison, WI: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, 2002. Paper, x + 258 pp., $42.00 (CD-ROM: $49.95). <www.dpi.state.wi.us>
Created by a task force of K-16 instructors of French, German, and Spanish, Planning Curriculum for Learning World Languages (hereafter PCLWL) is intended to serve as a guide for developing a standards-based curriculum for world languages, and its content is addressed primarily to K-12 teachers and administrators. Assuming little knowledge on the part of readers about the role of standards in world language education, the authors use clear explanations, sidebar notes, imaginary dialogues, charts, and examples of student work to introduce their vision of the contemporary language classroom. Although the book contains abundant references to educational practices in Wisconsin, it provides insights and information of benefit to teachers in all fifty states.
Sandrock and his collaborators divide their book into eight chapters. The first four chapters form a section entitled "Creating Curriculum" (Part I). Laying the groundwork for subsequent material, the authors identify and describe Wisconsin's Standards for Learning World Languages, comparing the Wisconsin standards with the five C's (Communication, Culture, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities) developed by the National Standards in Foreign Language Education Project. Both the state and national standards focus on students and their ability to use language "to meet the demands of contemporary life." Remarking that the traditional emphases of language instruction (vocabulary, grammar, and linguistics) no longer serve as the principal concerns for designing a world language curriculum, the authors maintain that the curriculum should be shaped by considerations of the communicative function of language and its connection to culture. PCLWL states: "Instead of just focusing on what facts and information we should teach our students, standards force us to state the essence of our discipline, that is, not just what students should know but also what they should be able to do in order to show that they have learned a language."
"Issues Impacting Instruction" (Part II) examines how differing learning and teaching styles can have an effect on student performance. In Chapter Five, the task force provides specific guidelines for modifying classroom practices to incorporate recent advances in the understanding of learning, memory, attention, and motivation. Chapter Six analyzes the role of language teaching methodologies, such as communicative competence and Total Physical Response, in a standards-based curriculum. In general, Sandrock and his fellow authors portray the various methodologies of the twentieth century as "components in the journey that led to the development of the world language standards and the standards-based classrooms of the twenty-first century."
"Issues Impacting Language Programs" (Part III) identifies characteristics of successful K-12 world language programs. In Chapter Seven, the authors discuss what administrators should contribute to school language programs, e.g., the opportunity to study a variety of languages, advocacy of multi-year courses of study, access to technology, reasonable expectations concerning class size, appropriately furnished classrooms, the possibility to participate in extracurricular cultural activities, and a smooth and logical transition from elementary to secondary programs. Chapter Eight summarizes reasons for studying world languages and justifies the inclusion of technology in language instruction. This chapter will be of special interest to world language teachers who often have to defend their field to teachers of other subjects, parents, students, and school administrators.
Concluding with "Resources" (Part IV), a collection of curriculum planning templates and other material, PCLWL offers readers a no-nonsense introduction to the concept of standards in world language education. Each chapter is thoroughly documented and carefully edited. Although intended primarily for K-12 educators, PCLWL will be of interest to any reader who is curious about the theoretical and practical implications of a standards-based curriculum.
David V. Witkosky
Auburn University Montgomery
Schatz, Roman, and Tuula Pantzar. Kursbuch and video for Kontakt Deutsch-Neue Kontakte (Videosprachkurs: Deutsch für berufliche Situationen). Berlin: Langenscheidt, 1998. Paper, 56 pp., $14.00. Video: $89.95. <www.langenscheidteduc.com>
This booklet and the accompanying video provide three additional units that continue and complete the Business German course Kontakt Deutsch, originally developed by Finnish public television in cooperation with Deutsche Welle and a number of other European television networks and published in 1997 by Langenscheidt. Material related to these units is also included in the Redemittelbuch, the handy conversational manual organized around speech acts and typical business situations that accompanied the Kursbuch for the first ten units. The English language supplement, or Beiheft, contains no vocabulary lists for these units, however, and no dialogues or comprehension exercises for them are included on the audio cassette. The video segments for Neue Kontakte were included in the series as distributed in the United States by EuroTel, but a separate PAL or NTSC version can now be purchased from Langenscheidt. The interactive CD that accompanies the series is recommended by the publisher for use with the later units, but was not available to this reviewer.
The individual chapters in Neue Kontakte deal with trade fairs, conferences and conventions, formal and informal business meetings, and business negotiations. They are significantly more challenging linguistically than the earlier units. Perhaps the greatest strength of this program is the inclusion and frequent repetition in the videos of key phrases in short segments that feature real business people in everyday situations. These phrases are also displayed in the video as text and can be previewed using the Redemittelbuch (Situationen 7-11) before viewing the videos.
As with the series as a whole, these three units are intended for individuals at the level of the Zertifikat Deutsch, especially those preparing for the Zertifikat Deutsch für den Beruf or the more difficult Prüfung Wirtschaftsdeutsch. While the short interviews and longer related cultural segments that complete each video unit may be too difficult for many intermediate and even advanced students, mastering key phrases from the video should allow the student to participate effectively in similar business situations on a rudimentary level, either as part of an oral exam or in real life. The irritating segments in the first ten units featuring the "blue men" have been replaced by brief skits that are intended to reintroduce key phrases in a humorous context, for example, an agenda being introduced and motions made and discussed during a soccer game. In case the humor is not obvious, a red frame around the image characterizes these segments.
The three Kursbuch units retain the essential features of the first ten chapters. A brief introduction is followed by exercises that involve material presented in the films and the Redemittelbuch. Typical forms of correspondence are included, as well as related cultural readings. While this reviewer agrees with Michael Bohringer's assessment of the earlier units (UP 31.1.86) that "much of the material is ill suited for classroom use," the activities in the later chapters are better integrated and more closely linked to the video segments. It should also be noted that availability of the components of this series for purchase on an individual basis does allow these materials to be combined with other texts quite effectively. While there are a number of newer texts now available, Kontakt Deutsch remains the only comprehensive video series for Business German that reflects the change in emphasis in this field from knowledge about German business to use of German in business situations. The videos might well be used as a supplement to other texts. For this reason, many instructors may want to give this series and its components another look.
Tom Leech
Northern Kentucky University
Phipps, Alison, ed.. Contemporary German Cultural Studies. London: Arnold, 2002. Paper, 306 pp., £14.99. <www.arnoldpublishers.com>
The veritable flood of Cultural Studies anthologies continues agreeably with this collection of thirteen essays and an introduction by twelve scholars from the UK. The two authors at US institutions are Simon Richter (Penn) and Lois R. Weinthal (U Texas Austin, School of Architecture). The selections are arranged in four sections: I: Passports; II: Things to See: Space, Place, and Material Culture; III: Everyday Cultural Practices; and IV: Creative Cultural Practices.
Editor Phipps (U Glasgow) describes her modus operandi immediately: "This book works rather like a travel guide for the student of German Cultural Studies." She notes that "it is not a reference work but rather a series of critical, cultural essays which seek to communicate the processes which have led certain forms, structures, practices, and peoples to inhabit contemporary German culture." It is not meant to be read from cover to cover, but rather to "dip in and out of."
The book's stated audience being university students, one must note that the uniformly high quality of the essays has a couple of exceptions. While most selections keep their audience in mind, one in particular is clearly aimed at the professoriate that will be judging the author's academic future. Cruel as it sounds, the essay on German cinema deserves, regrettably, to be singled out for its irritatingly jargon-laden opacity. Its title, "Scene change: pluralized identities in contemporary German cinema," is a harbinger of style to come. Its author, a doctoral candidate in Glasgow when his essay was written, knows a lot about contemporary film and, in 22 pages, has valid, insightful, and notable points to make about film treatments of comedy, gender, romance, the Wende, and race relations. But this essay (which reads like an excerpt from the author's dissertation) will be very heavy going indeed for most American undergraduates, even if they know some or all of the films (e.g. Abgeschminkt; Stadtgespräch; Das Superweib; Sonnenallee; Aprilkinder; Geschwister; and Kurz und schmerzlos, among numerous others) on which the author bases his remarks.
