Regional Language Variation in the German Curriculum

Abstract

German is a pluricentric language with many standard and nonstandard varieties. Students of German are usually unaware of its rich regional variation, and studies attribute this to limited resources and instructional time (van Kerckvoorde, 2012). The “DACH” model of teaching German, which includes linguistic and cultural elements from Germany (D), Austria (A), and Switzerland (CH), has constituted an effort to go somewhat beyond a model that exclusively teaches Standard German, from Germany. However, when not contextualized properly, DACH itself oversimplifies language variation, shifting the attention from one standard version of German to three. This article proposes that German's variation should be taught to students at all levels and may be considered in the framework of the ACTFL Guidelines and Standards. These strongly support learners' successful functioning in real-world and authentic situations, including in dealing with varying dialects. This article will offer an overview of German language variation, it will outline how its integration is aligned with the ACTFL Guidelines (2012), and it will discuss some current instructional challenges. Finally, it will offer concrete examples for instructors by using existing sections from popular college German textbooks and by presenting several worksheets on dialect teaching for the novice, intermediate, and advanced levels.