Gentle introduction

A gentle introduction to my research

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Interested in my research? If you're looking at this page, I'm going to assume that you are, at least to some extent, so let's go through what I am working on together. 

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Let's start with some basics: What are we dealing with in Austria? If you have ever spoken German with native Austrian German speakers, at one point or another, you are likely to have come across what is generally referred to as 'Austrian dialect' and '(Austrian) standard German'. While this may be a little misleading, in that there is not just one dialect, or one standard German, we won't get into that now. What's important to note is that we typically refer to the Austrian linguistic landscape as a type of 'continuum'. You've probably heard extremely strong dialects, dialects that are a little easier to understand and I'm sure you've heard standard German as well. We refer to the Austrian linguistic landscape as a continuum because it is entirely possible for a single person to be able to speak a very strong dialect, a more 'intermediate' dialect (oftentimes referred to as Umgangssprache) and standard German. Thus, many Austrians wield an entire continuum or repertoire of different ways to speak, and how they choose to speak in a particular situation is dependent on things such as the interlocutor, the formality of the situation, how they personally perceive and/or judge dialect and standard German, etc. There is a long list of reasons as to why speakers choose to use one speech form over another, and it is incredibly difficult to provide a concrete reason since the choice of speech form is dependent upon each individual interaction. This is called sociolinguistic variation, and knowing when to use which speech form, in which type of interaction and for what reasons is what we typically refer to as 'sociolinguistic competence'. 

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So, why does this concern us foreign/second language learners? Well, for starters, Austrian speakers with command over sociolinguistic variation can communicate important (social) information using different forms of speech (i.e. dialect, intermediate forms and standard German). For instance, if an Austrian speaker switches from a more standard German to a dialect form, they could be trying to communicate a closer social relationship. If a speaker speaks only in standard German in an interaction, they could be trying to communicate formality, social distance and/or intelligence. Without wanting to go too deep into the rabbit hole, these are some of the basics. However, understanding this sociolinguistic information is incredibly difficult for second language learners and is, among other reasons, largely contingent on spending enough time in interaction with such sociolinguistic variation. 

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How second/foreign language learners begin to understand sociolinguistic variation in Austria and even actively use different language forms to communicate sociolinguistic information is basically non-existent in the research landscape. My PhD project is thus of seminal nature in that I would like to offer initial insights into how native English speakers learning German acquire this 'sociolinguistic competence' against the backdrop of the Austrian linguistic landscape. In particular, I am taking a close look at how factors such as L2 varietal exposure/use, L2 proficiency, (nonverbal) cognitive capacity and socioaffect (e.g. language learning motivation) are linked to variable degrees of sociolinguistic competence. By doing this, my hope is that these results will be the springboard we need to develop more accurate and scientifically founded pedagogical material for aiding expats and migrants in better dealing with the language variation in Austria at the beginning of their journey abroad.

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On a final note, I have received the question on multiple occasions as to why I am focusing on native English speakers. While it would certainly be interesting to look at a range of expats and migrants with different native languages, it is also important that I ensure a feasible design for the project I have planed. Adding speakers of different native languages would lead to design, model and statistical complexity which simply exceed the scope of what I can do as a single PhD student. However, after completion of this project, I hope that further research projects (and, more importantly, larger research projects) find a solid methodological basis which can be expanded to explore how expats and migrants of different native languages differently interact with the Austrian linguistic landscape. 

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If you are interested in this project and would like to participate, then go ahead and check out the criteria to participate! And if you are unsure of any of the criteria or have any questions whatsoever, please don't hesitate to shoot me an email!