On the other hand, most of the essays are clearly written, particularly those that introduce general topics such as borders, language, landscapes, identity (or rather, identities, in the sense of the emergent Cultural Studies discipline and this collection), food and drink, museums, education, and business.
The treatments of "creative cultural practices" feature popular music, theater, movies, and media (print, electronic, and Internet) and are striking for their programmatic avoidance of that one cultural practice which still serves as the disciplinary foundation of many U.S. German departments, namely, literature. But editor Phipps explicitly notes that "there are already several very good books that deal with Germany's 'high' culture, especially literature and thought." A User's Guide to German Cultural Studies (Denham, Kacandes, and Petropoulos, 1997), The Cambridge Companion to Modern German Culture (Kolinsky and van der Will, 1998), and Encyclopedia of Contemporary German Culture (Sandford, 1999) come readily to mind, not to mention the many books that focus exclusively on literary history, interpretation, and criticism.
Frustrating for U.S. teachers who want to teach their courses mostly or entirely in German is the fact that Contemporary German Cultural Studies is, and probably must be, in English. Students who would be able to understand a German version of this book would almost certainly already have spent some time in Germany, but the book is especially valuable to someone who hasn't been to Germany before. This is not a new dilemma, to be sure, but one that this book compounds despite its laudable intentions.
This collection might lend itself quite well to an upper-division undergraduate introduction to German (Cultural) Studies, in which one could effectively work with one essay per week. U.S. students may initially find the British perspective more foreign that one might expect, particularly regarding education and business, but this double-paned foreignness is a healthy phenomenon in itself. Coupled with source material such as the hoary Tatsachen über Deutschland, this is a book worth considering for classroom use.
Richard Rundell
New Mexico State University
Hansen, Margarete, and Barbara Zuber. Zwischen den Kulturen: Strategien und Aktivitäten für landeskundliches Lehren und Lernen. Berlin: Langenscheidt, 1996. Paper, 96 pp., $31.50. <www.langenscheidteduc.com>
Wie der Klappentext von Zwischen den Kulturen verkündet, möchten die kulturellen Übungen des Buches einen "erlebnisorientierten und ganzheitlichen Fremdsprachenunterricht" fördern. Um den reichhaltigen und komplexen Abhängigkeiten von Sprache und Kultur gerecht zu werden, muss nach Meinung der Autoren "das Kennenlernen und Verstehen einer anderen Kultur auch ein wesentlicher Bestandteil des Spracherwerbprozesses sein". Die "Sensibilisierung für fremdkulturelle Phänomene" sowie die "Förderung des Selbst- und Fremdverstehens" machen denn auch den Schwerpunkt dieses Buches aus. Nicht ganz klar wird jedoch, welche Lerner die Autoren mit ihrem Werk erreichen wollen. Einige Lerneinheiten, etwa zur Orientierung in einer neuen Stadt, zielen eindeutig auf die Erwachsenenbildung innerhalb deutschsprachiger Länder ab. Dagegen wird die regelmäßige Verwendung von Schere, Kleber und bunten Stiften wohl vor allem bei jungen Lernenden im Schulalter einen erfreulichen Motivationsschub auslösen. Diese inhaltliche sowie förmliche Uneinheitlichkeit bedeutet jedoch in positiver Hinsicht, dass wohl für fast jede Lernerkonstellation zumindest einige der Übungen angemessen sind.
Das Buch ist sorgfältig und sehr praxisorientiert konzipiert. Die Autoren geben für die einzelnen Aktivitäten jeweils den thematischen Kontext, die angemessene Sprachstufe sowie ein didaktisches Ziel an. Die gelungenen Beschreibungen der Übungseinheiten erklären alle notwendigen Vorbereitungen und Materialien und geben präzise Hinweise für die Durchführung an. Ein nicht immer ganz willkommener Nebeneffekt dieser rigorosen Planung ist, dass zumindest einige der Übungen den Lernenden nicht sehr viel Freiraum für das Einbringen von persönlichen Reaktionen ermöglicht. Dies erklärt sich aber wohl zu einem guten Teil daraus, dass die Autoren vor allem Inhalte und Kenntnisse vermitteln wollen, deren Anwendung dann im Rahmen der tatsächlichen Interaktion mit der Kultur erfolgt.
An mehreren Stellen liefert das Buch in knappen Lesetexten zusätzliche Hintergrundinformationen (etwa zu historischen oder politischen Sachverhalten), die für sinnvolle Diskussionen notwendig sind. Diese behandeln die jeweiligen Thematiken jedoch auf einem recht wenig vertieften Niveau. Gerade für den Einsatz im Ausland stellt sich hier erneut die Frage, in welchen Kursstufen dieses Lehrwerk eingesetzt werden sollte: Bei Sprachkursen für Anfänger und Fortgeschrittene könnte es zu ernsthaften Verständnisschwierigkeiten bei der Lektüre dieser Texte kommen, da die Lernenden wohl noch nicht über ein ausreichendes Sprachvermögen verfügen. In einem erklärt kulturwissenschaftlichen Kurs mag dagegen der nicht ausreichend vertiefte Inhalt der einzelnen Themen einige Erwartungen unerfüllt lassen. Seinen bestmöglichen Einsatz findet Zwischen den Kulturen denn wohl im Verbund mit anderen Lehrwerken: als Quelle für zusätzliche Übungen für Lernende im zweiten und dritten Jahr des Sprachstudiums. Die Aufmachung des Buches, mit seinen zahlreichen Kopiervorlagen, bietet sich für diese Verwendung explizit an.
Positiv zu bemerken ist zusätzlich, dass Hansen und Zuber die Notwendigkeit des kulturellen Lernens auch im Bereich der Pragmatik und der nichtverbalen Kommunikation verdeutlichen. Übungen zur Angemessenheit von Äußerungen je nach sozialem Umfeld sowie zur korrekten Verwendung von Interjektionen und selbst Gesten sollten ein Bewusstsein für diese diffizilen Aspekte von kulturellen Unterschieden schaffen. Die Ausführungen etwa zu Fragen von sozialen Tabus in deutschsprachigen Ländern liefern eine ganze Reihe von wichtigen Einblicken, die kulturell bedingtes Fehlverhalten zu vermeiden helfen sollten. Hier, wie anderswo im Buch, beziehen die Autoren ihre Informationen aus einschlägigen Publikationen zum jeweiligen Themenbereich, auf die in Quellenangaben verwiesen wird. Generell wünschte man sich aber eine umfassendere Liste mit weiterführenden Lektürehinweisen. Auf diese verzichten die Autoren leider, fügen jedoch eine Zusammenstellung von Adressen bei, an die man sich um Zusendung von landeskundlichen Materialien wenden kann. Als Fazit lässt sich sagen, dass für Lehrende, die nach neuen Aktivitäten für landeskundliches Lernen suchen, Zwischen den Kulturen einen reichen Fundus an Übungen und Kontexten bietet, die ohne viel Aufwand direkt in den Unterricht eingebaut werden können. Hansen und Zuber liefern damit einen wertvollen Beitrag zu abwechslungsreich gestalteten und kulturell lehrreichen Unterrichtseinheiten.
