This article examines the difficulties in the encoding of path in German by 15 L1 Spanish learners with different levels of proficiency. The participants were asked to describe a set of video clips depicting different types of path of motion. The data analysis shows that the observed difficulties are not only related to the typological differences between German and Spanish but also to the complexity of the encoding of path in German. Based on the observed difficulties, this article also presents the first results relating to a didactic approach which should allow L1 Spanish learners of German to more easily acquire the linguistic means to encode path.
The encoding of motion events is known to be challenging for second language (L2) users, particularly if the lexicalization patterns of their first language (L1) diverge from those of the L2. This paper analyzes oral and written motion event descriptions produced by advanced L2 users of German, an information-dense satellite-framed language. Based on L2 usage and error patterns, we discuss six major challenges with respect to motion event encoding and, more specifically, path encoding. These challenges clearly go beyond event construal and the acquisition of the basic satellite-framed lexicalization pattern (e.g., verb semantics) as well as beyond expected challenges related to the use of prepositional phrases (e.g., prepositional semantics, case marking). Advanced L2 users actually particularly struggle with “smaller” path encoding devices such as particles, locative and directional adverbs, their formal and functional differentiation, their usage patterns and combinatorial potential. These aspects seem to be challenging for advanced L2 users of German with either verb-framed L1s (French, Spanish) or satellite-framed L1s (Danish, English). We therefore discuss characteristics of the target language input that might explain why L2 users struggle with identifying and differentiating these path encoding devices, their usage, and combinatorial patterns. We sketch potential implications for L2 teaching.
This paper provides an overview of what the Word of the Year in Switzerland was, is and will be. It first introduces the different Swiss Word of the Year initiatives and then discusses the transition process from the former CH-Wort des Jahres to the new project Word of the Year Switzerland, carried out by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences. Both new and prospective developments in the selection process will be presented in more detail.
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