Pluricentricity of the German Language as a Problem of Language Teaching Methodology

Abstract

The article focuses on the integration of standard varieties of the German language, functioning on the territory of German-speaking countries in the teaching process. The author is aiming at analyzing briefly the main stages of German as a foreign language teachers’ interest in the mentioned issues. The major periods of the pluricentricity theory integration in the theory and practice of teaching German are discusses. The formation and the development of the DACH(L)-principle, the use of the concept of the German language variability in teaching languages and area studies, its integration into the process of language teaching on various levels of education are described. In addition, the problem of the diatopic functioning of the German language is analyzed in the framework of teaching translation. An overview of the literature, which codified the standards (dictionaries, grammar books, etc.), is also given. Special attention is paid to the review and analysis of textbooks and workbooks including phonetic, lexical, grammatical and pragmatic features of the German variety standards. The paper also raises the question of the relationship between the pluricentricity theory and the international German language tests. As a result of the study, the author comes to the conclusion regarding the major pedagogical potential of the pluricentricity theory of the German language.

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