Gerd Bayer
Case Western Reserve University
Schmidt, Wilhelm. Geschichte der deutschen Sprache: Ein Lehrbuch für das germanistische Studium. Helmut Langner, Norbert Richard Wolf, eds. 8th rev. ed. Stuttgart, Leipzig: S. Hirzel, 2000. Paper, 407 pp. + 6 tables, EUR 22.50. <www.dav-buchhandlung.de>
First published in Volk und Wissen Verlag in the 1970s, Schmidt's substantially revised Geschichte der deutschen Sprache retains its collaborative nature. Contributors are: Helmut Langner (Einführung; Frühneuhochdeutsch), Erwin Koller (Vorgeschichte), Horst Naumann (6.-11. Jahrhundert; Althochdeutsch), Norbert Richard Wolf (1050-1650), Brigitte Döring (1650-1800), Elisabeth Berner (1800 - Gegenwart; Mittelhochdeutsch), and Rudolf Bentzinger (Frühneuhochdeutsch).
The first 189 pages of this Hochschullehrbuch present the external history and pre-history of German from Indo-European times. The second half presents compact systematic grammatical descriptions of Old High German, Middle High German, and Early New High German that could even replace separate introductory grammars in corresponding courses. Six loose-leaf tables offer handy study overviews of developments in the consonantism, vocalism, and noun inflection in the relevant periods.
Quibbling about selections in a 24-page bibliography on German language history is easy, but the Literaturverzeichnis does seem curiously uneven. It lists several MHG authors and works, for example, but no primary OHG sources. Luther's Sendbrieff appears, but not the Bible, nor any other ENHG source. Adelung's dictionary and Lehrgebäude are absent, unlike studies on them, whereas Schottelius' Ausführliche Arbeit and Sanders' Wörterbuch appear. Asterisks sensibly highlight works of special value for students.
The Einführung, absent from earlier editions, laudably discusses language as a psychological, social, political, and historical phenomenon, but does not delineate each issue before discussing its complex interactions with others. The relationship between "internal" and "external" linguistic history suffers correspondingly. Presentation of terminological subtleties (national vs. staatlich geprägte Varietäten) is more argumentative than explanatory, presuming that neophytes already understand what the section purports to introduce. Surprisingly, the treatment of causality in language change ignores Labov's work, despite otherwise intense focus on sociological-societal influences on language. By contrast, the treatment of the periodization of German is detailed, well structured, and differentiated. The Vorgeschichte section is solid. It reviews the relevant scholarly disputes on the principal issues, setting forth opposing arguments with well-placed references to their respective proponents and deftly traces the history of Germanic tribes through the thicket of uncertainty and counter-argument.
Deutsch des Frühmittelalters treats the phonological, morphological, syntactical, semantic, and lexical developments of the OHG period sensibly, providing students with substantial numbers of examples explained and embedded in a sociolinguistic context. The treatment of deutsch < theodisce is both theoretically neutral and fully documented. The emergence of literary German from the shadows of clerical Latin is thoughtfully traced in Deutsch des Hochmittelalters (1050-1250). Growing French-Dutch influence, the rise of Viennese and Thuringian literary courts, and the birth of a lay public are highlighted. Lachmann's editorial techniques and their implicit assumptions are exemplified on Iwein manuscripts. Deutsch des Spätmittelalters (1250-1450) presents the growth of cities and of schools, legal texts and Gebrauchsprosa, while Deutsch der frühen Neuzeit (1450-1650) portrays the advent of printing and its impact on the spectrum of available source texts giving special emphasis on the Luther Bible and the awakening grammatical tradition. In both sections, references to signal literary works and non-literary sources are skimpy. The otherwise excellent ENHG grammar refers to sources by unexplained abbreviations. Deutsch der mittleren Neuzeit (1650-1800) introduces the Sprachgesellschaften, names prominent members while ignoring their literary achievements, and stresses the influence of linguists from Schottelius to Gottsched and Adelung in establishing normative grammar. Eighteenth century expansion of German in scholarly and practical public discourse gets fuller treatment, as do Lessing, Klopstock, Wieland, Herder, Goethe, and Schiller. Pietism, Sturm und Drang, and Aufklärung also receive needed coverage. Deutsch der jüngeren Neuzeit (1800-1950) covers journalism and the media, Germanistik, science and technology, politics, orthographical reform and phonological standardization, topics recurring mutatis mutandis in Deutsch der jüngsten Neuzeit (1950-Gegenwart).
Overall, this worthwhile book merits serious consideration for courses on the History of German, despite inadequate identification of primary sources between 1250 and 1700.
Jeff Mellor
University of Tennessee
Hufeisen, Britta, and Gerhard Neuner. Angewandte Linguistik für den fremdsprachlichen Deutschunterricht: Eine Einführung. Berlin: Langenscheidt, 1999. Paper, 144pp., $12.00. <www.langenscheidteduc.com>
Bei diesem Buch handelt es sich um eine Einheit des umfassenden Fernstudienprojekts Deutsch als Fremdsprache der Universitäten Kassel, München und Tübingen. Es bietet dem Leser ein komplettes Lehrwerk mit Übungsteil und Lösungsschlüssel. Der Aufbau dieser Lerneinheit folgt einem didaktischen Programm, das bisher Gelerntes festigt und neue Inhalte in das bestehende System eingliedert. Zentrales Thema von Angewandte Linguistik ist die Heranführung an praktische Anwendungsbereiche der Linguistik mit besonderem Schwerpunkt auf den Einsatz im Fremdsprachenunterricht. Für dieses Unternehmen, "eine Klammer zwischen den Studieneinheiten zur Linguistik und den Studieneinheiten des Bereichs Deutsch als Fremdsprache herzustellen," sind umfassende Vorkenntnisse der theoretischen Linguistik nicht notwendig, da alle notwendigen Termini sorgfältig eingeführt und definiert werden. Die Autoren betonen, dass es sich bei der angewandten Linguistik nicht etwa um eine vereinfachte Fassung der theoretischen Linguistik handelt, sondern dass sich in diesem Wissenschaftsbereich vielmehr ganz unterschiedliche Fragen erarbeiten und beantworten lassen, die gerade für den Einsatz in der Unterrichtspraxis von hoher Relevanz sind. Das Buch von Hufeisen und Neuner ist somit selbst für nur bedingt vorgebildete Linguisten durchaus geeignet, darüber hinaus aber auch generell für linguistisch interessierte Germanisten rundum zu empfehlen!
Ein Kapitel zu grammatischen Theorien stellt die Verwendbarkeit der unterschiedlichen Konzepte von Valenz-, Prädikations- und Konstituentenstrukturgrammatik vor. An zahlreichen Beispielen wird die Analyse von Verbwertigkeiten und die graphische Darstellung von Baumdiagrammen eingeübt. In einem weiteren Schritt wird die Verwendbarkeit der drei Modelle überprüft, wobei die Autoren durchaus zu einem pluralistischen Vorgehen ermutigen, das die spezifischen Anforderungen einzelner Lernschwierigkeiten mit den Vorzügen der unterschiedlichen Grammatikkonzepte zu verbinden sucht. So erklären Sie etwa die Notwendigkeit einer Präpositionalergänzung des Nomens "Erfahrung" durch dessen Valenz, wodurch die Lerner indirekt dazu ermutigt werden, sich Vokabeln gemeinsam mit ihrer Valenz einzuprägen, etwa in den Verbindungen "Erfahrung haben in etwas" oder "an etwas glauben". Anhand des Satzes "Der Herr grüßt die Dame mit dem Hut" zeigen die Autoren, wie Baumdiagramme den Unterschied zwischen der Zuordnung von "mit dem Hut" zu Dame (welche Dame?) oder zu grüßen (wie?) verdeutlichen können. Dieses Kapitel endet mit einer sehr hilfreichen Übung, die darauf abzielt, verschiedene Lehrwerke nach den ihnen zugrunde liegenden Grammatikmodellen zu untersuchen.
