Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / Thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (German) in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Stellenbosch University and for the degree of Master of Arts (Deutsch als Fremdsprache im deutsch-afrikanischen Kontext) in the Faculty of Philology at Leipzig University in terms of a double degree agreement. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis aims to make a contribution to the field of teaching German as a foreign language. It investigates the role of metaphors in language and more specifically in foreign language learning. Firstly it advocates the inherent, although often invisible, presence of metaphors in all types of language by exploring the cognitive linguistic theories of Lakoff and Johnson, among others. Secondly it explores the necessity of integrating metaphor-awareness raising by looking at the current situation of German at South-African universities, as well as referring to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. In addition it is argued that by experiencing the metaphorical nature of language from the onset of language learning (A1-level), learners can develop and improve their linguistic-, literary- and cultural competencies, as well as developing the ability to independently reflect on language. To demonstrate how metaphor-awareness raising can be integrated into language teaching by using existing textbooks, two conceptual lessons are developed for adult learners at university level by using two sections from the textbook Menschen A1. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis poog om n bydrae te lewer tot die onderrig van Duits as n vreemdetaal. Dit ondersoek die rol van metafore in taal en meer spesifiek die aanleer van n vreemdetaal. Eerstens berus dit op die beginsel van o.a. Lakoff en Johnson dat metafore inherent is tot taal, alhoewel dit nie altyd sigbaar is nie. Tweedens word die noodsaaklikheid om metafoorbewusmaking in vreemdetaal-onderrig te integreer ondersoek, deur te kyk na die huidige duitse aanbod aan suidafrikaanse universiteite en deur te kyk na die ”Common European Framework of References of Languages“. Daarop word geargumenteer dat leerders hulle linguistise-, letterkundige-, en kulturele vermoëns kan verbeter, asook om onafhanklik oor taal te reflekteer, deur die metaforiese natuur van taal alreeds vanaf beginnersvlak (A1) te ervaar. Om te demonstreer hoe metafoor-bewusmaking met vreemdetaal-onderrig geintegreer kan word deur die gebruik van bestaande handboeke, word twee konseptuele lesse vir volwasse leerders op tersiëre vlak ontwikkel deur twee afdelings in die Menschen A1 handboek aan te pas.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2015

Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Modern Foreign Languages. / Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 1986. / See item for full text

Herman Sörgel devised a plan, beginning in 1927, to usher in a new era of peace and prosperity for the whole of Europe. Atlantropa was his answer to the perceived threats that the European people faced from international competition, overpopulation, and lack of resources. The plan would have resulted in the lowering of the Mediterranean Sea and the ultimate creation of one continent comprised of the former Europe and Africa. Though the plan was never implemented, it poses a fascinating model through which historians may reconsider the time period between the end of the First and Second World Wars. This thesis examines some historical socio-political movements through the lens of Sörgel’s megaproject. Original publications from Herman Sörgel himself as well as those of two notable Atlantropa scholars, Alexander Gall and Wolfgang Voigt, explain in great detail the technical and sociological aspects of the plan. Additionally, theories from Jeffrey Herf, Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi, and Dina Brandt aid in the understanding of the man who attempted to engineer Europe out of crisis. The following analysis reveals the difficulty in placing Herman Sörgel into any singular political or social movement in his time. Though he espoused some of the same rhetoric as that of the National Socialists and pan-European movements alike, he failed to conform to any particular group. The unwavering obsession with his project consumed all of Sörgel’s energies until his death in 1952. Though all-but-forgotten, the project offers an uncommon means by which to view a tumultuous time in Europe.

This study aims at examining in detail the linguistic characteristics of sentential idioms (‘idiomatische Sätze’, IS) in German, e.g. Das kannst du dir an den Hut stecken.; Du hast wohl Tomaten auf den Augen!; Da lachen ja die Hühner!. In theoretically and empirically investigating their syntactic, semantic and pragmatic features and productive potential, it is shown that IS can only be described properly by looking at the interfaces between syntax, semantics, and pragmatics, and by systematically investigating pattern formation. In this respect, the study goes far beyond traditional phraseological research. As a theoretical background, the study refers to research on phraseology, sentence types and sentence mood, linguistic evaluation, morphological productivity, and the frameworks of Construction Grammar and Relevance Theory. Empirical evidence comes from a large corpus of written German, a linguistic experiment on productivity, and introspective data. With respect to syntax, the study shows that IS are bound to one or a few different sentence types, varying according to the degree of restriction of their speech act potential. The complex semantics of IS is shown to consist not only of a literal and an idiomatic, but also of a third, mediating representational level. The idiomatic meaning of IS is described as evaluative meaning. Pragmatically, IS are dependent on special contextual environments to obtain a proper interpretation. A context model is developed which makes use of certain categories of evaluation. Moreover, a relevance-theoretic approach is sketched in order to explain which functional advantages IS might have compared to non-idiomatic utterances. With respect to productivity, ten different idiomatic patterns of construction are identified and described in detail. It is experimentally demonstrated that these patterns are productive to a greater or lesser degree dependent on their internal syntactic, lexical, semantic and pragmatic features.

Univ., Diss.--Bern, 2005.

Thèse : Littérature : München : 1979. / Bibliogr. p. 107-125. Index.

It is not revolutionary to say that repetition and practical experience is a very important aspect in learning about and understanding a topic. This is especially true for languages, particularly from the point of view of vocabulary.Like in many other processes that deal with gaining knowledge, studying foreign words involves a lot of side work: For instance the selection of words, or their presentation for the actual training.The purpose of this thesis is to automate the study of vocabulary. To do so, an intelligent software package was developed. Divided into three parts the project takes into account the aspects from the language point of view, from the studying point of view, and from the computer science point of view.The fundamental idea to accomplish the goal is a relational database system. It is utilized by software programs that solve their tasks in respect to data management, data manipulation, storage and retrieval, in an efficient way.The system is developed for English speaking persons studying German as a foreign language. And with every language having its own nature, it naturally influences all levels and aspects of design and utilization of the database.l: / Department of Computer Science

Zugl.: Berlin, Univ., Diss., 2005

Revised version of PhD thesis, Univ. Marburg, 2006. / References: S. 221-236.