Programme 19. Sprachwissenschaftliche Tagung für Promotionsstudierende

The postwar of WWII was a trigger for a community dispersal, and consequently, a progressive language shift. The power shift caused new social and linguistic changes with in-city mass migrations of the Yugoslav population from other state territories. It additionally threatened the city´s Italian character. According to the census data from 1961, only 32,6% of the residents were actually born in Zadar. In a global picture, it changed the city linguistic landscape; once Italians in an Italian-speaking city, Zaratini from that moment represented an Italian minority in a Croatian city. Under the exertion of social and political pressure, and the necessity for social acceptance, the remaining Zaratini shifted to a more prestigious Croatian variety and willingly interrupted the intergenerational language transmission. Today, their language competence in vernacular primarily relies on their memory as they only have very few ocassions to practice it.

In expanding the scope of the study that was already carried out, this doctoral dissertation will investigate the rhoticity phenomenon in Singapore English as spoken by Singaporean media personalities from the three major ethnic groups, and examine how both language-internal and language-external variables condition /r/ realisation in Singapore English. This study will also uncover the motivational forces behind the patterns governing /r/ realisation, in particular how globalisation affects language use. These outcomes will be interpreted and contextualised within the larger framework of World Englishes, the wider context of rhotacisation in English varieties around the world, and large-scale social issues like globalisation and effects of mass media.

“Intercultural Communicative Competence in foreign language teaching and learning: A comparison of the situations in Morocco and Germany in tertiary education” Nadya Izzaamiouine (Bonn Universität) Modern communication increases interaction through the use of new technologies which, in turn, urges learners to communicate with people who are geographically distant, and linguistically and culturally different. Priority is given to the educational system to prepare learners to the 21st century intercultural encounters and global interdependence. Linguistics, in general, and some of its ramifications, in particular, such as sociolinguistics and intercultural pragmatics have highlighted the intertwined relationship between language and culture (Risager, 2007). Foreign language education is itself, by definition, an intercultural enterprise (Secru, L et al, 2005). My empirical research aims to investigate how intercultural communication (IC) is taught in the English departments at Moulay Ismail University (Meknes, Morocco) and Bonn University (Bonn, Germany). It also identifies the EFL teaching strategies and their impact on students’ performance. More specifically, this research...