published_or_final_version / Language Studies / Master / Master of Arts

The following work is based on the proposition that foreign languages are primarily acquired for the purpose of communication in a multicultural context. This communicative aspect of language is my main concern. The thesis defines the theoretical and practical implications of an action-orientated language teaching environment. I base my own work on the theory of speech acts as elaborated by John L. Austin and John R. Searle, as well as Ludwig Wittgenstein's theory of language games. I corroborate the theory of speech acts as being defined and established in any act of communication, such as a conversation. This leads me to the examination whether such language games can be realized through applying action-orientated teaching methods to teach foreign languages. Within the context of this thesis, I examine whether these methods can effectively improve the student's ability to communicate. This work favors integrated methodical procedures that engage the student in playacting in the foreign tongue.

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The propose of this study was to determine the effectiveness and appropriateness of the integrated holistic method for teaching grammatical structure, cultural norms and behavior, writing and listening skills to beginning German language students. The study examined a sample of undergraduate students who were enrolled in the introductory college level German offered at the Collin County Community College, Spring Creek Campus in Plano, Texas. A total of 24 students participated in this study. This study utilized a pre- and posttest group to measure the instructional effectiveness of the integrated holistic teaching method. Structural grammar, cultural norms and behavior, writing, and listening skills were used as dependent variables. The holistic integrated teaching method were measured at the end of the course as independent variables. Individual pre- and posttests were used for each of the dependent variables. The higher posttest mean scores indicated significant improvement in student learning level in four major language skills such as structural grammar, cultural norms and behavior, writing, and listening through the holistic integrated teaching method.

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M.A. (Linguistics) / The gold rush to the Witwatersrand Goldfields in 1886 attracted a diverse cross-section of European settlers. 10 % of this new community consisted of Germans. As Johannesburg developed, the need for education (schools) became acute, and in 1890 the DSJ (Deutsche Schule zu Johannesburg) was founded for the children of the German settlers. The founder of this private school was pastor Herrmann Kuschke, a Berlin missionary. He commenced tuition with only one pupil and by the end of 1891, the DSJ boasted 20 scholars. In his endeavour, the pastor not only taught all the sciences and the language German, but all scholars were expected to learn English, and the then ‘official’ language Dutch. After 1899, teaching Dutch to DSJ pupils was used to assist and obtain state funding.

Thesis (MA) -- Stellenbosch University, 1998. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: During my work as a lecturer in "German as a foreign language" at the University of Zululand I have experienced that African students often understand German texts in a different way than I, coming from a European background, would have expected. According to the research on text reception, differences in understanding texts are the result of different reader characteristics of which the socio-cultural background forms an important component. This thesis examines the socio-cultural background of Zulu students and aims to show how it influences their understanding of German texts. The necessary data is obtained by way of a comparative empirical investigation which is enhanced by personal observations made while teaching German to African learners. The investigation is based on a German advertisement. The control groups consist of South African students at the Universities of Natal/Durban and Stellenbosch as well as students in Germany at the University of Kassel. The investigation is concluded by a discussion of the implications that the socio-cultural background of Zulu students can have on the teaching of "German as a foreign language" and on intercultural communication. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Gedurende my werks,aamheidas dosent in die vak "Duits as vreemde taal" aan die Universiteit van Zululand het ek ondervind dat Swart studente dikwels Duitse tekste heeltemal anders verstaan as wat ek, as iemand met Europese agtergrond, sou verwag het. Navorsing oar teks-resepsie skryf resepsieverskille toe aan verskillende lesereienskappe waarvan die sosio-kulturele agtergrond 'n belangrike komponent vorm. Hierdie tesis ondersoek die sosio-kulturele agtergrond van Zoeloe-studente en probeer aantoon hoe dit die resepsie van Duitse tekste be'invloed. Die nodige inligting hiervoor word verkry deur middel van 'n vergelykende empiriese ondersoek. Dit word aangevul deur persoonlike waarnemings wat ek gedurende die onderrig van Duits aan Swart studente gemaak het. Die ondersoek is gebaseer op 'n Duitse advertensie. Die kontrolegroepe bestaan uit studente aan die universiteite in Natal/Durban en Stellenbosch in Suid- Afrika en in Duitsland aan die Universiteit van Kassel. In die slotgedeelte word die implikasies uitgewys wat die sosio-kulturele agtergrond van Zoeloe-studente op die onderrig van "Duits as vreemde taal" as oak op interkulturele kommunikasie kan he.

published_or_final_version / Linguistics / Master / Master of Philosophy

This study focuses on articulation in a four-year college German program. Previous research has centered on articulation between high-school and college foreign language classrooms. While educators have considered the content of foreign language programs, they have often done so without examining the current state of the curriculum. In addition, many researchers acknowledge that there is a divide between the lower-division and upper-division faculties but continue to promote this separation by suggesting that one level must change in order to serve the entire program better (i.e., the other level). The present research expands on previous work by studying instructors at both the lower- and the upper-division. This study describes an investigation of how instructors plan their courses within the entire four-year program. In order to examine program cohesion, the instructors in this study provided written documents about their courses (course descriptions, syllabi, and student work) and took part in interviews, in which they were asked about their own and other instructors' courses, as well as about the objectives of the entire program. The data allowed for intra-personal, interpersonal, inter-level (lower- and upper-division) and curricular comparisons. The data suggested that this foreign language program can be divided into the basic language (typically the first four semesters) and the upper-division curriculum. Many scholars (Byrnes, 1990; Guthrie, 2001) have stated that this division is related to the "gap" in pedagogical focus, language abilities and content emphasis that separates intermediate-level courses (the last year in the basic language program) from the advanced upper-division courses. Not only are the courses separated into these two categories, but in this program, at least, the instructors themselves are often restricted to one group or the other because of their fields of specialty. The results also revealed a lack of communication between the two "camps" concerning the goals and objectives of their program as well as those of the entire program. The result of this research was a detailed description of the beliefs and practices of teachers and provided an overview of one program to demonstrate how cohesion within a foreign language program can be assessed. / text

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Linguistics / Master / Master of Philosophy