Open Access

Vincenzo Gannuscio

• Das Lehren einer Fremdsprache ist eng verbunden mit dem Vermitteln von kultur- und gesellschaftsspezifischen Elementen. Schon ab den ersten Niveaus des Fremdsprachenunterrichts werden landeskundliche Informationen mit in den Unterricht eingebaut und je höher die Sprachkompetenzen der Adressaten, desto reicher die Zusatzinformationen, die man den Lernenden weiterleitet. Literatur, Geschichte und bildende Künste sind in der Regel kostbare Fundgruben didaktisierbarer Materialien, doch können auch soziolinguistische Themen einen interessanten Ausgangspunkt für einen anregenden, handlungsorientierten Sprachunterricht bieten...
• Equality in language is an issue that, since the feminist initiatives of the seventies, has always been up for debate. Even a superficial survey shows that linguistic equality is highly respected and regarded in public communication of German speaking countries. Grammar guidelines for a gender-neutral use of language are available on the websites of many authorities. Today, in a more accepting society, the gender issue in language has been extended further, which can be shown starting from the language-specific resources suggested by the guidelines. Based on a selection of sample texts, the article gathers thoughts on a didactic proposal for advanced classes in German as a foreign language (B2/C1 Levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). Such a linguistic issue undoubtedly provides an interesting approach for a multidisciplinary discussion in foreign language teaching. On a linguistic level, topics like lexis (word choice and adaptation of linguistic means), morphology (genus declination), spelling (phenomena such as the Binnen-I) and textual linguistics (coherence) can be focused on. Furthermore, it offers hints for sociolinguistic observation and links to contemporary literature (e.g. Gini Müll’s dramas).