Besonders hilfreich für nordamerikanische Germanisten dürften die beiden Kapitel zur kontrastiven Linguistik und zur Fehleranalyse sein, da sie zahlreiche Anregungen beinhalten, die sich direkt in den Deutschunterricht eingliedern lassen könnten. Dabei kommt dem Buch zu Gute, dass es wiederholt Beispiele mit englischsprachigen Lernern anführt, vor allem zur Problematik von Interferenzen zwischen den beiden Sprachen. Ein abschließendes Kapitel zu linguistisch-didaktischen Fragen bei der Erstellung von Lehrwerken dürfte die meisten Leser dagegen nur bedingt interessieren, ist doch die Zahl der Lehrwerksautoren vergleichbar gering. Dennoch macht auch dieser Abschnitt deutlich, wie viele Komponenten an der erfolgreichen Vermittlung einer Fremdsprache beteiligt sind. Er sollte zudem bewusst machen, dass die Sequenz der Lehrinhalte durchaus einem Prinzip zu folgen hat.
Drei kurze Kapitel zu Mehrsprachigkeit, Soziolinguistik und Pragmalinguistik liefern schließlich noch eine gute Einführung in diese Themenbereiche. Wie im gesamten Buch bieten die Autoren auch zu den zentralen Begriffen dieser Sektion Definitionen in einem Glossar am Ende des Bandes an. Dort finden Leser zudem wertvolle weiterführende Literaturhinweise, die neben deutschsprachigen Werken auch englischsprachige Quellen einschließen. Eine geringfügige Kritik sowie ein Hinweis seien hier jedoch erlaubt: Zum einen unterscheidet sich der Umfang der jeweils angeführten weiterführenden Titel bei den einzelnen Themenbereichen recht drastisch; darin spiegelt sich wohl das spezifische Interesse der Autoren wider. Zum anderen sucht der nordamerikanische DaF-Lehrende in der Liste der in diesem Buch exemplarisch analysierten Lehrwerke umsonst die gängigsten Lehrbücher aus amerikanischen Verlagen, da die Autoren sich (verständlicher-, aber auch bedauerlicherweise) auf deutschsprachige Bücher spezialisiert haben. Von diesen beiden Aspekten einmal abgesehen bietet Angewandte Linguistik für den fremdsprachlichen Deutschunterricht jedoch eine sehr wertvolle Einführung in diese leider oft vernachlässigte Komponente der germanistischen Praxis.
Gerd Bayer
Case Western Reserve University
Cherry, C. Maurice, ed. Dimension 2002. Cyberspace and Foreign Languages: Making the Connection. Selected Proceedings of the 2002 Joint Conference of the Southern Conference on Language Teaching and the Louisiana Foreign Language Teachers' Association. Valdosta, GA: SCOLT, 2002. Paper, 123 pp., $10.00. <www.valdosta.edu/scolt>
The most recent volume in a series devoted to issues in foreign and second language pedagogy, Cyberspace and Foreign Languages: Making the Connection represents a compilation of nine papers presented at the Joint Conference of SCOLT and the Louisiana Foreign Language Teachers' Association, held in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 2002. Ranging from discussions of theory to case studies involving actual classroom situations, five of the articles focus on varying views concerning the uses and value of technology in foreign language education. The remaining four articles, treating technology in only an indirect manner, deal with curriculum matters in foreign language instruction and highlight professional development opportunities for teachers of foreign languages at the K-12 level. Each paper is followed by a complete list of sources consulted.
Three articles deal with innovative technology-based teaching strategies. In "Connecting Through Cyberspace: Correspondence Projects for Beginning and Intermediate Students," Darrell J. Dernoshek and Lara L. Lomicka explain how the use of e-mail exchanges between students in the United States and Europe can increase American students' desire to learn a foreign language; the authors also illustrate how this updated version of pen pal correspondence can contribute to a more thorough knowledge of target language cultural matters. Hye-Yeon Lim and W. I. Griffith consider a new way of categorizing idioms in "Idiom Instruction Through Multimedia and Cultural Concepts." The authors state that "as vocabulary items are commonly learned by tracing their root words, idioms can be similarly understood by our grasping their root connotations," and they identify ways in which computer-enhanced learning activities can be employed to improve retention of idioms. "Online Writing and Reading: Powerful Communicative Tools for L2 Acquisition," by Antje Krueger, treats writing as a process in which students learn to plan, draft, revise, and edit their material. Krueger examines the benefits of this approach to teaching writing and suggests ways of including online publishing in beginning, intermediate, and advanced foreign language classes.
In the 1980s and 1990s, many foreign language teachers began to incorporate oral proficiency interviews into their programs. As time passed, the initial enthusiasm tended to wane as teachers realized the huge amount of time necessary to create, administer, and evaluate student responses. In "From Language Lab to Multimedia Lab: Oral Language Assessment in the New Millennium," Janet Flewelling explores the implications of using computer technology when rating a student's speaking and listening abilities. Flewelling describes how appropriately designed software programs can be used to administer oral questions to one or more students at a time, tape answers, and facilitate critiquing of oral-aural progress.
Carmen Villegas Rogers analyzes the efficacy of technology-enhanced instruction in "Tradition and Technology in Language Teaching." In her article, Rogers reports on an experiment conducted at Xavier University of Louisiana in which the progress of beginning students of Spanish in a traditional language-learning environment is compared with that of students in a technology-enhanced language-learning environment. Rogers notes that students today feel at ease with technology, expect it in certain situations, and acquire proficiency in the target culture at a faster rate when they are exposed to Internet sites; however, she cautions that students still feel the need for interaction with the instructor and other learners of the language in a classroom setting.
Not all contributions to Cyberspace and Foreign Languages: Making the Connection deal with technology in such an extensive manner. In "Contextualizing Culture: Using Authentic Resources to Develop Cultural Awareness," Maria J. Amores adds her views to the on-going debate concerning the format of cultural instruction in foreign language education. Amores advocates teaching students specific skills for acquiring cultural knowledge independently rather than having them direct all their attention to memorizing factual information.
Karen Elkins and Robin Boulton outline an alternative to the traditional classroom with its emphasis on the textbook in "Project-Based Learning in the Foreign Language Classroom." Elkins and Boulton maintain that students who participate in teamwork involving result-oriented, real-world assignments will become more enthusiastic about their foreign language study. The authors also offer evidence that students who learn in this type of environment demonstrate a higher level of foreign language proficiency than those who learn in a program guided primarily by a standard second language text and its ancillary materials.
According to Claudia Smith Salcedo and Lucia Guzzi Harrison, music has long been used in foreign language instruction for its cultural and entertainment value. In "The Effect of Songs on Text Recall and Involuntary Mental Rehearsal in Foreign Language Learning," Salcedo and Harrison discuss the effect of music on the memory process, exploring the idea that students can more easily learn snatches of foreign language text set to music.
Jacque Bott Van Houten profiles an opportunity for teachers to expand their linguistic and pedagogical skills in "Teacher Academies: Professional Development for a Community of Learners." In his article, Van Houten details how participants in the Kentucky Foreign Language Teacher Academy were able to increase language proficiency, meet other teachers, gain computer skills, and become aware of local, regional, and national leadership opportunities. Cyberspace and Foreign Languages: Making the Connection has been carefully edited, and the authors write in an engaging manner. The resulting articles are accurate, readable, and informative. They will be useful to teachers of foreign languages at all levels. It would be wrong to believe that C. Maurice Cherry, the editor, intends to revolutionize foreign language teaching methodology or that he is trying to make "computer geeks" of teachers. It would be equally absurd to assume that he now expects all teachers to adopt project-based learning strategies, abandon all instruction in factual cultural knowledge, become musicians, or move to Kentucky. What the editor and authors of the nine articles offer is a no-nonsense introduction to a few ways that the use of technology and a reexamination of traditional modes and goals of instruction can lead to improvements in the foreign language classroom of the twenty-first century.
