Teaching and studying

Prof. Dr. Sören Stumpf ( Wed, 8:00–10:00 a.m.)

This course provides an overview of the grammatical system of modern German. It covers key categories and structures such as inflection, word formation, parts of speech, phrases, and sentence constituents. In addition, the lecture explores the usage and functions of grammatical patterns in various contexts (e.g., texts and conversations). It also introduces fundamental grammatical models such as valency grammar and construction grammar.

Prof. Dr. Sören Stumpf (Wed, 4:00–6:00 p.m.)

In the research colloquium, theses, research projects, and fundamental and current studies on usage-based and cognitive-functional grammar are presented and discussed collectively. Of particular interest is the connection between methodological approaches, empirical findings, and theoretical reflections.

Prof. Dr. Sören Stumpf (Thu, 8–10 a.m.)

Constructionist approaches emerged in the 1980s and 1990s on the West Coast of the United States as an alternative to Generative Grammar. They are based on the assumption that a language can be described as a network of conventionalized form-meaning pairs, so-called constructions (e.g., [verb stem + -bar] with the meaning “can become a past participle,” as in “essbar,” “befahrbar, ” “pürierbar”). The seminar focuses on recent research approaches in usage-based and cognitively motivated construction grammar. Students not only learn about central concepts in construction grammar (e.g., coercion, entrenchment, the lexicon-grammar continuum), but also gain insight into the corpus-linguistic analysis of grammatical constructions in contemporary German. The seminar is closely integrated with a lecture series in which selected faculty members present current research projects in construction grammar (e.g., on intensification constructions, constructions in digital communication, and multimodal constructions in spoken interaction). The lecture series takes place on four Wednesdays from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.

Prof. Dr. Sören Stumpf (Thu, 10 a.m.–12 p.m.)

Digital communication has long since ceased to be a marginal field of research; nevertheless, the role of (lexico-)grammatical routines in these communicative contexts in particular often remains underexplored. This seminar is therefore specifically dedicated to grammatical structures in digital contexts from a usage-based and cognitive-functional perspective. The focus is on syntactic constructions, lexical-grammatical routines, and word-formation patterns (e.g., particles such as “fr” and “safe” or partially schematic idioms such as (wir haben) X vor GTA 6)), as well as the question of how users perceive and reflect on grammar in online environments (e.g., practices and discourses regarding so-called “grammar Nazis”). Drawing on current research, the course links empirical findings with methodological and theoretical considerations. In addition, students are guided in analyzing digital data with a focus on grammatical phenomena and interpreting the results from a grammatical-theoretical perspective.

Dr. Jonas Trochemowitz (Thu, 2:00–4:00 p.m.)

Public debates about language often portray grammar as something that, due to its strict rules and formality, has little relevance to everyday language use. This seminar counters this view by focusing on the importance of grammatical structures for everyday language use and social interaction. The focus is particularly on phenomena at the intersection of pragmatics and grammar, as well as the systematic connections between the two fields. Topics covered include the structural organization of speech acts, the multimodal interplay of verbal utterances and accompanying gestures, and grammar as a form of social stylistics. To this end, the course will first explore key approaches in pragmatics and grammar research from a theoretical perspective. Particular emphasis will be placed on usage- and interaction-based approaches to grammar, especially construction grammar, online syntax, and functional grammar. In addition, specific case studies will be discussed, and the methodological foundations of use- and interaction-based grammar research will be explored and applied using empirical data. The literature relevant to the course will be announced at the beginning of the semester.

Dr. Jonas Trochemowitz (Thu, 10 a.m.–12 p.m.)

A key feature of linguistic utterances is that the way we combine words is not arbitrary but follows specific structural principles. The goal of this seminar is to systematically explore this structural knowledge, which is implicitly available to speakers. To this end, we will examine key basic terms and concepts in syntactic research and apply them using concrete examples. Topics include, among others, syntactic functions and their relationship to syntactic categories, verb position and sentence mode, phrase structures, valency, the form and function of subordinate clauses, and the topological description of sentence structures. The aim is to compare both the respective advantages of certain syntactic concepts and descriptive approaches, as well as their limitations and challenges. In addition to developing a foundation of syntactic knowledge, the seminar also provides insights into spoken syntax and cognitive grammar research.

Clara Odendahl (Thu, 8–10 a.m.)

Is it “Pizzas” or “Pizzen, ” “Bogen” or “Bögen”? Why isn’t “Hund” spelled “as it’s pronounced,” i.e., *<Hunt>? Can German words become infinitely long? In this seminar, we’ll examine the word from phonetic, morphological, and graphemic perspectives. The focus will be particularly on word-formation morphology and graphemics. In addition to developing (in-depth) foundational knowledge, we will also use specific linguistic phenomena to explore initial methodological approaches using authentic German language data, which may serve as a basis for developing your own research questions and projects.

Prof. Dr. Sören Stumpf

This course provides an overview of the grammatical system of modern German. It covers key categories and structures such as parts of speech, phrases, and sentence constituents. In addition, the course examines the usage and functions of grammatical patterns in various contexts (e.g., texts and conversations). The course also introduces fundamental grammatical models such as valency grammar and construction grammar.

Prof. Dr. Sören Stumpf

Construction-grammatical approaches emerged in the 1980s and 1990s on the West Coast of the United States as an alternative to Generative Grammar. They are based on the assumption that a language can be described as a network of conventionalized form-meaning pairs, known as constructions. This seminar focuses on use-based and cognitively motivated approaches to construction grammar. Students will not only become familiar with central concepts of construction grammar (e.g., coercion, entrenchment, the lexicon-grammar continuum), but will also gain insight into the corpus-linguistic analysis of grammatical constructions in contemporary German.

Prof. Dr. Sören Stumpf

German is often described as the quintessential word-formation language. Among other reasons, this is due to the diverse structural possibilities that are utilized to form new words (butter-weich,be-raten, [der] Abwasch, DFB, Wusiala). The seminar focuses on the use of word formation in both written and spoken communication. Students will learn how word formation contributes to the structure of texts and conversations as well as to the characterization of text and conversation types; which mental processes occur during the reception of word formations; to what extent word formation serves as a resource in social interaction, and how conditions of communicative proximity and distance influence the distribution and use of word formations.

Prof. Dr. Sören Stumpf

This seminar offers an introduction to German morphology and its intersections with related subdisciplines. The word is examined from various perspectives (morphological, syntactic, semantic-lexical, etc.). The course addresses both questions of linguistic systematics and approaches to morphological patterns based on language use, such as their functions in texts, conversations, and discourses.