German 423 Final

http://youtube.com/watch?v=qZfHsk-mWsk

Research Proposal

Research Question:

The question that I will be attempting to address is two fold; what has been the overall linguistic effect of the mass migration of Turks to Berlin, with respect to Türkendeutsch, and how do both the Turkish and the Germans view this change?

This question relates to our larger group topic of immigration by addressing the varied perceptions and views of integration through one of its most pivotal components, language.

Research Methods:

An essential part of my research will be developing an understanding of official European Union and German policy related to linguistic integration. The need to understand these laws and regulations is of the utmost importance because I will be asking people how these policies have affected them and what they think about them. If I wish to question people about these policies, I have to know what they are and be able to explain them if need be. I intend to acquire the needed knowledge for this aspect of the project before leaving for Berlin. This includes reading both the European Union policy on minority language and linguistic integrations, as well as reading published laws and articles produced within Germany.

In terms of determining the linguistic effects of the Turks in Berlin, I intend to undertake two courses of study. I hope to contact the department of linguistics at the Berlin universities and see if any faculty members are examining Türkendeutsch. There is also a professor at the Universität Hannover who I know is working on such a project, but I would prefer working with someone in Berlin, rather than communicating through e-mails or the phone. Through this contact, I hope to be referred to academic articles and other resources that detail the linguistic interaction taking place in Berlin. The second aspect of answering this question is observation. My observations will be done in two main ways: interviews, which I will explain later and direct observation. Direct observation for me will entail spending a significant amount of time in areas of high migrant population including Kreuzberg and Prinzlauerberg. I have seen several academic and news articles about Türkendeutsch and I would like to experience it first hand. Because I have an advanced understanding of German, I hope to be able to both listen for anomalies in people’s speech and have some conversations with Turkish Berliners.

In terms of surveys, I plan to develop two surveys in order to discover the different perceptions of the linguistic change occurring in Berlin. Both surveys will be oral with an oral consent script explaining who I am, the goals of my project, and that no names are being recorded. One survey will be directed towards Turks addressing their use of multiple languages, their feelings on official policy and their opinion of German. I have begun to compile a list of possible questions for this survey in both English and German. (Please see attached.) The second survey will be used to obtain the German perspective on linguistic integration, focusing specifically on the changing qualities of German. As of now, I have been unable to develop questions for this survey, but I intend to have an outline of my intended interviews before leaving for Germany.

In terms of gathering opinions on linguistic integration, the age of my subjects will differ tremendously in order to look for a pattern, but I do not intent to survey individuals under the age of 18. Based on what I’ve encountered so far, these surveys should reveal, that young people are the most willing to integrate speaking multiple languages or showing an obvious preference for German over Turkish. I intent to recruit my subjects mostly through social groups, community organizations, and face-to-face encounters at local hang out spots. I hope that visits to the Turkish markets and Marzahn will give me a good perspective on the possible groups of subjects that I could interview.

The final avenue I would like to pursue is doing a case study. I feel that having some sort of extended interaction with a multi-generation migrant family would provide our group with a better understanding of the impact of integration and immigration policies. Our group has found a few organizations in Berlin that may be able to facilitate a case study for us, as both approaching individuals and explaining our project may be a daunting task. I hope to ask our German contact at Humbolt how to approach this task. Ideally we would be able to spend extensive amounts of time with one family so that they would feel comfortable openly expressing their feelings with us. This could include having dinner with the family, spending some time at their home, or any other activities they would feel comfortable with. I intend to ask our case study family, should we be successful in finding one, questions similar to those that I have created for my interviews and surveys.

Fragen für das Gespräch mit einem Türken

• Seit wann sind Sie in Deutschland?
• Welche Generation Migrant(in) sind Sie?
• Welche Generation Migrant(in) sind Sie?
• Wie fühlen Sie sich auf Deutsch?
• Ist es ihnen lieber, ihre Muttersprache zu benutzen oder Deutsch?
• Gibt es Situationen in denen Sie nur ihre Muttersprache betnutzen können oder wollen? Ist das auch so für Deutsch?
• Wie haben Sie Deutsch gelernt? War es schwierig? Haben Sie das gerne gemacht? Ist es ihnen wichtig, gut Deutsch zu können? Glauben Sie, dass andere Leute auch ihrer Meinung sind?
• Ist es Ihnen wichtig, dass ihre Kinder ihre Muttersprache lernen?
• Was denken Sie über die Sprachpolitik? Sollen die Schulen ihre Türkish lehren?

Possible Interview Questions

• How long have you lived in Germany?
• What generation immigrant are you?
• What languages do you speak?
• How do you feel speaking German?
• Do you prefer your native language or German?
• Are there situations in which you can only use your native language or situations that you only want to use your native language in? Is this true of German too?
• How did you learn German? Did you find it hard? Did you want to learn it or where you resistant? Do you think it’s important to know German? Do you think others agree with your opinion?
• Is it important to you that your children learn your native language?
• What do you think about the politic of language? Should Turkish and east European languages be supported in German schools?

Rachel’s Work Cited (MLA)

“Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. ” Wikipedia. 2008. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 20 May 2008 .

"German courses for Turkish spouses. " Turkish Daily News [Ankara] 9 Feb. 2008, National ed.: 1. ProQuest Newsstand. ProQuest. University of Washington Libraries, Seattle WA. 20 May. 2008

"German politicians criticize Turkish premier's call for Turkish schools. " BBC Monitoring European 12 February 2008 1. ProQuest Newsstand. ProQuest. University of Washington Libraries, Seattle WA. 20 May. 2008 .

“Türkendeutsch.” Studipedia. 2008. 1 June 2008 .

Watzinger-Tharp, J. "Turkish-German Language: An Innovative Style of Communication and Its Implications for Citizenship and Identity." JOURNAL OF MUSLIM MINORITY AFFAIRS. 24 (2004): 285-294.

“Wie Jugendliche redden: Türkendeutsch als Szenesprache” RP Online. (2007): .

"Working hard in language courses to be eligible to reside in Germany. " Turkish Daily News [Ankara] 28 Apr. 2008, National ed.: ProQuest Newsstand. ProQuest. University of Washington Libraries, Seattle WA. 20 May. 2008 http://www.proquest.com/>.

"Younger Turkish generation in Germany driving force for integration - poll. " BBC Monitoring European 13 February 2008 1. ProQuest Newsstand. ProQuest. University of Washington Libraries, Seattle WA. 20 May. 2008 .