David V. Witkosky
Auburn University Montgomery
Guilherme, Manuela. Critical Citizens for an Intercultural World. Foreign Language Education as Cultural Politics. Languages for Intercultural Communication and Education, 3. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters, 2002. Paper, xiv, 296 pp., $39.95. <multilingual-matters.com>
In her doctoral dissertation (University of Durham, England), here revised for publication, Guilherme tackles a highly ambitious issue concerning FL education today. Instead of simply teaching our students technical competence in a FL, we want them to develop into "critical citizens for an intercultural world," especially as our world is increasingly transforming into a global village. Nevertheless, this village will continue to be characterized by borders, demarcation lines, conflicts, and misunderstandings, so FL teaching meets new challenges "in preparing pupils to cross borders linguistic, cultural, social, political, racial." Guilherme examines the nature of critical pedagogy, then turns to the philosophical foundations for critical cultural awareness, and follows with lengthy chapter on the meaning of critical dimensions in FL teaching. Moreover, the author also considers personal opinions of teachers and administrators in EFL classes in Portugal regarding critical pedagogy, and concludes with a discussion of how to prepare teachers for an intercultural world.
Although it might well be an opinio communis that all FL teachers aim for the idealistic goal of helping their students to become critical citizens, there is no real agreement as to what critical pedagogy might mean. Guilherme reviews a vast spectrum of relevant voices in the postmodernist discourse, emphasizing the role that FL plays in the development of cultural sensitivity, open-mindedness, and of a high level of reflexivity about other cultures and languages. The key aspects are, according to Guilherme, "pedagogy of dissent," "pedagogy of difference," "pedagogy of dialogue," "pedagogy of empowerment," "pedagogy of action," and finally "pedagogy of hope."
Undoubtedly, Guilherme has nicely summarized the essential aspects of "critical pedagogy," and whetted our appetite for practical applications of the theoretical outline to the concrete situation in the FL classroom experience. We have to wait, however, as the author next turns to the philosophical foundations of critical cultural awareness. These basically consist of critical theory and the vast field of postmodernist theory. Most of these concepts are difficult to grasp, but Guilherme certainly succeeds in quickly identifying the essential points of each theory succinctly explaining the major arguments. First she focuses on the Frankfurt School, best represented by Horckheimer, Adorno, and Habermas, and subsequently she explores the ideas formulated by postmodernist thinkers such as Baudrillard, Lyotard, Derrida, and Foucault.
But difficulties arise, as might be expected, when Guilherme attempts to relate critical cultural awareness to the practical level of FL teaching, but she circumvents these by arguing on a highly theoretical level, referring to "understanding knowledge production and consumption." Only beginning with Chapter 3 does the author finally turn to the actual task at hand, that is, how to apply critical thinking to FL education. Guilherme provides strong support for the teaching of FL as one of the key strategies with which a person can learn to appreciate the differences in cultures and languages and to establish "[i]ntercultural communication." Guilherme emphasizes that FL teaching, to be informed by critical pedagogy, needs to incorporate 'culture' in the study of the target language. Certainly, many theoretically minded pedagogues have underscored this aspect, but which modern FL teacher has limited him/herself to the study of the foreign language without looking at the foreign culture as well, and vice versa?
Ultimately, neither Guilherme nor some of the leading theoreticians/pedagogues seem to have reached really remarkably new insights. Certainly, a FL student needs to be an "active citizen": he "should be reflective, critical, sensitive and committed to issues of human suffering and dignity, both at local and global levels." But what does this mean in pragmatic terms? At least a few examples to illustrate the point would have been highly welcome.
To collect data about teachers' attitudes and understanding of critical pedagogy, Guilherme handed out questionnaires to Portuguese EFL teachers, but apart from statistical percentages reflecting majority opinions, we are not informed about the quantitative framework. The author makes a valid effort to identify specific concepts espoused by most teachers with one of the theoretical models discussed in the first section of her book. The outcome, however, does not seem to go beyond the traditional expectation level, such as when we are told: "Teachers . . . see it as their task, as culture mediators, to stimulate their students to be reflective about cultural behavior as well as about social and historical events." Ultimately, FL teaching necessitates a critical treatment of the foreign culture, though opinions vary as to how much teachers needs to express their own ideas. It does not come as a surprise that most of the interviewed FL teachers implicitly or explicitly embraced critical pedagogy, though some expressed doubt about the practical effectiveness. The concluding chapter reiterates the previous findings, emphasizing anew the importance of critical thinking in a FL classroom.
The book concludes with a copy of the questionnaire, questions for American teacher trainers, and an index. The summaries of individual theories are impressive and helpful, but their application is missing, and concrete strategies of how to implement critical pedagogy in practical terms are not even considered.
Albrecht Classen
University of Arizona
Campbell, Judith G., and Guenter G. Pfister. The Individual within Multi-Socio-Cultural Realities: Cultural Analysis as a Reading Strategy. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 2002. Paper, 278 pp., $40.00. <www.univpress.com>
The text seeks to give a theoretical rationale for and practical advice about implementing a cultural inventory worksheet that assists students (and teachers) in reading (and culturally understanding) texts. Tapping information from anthropology, semiotics, and symbolic analysis, among others, the authors highlight the significance of culture pedagogy and argue for "a programatic [sic] shift which would fully establish culture pedagogy within the realm of foreign language study to foreign-language-culture-study." The cultural inventory worksheet seemingly helps promote such a shift.
The book has eight chapters and includes 149 figures as well as extensive footnotes and an ample bibliography. The first five chapters delineate the theoretical elements selected to support how and why the authors developed their project. Chapters Six and Seven provide an in-depth rendering of how analyses using the cultural inventory proceed, and the final chapter offers a conclusion and a copy of the cultural inventory worksheet. The five theory-focused chapters review (and develop arguments for) anthropological study, symbolic-cognitive approach to culture and sociological theories, a conception of culture, applied semiotics, and symbolic analysis. As one progresses through these first five chapters, the authors develop their ideas and build quite a complex (if not also a bit complicated) argument not only for the book but also for the cultural worksheet itself. The selected principles are described, explained, and/or developed, while each chapter attaches the elements of the previous ones to provide a theoretical rationale that substantiates the authors' intentions. Then Chapters Six and Seven operationalize the theory by critically analyzing the second textual action sequence of Grimms' "Der Süße Brei." The cultural inventory worksheet provides guidance to interrogate the text to help readers apply, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate "the 'deep' culture content of texts."
In essence, the cultural inventory worksheet serves as a type of grammar for reading texts and better understanding culture. As the authors argue, "The understanding of language structure proceeds only as a student learns the terminologies of the linguistic metacode. For, the student can not develop an understanding and awareness of structure without these concepts to describe structure, and without the practice of applying these concepts through sentence analysis. This is the same with culture." It is not altogether clear, however, the extent to which the culture inventory worksheet (and the grammar it represents) meets observational, descriptive, and/or explanatory adequacy, especially from a foreign language learner's perspective. It seems that the authors ably tackle the task of critically reading a selected excerpt. Yet, the authors were integrally involved in the theoretical development of the worksheet. What will students and teachers have to do to understand the complex model that underpins the worksheet? How will students and teachers be able to learn the terminologies of the cultural metacode developed by Campbell and Pfister within the time parameters of many already content-overloaded foreign language classrooms?
