Orthoepical Norms of the German Language: Some Problems of Systematization and Codifi cation

Abstract

The article focuses on the evolution, some principles and methods of pronunciation norm regulation in German-speaking countries. The author is aiming to analyze briefly the main features of the codification norm of the literary language in pronouncing dictionaries in historical retrospective. Special attention is paid to the fixation of exaggerated articulation, when the basis of the German pronounciation norm was the speech of actors in Germany (Bühnensprache ‘stage speech’); the systematization and codification of the pronunciation of professional radio and television announcers; the regularization of various forms functioning due to the convergence of the literary language and the oral speech. The macro- and microstructure of some pronouncing dictionaries of the 20th century and current ones, the representation of different sound units, specifics of native and of foreign word pronunciation, changes in the transcription and in the system of labels etc. are described. The paper also raises the problem of dictionary codification and the reflection of standard pronounciation variants in the German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, etc.). As a result of the study, the author comes to the conclusion regarding the changes in the methodology of norm systematization and the dynamics of trends in the lexicographic codification of pronunciation norms of the German language.

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