Perceptions of variation and change in German and Swedish address 1

Bibliographic Data

ID7861576
AuthorsMichael Clyne (The University of Melbourne), Heinz L Kretzenbacher (0000-0002-2737-8236, The University of Melbourne), Heinz‐Leo Kretzenbacher, Catrin Norrby (0000-0002-2359-4046, The University of Melbourne), Doris Schüpbach (0000-0002-8920-5613, The University of Melbourne)
Year2006
Volume10
Issue3
Pages287-319
Publication date2006-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Sociolinguistics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1360-6441 • E-ISSN: 1467-9841
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.1360-6441.2006.00329.x
OpenAlexW2031954787
LanguageEN
Citations received21
References cited27

German and Swedish speakers diverge in contemporary address practice. The Swedish T form has become unmarked, with V limited to very specific situations. Apart from some specific T or V contexts, German now has coexistent systems, one with T, the other with V as the unmarked form, with different speakers or networks preferring one or the other. In an ongoing project, focus groups and participant observation in Austria, (eastern and western) Germany and Sweden and with Swedish speakers in Finland have identified factors and contexts determining degree of social distance and hence address choice. First name use is more marked than T use in Swedish but the two are closely linked in German. National variation is more substantial in Swedish than in German. In both languages there is some reversal of liberalization and distaste for imposition of the address form

German · Linguistics · Perception · Political science · Sociology · Variation (astronomy · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Linguistic research and analysis · Multilingual Education and Policy · Philosophy · Psychology