Overall, the authors provide a viable rationale of and develop a plausible explanation for how to use the culture inventory worksheet. Nonetheless, a task remains to demonstrate how learners would actually utilize such information in classrooms, particularly for the primary or secondary foreign language classroom. As the authors do not specifically indicate the level of student they address in their text, a major undertaking will be to document empirically how teachers and students at all levels (even in the university) deal with both the theoretical and practical aspects of the reading strategy promoted.
Robert C Kleinsasser
University of Queensland
Althaus, Hans Peter. Kleines Lexikon deutscher Wörter jiddischer Herkunft. München: C. H. Beck, 2003. Paper, 216 pp., EUR11.90. <www.beck.de>
Obwohl in der modernen Forschung gerne die Meinung verbreitet wird, dass die Beziehungen zwischen Juden und Christen in Deutschland über die Jahrhunderte hinweg von starkem Antisemitismus geprägt gewesen sei, übersieht man doch immer wieder, wie intensiv in vielerlei Hinsicht die Kontakte und der Austausch zwischen beiden Bevölkerungsgruppen gewesen ist. Sogar linguistische Indizien bestätigen dies, die hier von Hans Peter Althaus in der Form eines Lexikons zusammengetragen werden. Viele jiddische Ausdrücke im Deutschen sind mehr oder weniger als solche zu erkennen, viele andere hingegen gehören so sehr zum allgemeinen Sprachgut, dass ihre jiddische Provenienz kaum bekannt zu sein scheint. Wie oft hört man nicht Ausdrücke wie 'eine Macke haben,' 'malochen,' 'im Schlamassel stecken,' 'Schmiere stehen' oder 'schmusen,' ohne sich Gedanken über ihre Etymologie zu machen. 'Cheileken,' 'dalfen,' 'Gabbe,' 'Korwen' oder 'manischtanne' dürften hingegen wenig bekannt sein, wenngleich sie trotzdem in älteren oder jüngeren Quellen auftauchen und zur deutsch-jüdischen Kultur gehören. Törichte Behauptungen hingegen, die in den letzten Jahren über eine mögliche Herkunft von 'ein guter Rutsch' aus dem Jiddischen oder Hebräischen (Rosh Hashanah) entwickelt wurden aber keinerlei Berechtigung besitzen, werden hier indirekt aber resolut zurückgewiesen, denn Althaus als unbestreitbarer Experte erwägt noch nicht einmal diese Möglichkeit. Gewiss, ein Argument e silentio, aber angesichts des breiten Spektrums an jiddischen Ausdrücken, die in diesem Lexikon aufgenommen wurden, wird man dem Autor schon trauen dürfen.
Besonders begrüßenswert ist die Struktur dieses Lexikons, denn jeder Begriff wird auf das Jiddische zurückgeführt, etymologische Referenzen beziehen sich auf Literatur des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts, Abweichungen im Rotwelsch, in den verschiedenen Dialekten und Gebrauchsformen werden zitiert, und jedes Mal findet sich ein Literaturbeleg. Ein Beispiel sei genauer in den Blick genommen. Die 'Bambule' ist ein seit den 60er Jahren des 20. Jahrhunderts bekannter Ausdruck für 'Aufruhr,' wie ihn vor allem Ulrike Meinhof als Titel für ihr Fernsehspiel von 1970 gebrauchte. Andere Lautformen sind 'Balbolem' und 'Bambulem,' während das Wort im Rotwelsch 'Bolbulim' oder 'Balbolim' ausgesprochen wird und dort 'Händel' oder 'Streit' bedeutet. Im hessischen Dialekt (Frankfurt) umschreibt 'Bambule' einen 'Zank' oder 'Streit.' Als Belege für diese Auskünfte zitiert Althaus eine Arbeit von sich selbst (bei drei in der Bibliographie aufgeführten Titeln eigener Feder hätte aber diese Referenz genauer als bloß "Ah. 120" identifiziert werden müssen), Küppers Illustriertes Lexikon der deutschen Umgangssprache und den Duden. Bedenkt man, dass Althaus bloß wenig Raum zur Verfügung stand, um die notwendigste Information zu bieten, kann man nur anerkennen, dass all dies schon mehr ist als bloß ein kleiner Einstieg. Etymologisch führt dieses Lexikon gelegentlich sogar über den Kenntnisstand von Hermann Pauls Deutsches Wörterbuch (9. Aufl. 1992) hinaus. Dort wird z.B. 'Kippe' nur als Ausdruck der Turnersprache bzw. im Sinne von 'auf der Kippe stehen' = umstürzen, dazu auch für 'Zigarettenstummel' erklärt. Bei Althaus lesen wir hingegen, dass 'Kippe' bzw. 'kuppo' oder 'kippo' und 'kippe' jiddisch 'Büchse,' 'Kasten' oder 'kleines Haus' bedeutet, daraus abgeleitet finanzielle Partnerschaft bis hin zu 'gemeinschaftlich tanzen.' Allerdings erwähnt Althaus nicht die Bedeutung 'Zigarettenstummel.'
In der Einleitung bietet der Autor einen knappen Überblick der historischen Kontakte zwischen Deutsch und Jiddisch, wenngleich die mittelalterliche und frühneuzeitliche Epoche nur flüchtig gestreift wird. Der Schwerpunkt ruht auf dem 19. Jahrhundert und den speziellen Funktionen des Jiddischen in der Literatur, in der Presse, auf der Bühne, in den Stadtdialekten, in den jüdischen Berufszweigen (Pferdehändler, Metzger) und sogar im Rotwelsch. Abkürzungsverzeichnis und Bibliographie schließen sich an, worauf das eigentliche Lexikon folgt. Den Abschluss bildet ein Verweisregister. Obwohl nur ein "Kleines Lexikon," kann man es als ein sehr nützliches und hilfreiches Nachschlagewerk bezeichnen.
Albrecht Classen
University of Arizona
Frederick II: The Last Emperor. The Medieval Mind. Princeton, NJ: Films for the Humanities & Sciences, 1998. 50 minutes, color. VHS: $149.95, DVD: $174.95. <www.films.com>
Both history and German language/culture teachers will find this video about the Hohenstaufen Emperor Frederick II both fascinating and, frankly, rather curious. Produced by BBC and SDR, and written by Christopher Frayling, with the assistance of the Oxford Historian Alexander Murrey, Frederick II presents the history of this intriguing personality both from a modern-critical perspective and in a strangely mythologizing manner. Frederick II was certainly an enormously influential, powerful, learned, and forward-looking leader of his time, who ruled as Holy Roman Emperor from 1212 to 1250 (king of Sicily from 1197-1250). Although Pope Innocent III had sent Frederick to Germany to claim the throne from Emperor Otto IV, Pope Gregory IX excommunicated Frederick because of many religious and political conflicts between them. Frederick was famous both for his modern administrative reforms and his stupendous learning, which included also the ability to speak Arabic. He enjoys great respect even today for his seminal book on falconry, which has never been fully superseded. Frederick went on a crusade in 1229, but instead of using military means, he signed a contract with the Sultan of Egypt that gave him the title of King of Jerusalem. In 1231-2 Frederick promulgated the famous Statutum in favorem principum, which entitled the territorial dukes to an extensive degree of sovereignty. But Frederick's many accomplishments were overshadowed by equally many conflicts with the Church, with his son Henry VII (imprisoned from 1232 to his death in 1242 for his rebellion against his father), and with the Italian city-states.
The video tries to do justice to the many tensions in Frederick's life and provides us with excellent visual material and Frayling's critical narrative. The producers have taken a very dramatic approach and have included numerous modern enactments that often cross over to a fictionalized account. Both medieval images and Wagnerian music combine to create a sense of myth surrounding this emperor, especially when the actor representing Frederick crowns himself. We do not gain a clear idea of Frederick's actual accomplishments and of the concrete political, military, scientific, and cultural events of his time. So it would be dangerous to use this video instead of close readings of primary and secondary literature in class. But the narrator regularly brings us back from the cinematographic illusion to the reality of historical research. Nevertheless, even here the myth surrounding Frederick as established in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century research continues to hold sway, such as when Frayling quotes Nietzsche as a credible source. Certainly, the producers succeed in bringing to life this enigmatic and impressive medieval ruler, but the video should be used only as additional illustration material, especially as it often seem to be lacking in critical approaches. There is a strong sense of apocalypse associated with Frederick, repeatedly underscored by means of shadowy figures portending to be sibyls. Many sections of the video might have been taken directly from an opera, appealing to our visual and auditory senses. At the same time, BBC/SDR made laudable efforts to shoot on locations in Germany and Italy, which will appeal to students in German classes. Ultimately, however, Frederick, despite his many shortcomings, is inappropriately lionized, especially as the border between fact and fiction in the video seems to be rather porous. Considering the steep price, the usefulness of this video for a German cultural history class might be rather limited.
Albrecht Classen
University of Arizona
This video, produced by Kathy Garay, Madeleine Jeay (both McMaster University), and David Wesley, fully deserves our attention because it is a wonderful teaching tool (for background information, see Web Page). Together with Avril Benoit as narrator, Garay and Jeay introduce us to the life and work of Hildegard of Bingen in a highly admirable fashion that will appeal both to the wider audience and medieval scholarship. Together with an accurate and detailed description of Hildegard's contribution to mysticism and the spiritual life of her time, the visual and auditory quality of this video prove to be excellent and attractive enough to hold the attention even of the modern student generation. The producers are well informed about their subject matter and demonstrate a great sensitivity in introducing it to a wider audience without packing too many details into their presentation and without trivializing this remarkable woman either. The relatively steep price would be well spent by any academic library as the video addresses Hildegard from many different, certainly very modern perspectives without making her into a feminist cult idol or a magical healer who relied only on herbs and God's inspiration. Garay and Jeay certainly address the issues of women's health care and mystical visions, but they properly contextualize them and introduce us to Hildegard on the basis of the available documents and other evidence. Altogether, this video would be highly welcome in courses both on medieval religion and on women's literature.
The filming took place on site, and the viewer immediately gets a very nice impression of the Rhineland area near Bingen and Disibodenberg. The narrator relies heavily on Hildegard's own account, which is here skillfully connected with the architectural sites (the ruins of Disibodenberg and St. Rupertsberg), the environs, medieval manuscripts, Hildegard's Riesenkodex, related medieval manuscript illustrations, modern images and sculptures of Hildegard, the codices containing her songs, and pictures of the natural surroundings from which the visionary drew inspiration. Whereas Garay offers an impressive discussion of Hildegard's life and her personal struggles, Jeay provides some of the background information drawing from Hildegard's own texts. Unfortunately, the narrator Avril Benoit mispronounces a number of important names, such as Mainz, Jutta, Disibodenberg, etc.
The producers did not shy away from relying heavily on modern images and sculptures of Hildegard, especially the sculpture by Karl-Heinz Oswald (1998) in the Bischöfliches Dom- und Diözesanmuseum, Mainz. Moreover, they utilize modern film techniques impressively to convey at least some idea of what Hildegard's visions might have been like, without losing themselves in religious kitsch. At times it would have been helpful if specific art objects, buildings, and areas would have been identified, and it takes a very long time until we are finally informed about Hildegard's move from the Disibodenberg to the Rupertsberg, where she founded her own convent.
The significant role of music for Hildegard is emphasized beautifully by a number of musical selections softly playing in the background. Garay is careful in her narration to avoid glorifying Hildegard and making her a saint. Instead, her focus rests on the actual contributions by this mystical woman, both in terms of her visionary accounts and the political role she played.
This video does not paint a harmonized picture of Hildegard of Bingen. As Garay and Jeay openly indicate, the magistra Hildegard placed great emphasis on sexuality as an important part of human existence. She was also a highly combative person and experienced several serious conflicts with the higher echelons of the Church. Hildegard's passionate friendship with Richardis of Stade was particularly curious, and one almost suspects a lesbian relationship, though the video delicately steers past this topic and informs us only about Hildegard's deep frustration when Richardis left her convent to assume another post despite Hildegard's vehement objections to the move.
Altogether, however, Hildegard of Bingen offers a realistic and accurate picture of this powerful medieval woman. The producers were, without doubt, highly successful in created an excellent audio-visual teaching tool. I am certain that many teachers will welcome this video as a wonderful enrichment for their classes on medieval women and the history of medieval Germany.
Albrecht Classen
University of Arizona
Among the most impressive features attracting the largest number of tourists to Germany, the Rhine and its medieval castles have always symbolized romanticism at its best. The video Neuschwanstein and the Castles of the Rhine, produced by Ton Okkerse under the directorship of Leo van der Goot and Mark Verkerk, provides an interesting and attractive introduction to this mighty river and its history. This was a Discovery Channel production, primarily addressing a wider audience. German teachers, however, can also use this video in their classrooms for a number of practical purposes. Not only does it introduce us to the river as a geographic element, but it also attempts to take us back to the Middle Ages and to provide us with a bit of history pertaining to the purposes of castle building along the Rhine. The visual quality is very good, and we are given many different perspectives of the river, the embankment with the vineyards, the hills, and the castles. Bird's-eye vistas give way to close-up shots, accompanied by a reasonably well-informed narrative. The camera focuses, above all, on Pfalzgrafenstein near Kalb, or the "Steinernes Schiff," originally built in 1327, and on the Marksburg near Koblenz, its environment with the many vineyards, and the wine production in that area. Not surprisingly, the rock of the Loreley also looms large, for some tastes probably overly dramatized in this video in its mythical dimension. The producers obviously had potential tourists in mind, but German teachers will also find that the video allows them to offer nice visual material.
The second portion of the video deals with Neuschwanstein and the history of King Ludwig II. Once again, the visual quality is praiseworthy, whereas the historical facts as presented by the narrator could easily have been taken out of any standard tourist guidebook. Both here and in the first section, some of the German names are badly mispronounced, and some of the historical aspects are not well researched, focusing more on sensational aspects than solid and critical discussions. Of course, as to be expected with respect to Neuschwanstein, Ludwig's madness and his deep fondness for Richard Wagner's music occupy a major portion of this video. Some of the mythological drawings in Neuschwanstein are also shown during the first section to touch briefly on Siegfried and the other Nibelungen protagonists, but there is no explanation that these nineteenth-century drawings can be found in Neuschwanstein. To increase the video's attractiveness, we are exposed to many early-modern maps, clips of medieval manuscripts, and short dramatic scenes in a rapid and anachronistic display without any explanations. In this sense, some of the information presented rather contributes to a mythical perception of the Rhine and Neuschwanstein that we as foreign language teachers are trying to dismantle in the first place. Nevertheless, much effort went into the production of this video that nicely supports us in our efforts to increase the awareness of Germany and its history. A number of dramatic enactments, the use of horses during the filming, and the appearance of actors playing the role of medieval peasants or King Ludwig II of Bavaria add to the colorfulness of this video. Its thematic focus makes it easy to incorporate it in any culture and history unit, though the steep price might be prohibitive.
Albrecht Classen
University of Arizona
Reformation: Luther and the Protestant Revolt. Religion: A World History. Video. Princeton: Films for the Humanities, 2002 (orig. French 1996, English 1998). 52 minutes, color. VHS: $129.95, DVD: $154.95. <www.films.com>
Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation represent milestones in the history of Germany and the early modern world. Teachers of German cultural history, literature, and culture will certainly welcome a video focused on Luther's contributions and the impact of the Protestant Church. Films for the Humanities has adapted a French TV production from 1996 and voiced it over for the American audience. The well-known French historian Jean Delumeau tells the story of the Reformation, leading us from the early days of Luther's contributions to the world of Italian, Spanish, and French Baroque cultures deeply influenced by a reformed Catholic Church. But only about one third of this video is dedicated to Martin Luther and his teachings, whereas another third covers the history of subsequent splinter groups and new church foundations, such as the Reformed Church, founded by Ulrich Zwingli, the Calvinists, the Anglican Church in England, the Puritans, the Scottish Presbyterians, the Quakers, and the Methodists. The strength of this video consists of the producer's laudable efforts to illustrate Delumeau's historical narrative with images of many different historical documents (especially prints of Luther's important treatises, Calvin's essays, and Papal bulls). Moreover, there are numerous camera shots of historical sites, such as sculptures of Luther, the city of Wittenberg, and individual churches, shots of historicizing nineteenth-century drawings showing famous scenes in Luther's life, and of a rough map of Europe (names in French!). Curiously, there is one short scene of a modern Calvinist service near Geneva, whereas no other modern church is represented here. References to the Mennonites, Amish, Schwenkfeldians, etc. are entirely missing.
The third section of the video moves far beyond the actual theme and instead covers the history of the Counter-Reformation, the Council of Trent, the development of new Catholic monastic orders, especially the emergence of the Jesuit order and its global missionary efforts. Delumeau makes great effort to defend the Catholic Church after the Council of Trent, insinuating that a profound reform had purified the papacy and the city of Rome, leading to a strong process of spiritualization. At this point, however, the viewer wonders about the actual intention of this video, as Luther and his role disappear in face of the glory of the new Catholic Church and the emergence of Baroque culture in the Catholic countries.
If not for the wide range of pictures illustrating the major events during the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, the video could easily be mistaken as a plain substitution for an ordinary history book that almost seems to be an advocate for the Catholic Church, without explicitly criticizing the Protestant Church. The camera swiftly moves over many objects and book illustrations, never giving us a chance fully to appreciate their historical significance. Many of the German city names are terribly mangled by the English voice-over. It is inappropriate to identify the Wartburg as "chateau," but this might have been a transfer problem from the French to English. Luther's perhaps most important accomplishment, his translation of the New Testament in 1522, is never mentioned. Women who fought for or against the Reformation do not figure at all in Delumeau's panorama of the sixteenth century. The true emphasis rests on the role of the Catholic Church and its triumphant return to the scene after the Council of Trent. Films for the Humanities almost misleads its customers as "Luther and the Protestant Revolt" actually occupies only a small portion of this fairly unattractive video production.
Albrecht Classen
University of Arizona
Anyone with more than a passing familiarity with Europe is aware of the importance placed by the Europeans on their individual languages, societies, arts, and educational systems. Therefore, most articles appearing in this volume deal with those main subject matters of socio-cultural life in Southern, Central, and Eastern Europe; furthermore, most are rendered in several languages simultaneously, i.e., in the languages of German, English, Italian, Catalan, Spanish, and Hungarian. The editors' stated aim of this Arbeitsbuch/Workbook is to increase "our perception of the diversity in Europe through examples presented within and by additional work done by its readers." In the Preface the general background in terms of student and teacher training is explained without explicitly stating a preferred methodology or a specific approach for the actual training sessions. In particular, the book is intended to give more insights into the multi-facetted image of Europe based on empirical research. The Arbeitsbuch/Workbook is divided into five parts. The first, under the title of "Europa der Sprachen/The Europe of Languages," consists of four articles; the first is an historical account of the heterogeneous linguistic European landscape with a particular focus on "minority languages"; the second one is an interesting analysis of the ethnic, cultural, and linguistic diversity challenges in the Carpathian Basin including maps, charts, a creative text titled "Stufen," and exercises for self-study. Then the third article poses the question of how many languages, variants, dialects, and sociolects are used in Central Europe and hypothesizes on possible reasons. Seventeen pages of student-centered activities and a list for further reading follow. The last article of Part One focuses on the historical and demographic information on the languages in Spain. The authors of Part One differ greatly in their approach to presenting the subject matter and in their degree of including their student-future teacher audience; the third article is definitely the most elaborate.
Part Two, "Europa der Gesellschaften/The Europe of Societies," starts with a brief introductory piece on the concepts of 'homogeneity' and 'diversity' when applied to the European reality as perceived from the inside as opposed to the outside. This is followed by a quite interesting unit, complete with exercises and activities, on intercultural communication in everyday situations, focusing on courtesy and the avoidance of misunderstandings. Then in the third article of Part Two, advocates a world without hostility by analyzing examples from German literature by Hans Baumann, Marianne Kreft, Frederik Hetman and others. Articles four and five present preliminary findings on the relationship between children and commercials or children and Europe, respectively. In sum, the quality of each unit is good; again, not all articles include enough exercises for self-study and/or application of the material presented.
Parts Three, "Europa der Künste/The Europe of Arts," Part Four, "Europa der Bildung/The Europe of Education," and Parts Five, "Student Mobility European Courses" conclude the book by including performance in the form of music and theatre into the complex processes of communication in Europe and by comparing school systems in Austria, Germany, Hungary, Italy, and Spain. In particular, special attention is given to bilingual education and the role of the German language in Hungarian schools. Last but not least, in the final part, Part Five, successful examples of the concept and reality of 'student mobility' and 'Intercultural Dialogue' between European students are given and described. Although reading the articles is stimulating, one would want to see more student-centered exercises and activities that allow proper implementation of the subject in actual training seminars.
To sum it up, the Arbeitsbuch/Workbook makes an interesting reading for anyone who is not just interested in the introduction of the Euro or a policy of economic agreement. To the educator, a plethora of first-hand information on various aspects of European societies, languages, arts, and educational systems is presented. From my perspective, however, it would be difficult to adopt this book for the average undergraduate German culture class in the US and Canada because this course is primarily aimed at students of education and the social sciences in Europe and its immediately surrounding countries. The book may lend itself to use on the upper-intermediate level of a "Comp and Con" course, though. Finally, a word of caution: The Arbeitsbuch/Workbook could have benefited from better proofreading.
Claudia A. Becker
Loyola University Chicago
This section provides short reviews of good books that, because of scope, review space, or reviewer availability might otherwise be overlooked.
González, Francisco, Dietmar Rösler, Gudrun Schäfer, and Claudia Tamme. Bibliographie Didaktik Deutsch als Zweit- und Fremdsprache, 1975-1996. München: Iudicium, 1998. Paper, 475 pp., EUR40.00. <www.iudicium.de>
This very useful and carefully fashioned bibliography includes books and journal articles from Europe, the Americas, Japan, and elsewhere that deal specifically with the teaching of German as a second or foreign language or with the teaching of Landeskunde. Literary interpretation is not included unless it also deals with the teaching of literature. The publisher's description admits: "der Anspruch auf Vollständigkeit erwies sich bald als illusionär," but, with some exceptions, the coverage is excellent.
Included are American journals such as UP, GQ, MLJ, FLAnnals, CALICO Journal, and Monatshefte, but not Schatzkammer. Cross checking of a small random sampling of entries revealed no errors in information or spelling.
Works are listed with full details alphabetically by author, and a Stichwortverzeichnis provides easy cross-referencing. At a relatively modest price this book should be valuable to all researchers and classroom teachers.
Phillip J. Campana
Tennessee Tech University
END REVIEWS UP 36.1
