THE OPINIONS TOWARDS THE ADAPTATION OF ENGLISH LOANWORDS TO HELP UNDERSTAND GERMAN FOR SECOND AND THIRD YEAR STUDENTS MAJORING IN GERMAN AT THE FACULTY OF HUMANITIES, KASETSART UNIVERSITY
RONNAKORN THUMMACHIT
Advisor: Assistant Professor Virasuda Sribayak
A RESEARCH PAPER SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF
THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
MASTER OF ARTS
IN
ENGLISH FOR CAREERS
LANGUAGE INSTITUTE, THAMMASATUNIVERSITY
BANGKOK, THAILAND
MARCH 2012
ABSTRACT
This research study is aimed at exploring the opinion towards the adaptation of English loanwords to help understand German for second andthird yearstudents majoring in German at the Faculty of Humanities , Kasetsart University. The major research instrument was a survey questionnaire based on an adaptation of the dissertation of Anglicisms in German Computing Terminology. Quantitative analyses were conducted as well based on the theory and conceptual framework of Kachru’s three circle model of World Englishes, Anglicisms in German language, English borrowing and loanwords in German and the study of code-switching
The findings of this research demonstrate that due to the influence and integration of English loanwords into the German language, the adaptation of English loanwords in a German context is fruitful to help students understand the German language more easily. The results showed that instead of learning only English vocabulary and ignoring German terms, the student’s knowledge and ability in English as well as the possession of adequate of both English and German vocabulary size can reinforce their German comprehension and learning process. In addition, the presence of Anglicisms in a German text increased students’ overall understanding of the article. Their understanding of the text would have been worse if the words that had appeared as Anglicisms had been written as their German equivalents instead. Thus,the students had better understanding if English loanwords were used in a German context rather than the standard German equivalents.This indicates that teachers of German should employ the method of adaptation of English loanwords as an effective technique to help improve students’ German language comprehension and the German teaching and learning process.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude and sincere thanks to those who have contributed to my progress over the past years. This study would have never been completed without the support and encouragement of the many people involved.
Firstly, I am very grateful for the assistance and support given in the preparation of this independent study and the encouragement during the later stages of the independent study by my adviser Assistant Professor Virasuda Sribayak. Language Institute, ThammasatUniversity. I am highly appreciative of her critical and insightful comments, thought-provoking questions, and criticisms. Her belief in me sustained me throughout the research journey and the writing process. Without her, this independent study would not have been possible.
It also would not have been possible to complete this project without the contribution provided by 32 second andthird yearstudents majoring in German at the Faculty of Humanities, Kasetsart University, who participated in the questionnaire process. I thank them for the many encouraging remarks they wrote in the questionnaires.
I also appreciate the generous contribution that Assistant Professor Walee Thenbunlertrat of the Department of Foreign Languages, German Section, Faculty of Humanities, Kasetsart University made by completing and returning the surveys, and also for the many words of support.
I also thank the Department of Foreign Languages, German Section, Faculty of Humanities, Kasetsart University and Assistant Professor Walee Thenbunlertrat as well as Assistant Professor Chutamat Namsoongnein for giving permission for the distribution of the questionnaires to 32 second andthird yearstudents majoring in German at the Faculty of Humanities, Kasetsart University.
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I would like to express my deepest gratitude and appreciation to my teacher Herr Michael Garde, contract teacher of the Department of Foreign Languages, German Section, Faculty of Humanities, Kasetsart University, for the contribution of his valuable time reading and giving constructive comments regarding this study, in addition to his professional attitude, high level of humanity and the tolerance he has unfailingly demonstrated through the many difficult steps in my journey.
Likewise, I would like to express my appreciation to Miss Woratida Woratid, libralian from the Thailand Knowledge Park (TK Park), Central World Building 8th Floor, Zone D 4 Ratchadamri Road, Pathum Wan, Bangkok,for her assistance with the illustration design and layout of my independent study.
I am very grateful for the help I received from Miss Sirintit Chaiksankaew, Data Analyst and Researcher from the Language Institute, Thammasat University - Rangsit Campus. I would also like to thank Miss Pattrariya Virojjana, Mr. Sugrid Tongkumpund and Mr. Fahroh Kumuda, who so willingly completed the pilot testing questionnaire. I also appreciate the remarks they made and the help they gave.
Lastly, but not least, my deepest gratitude goes to my beloved family, Mr. Somsak Thummachit (my father), Miss. Reka Thummachit (my sister), and, especially my mother, Mrs. Thitichaya Thummachit, who has instilled in me, among other things, a deep appreciation for her belief in the value of education. Without their love, concern, encouragement and moral support, I would never have been able to complete this independent study.
Thammasat University Ronnakorn Thummachit
Bangkok, Thailand March 2012
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CONTENTS
PAGE
ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………….. ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS…………………………………………………...iii
CONTENTS…………………………………………………………………...v
CHAPTER
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study…………………………………………..1
1.2 Statement of the Problem…………………………………………..3
1.3 Purpose of the study………………………………………………..4
1.4 Significance of the Study………………………………………… 4
1.5 Definition of Terms………………………………………………. 5
1.6 Research Questions……………………………………………… 6
1.7 Limitations of the Study………………………………………...... 7
1.8 Delimitations of the Study………………………………………....7
1.9 Organization of the Study……………………………………….. 7
2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE…………………………………………..9
2.1 Introduction………………………………………………………...9
2.2 Kachru’s Three Circle Model of World Englishes………………...10
2.2.1 Inner Circle / English as a Native Language………………...14
2.2.1 Outer Circle / English as a Second Language………………14
2.2.3 Expanding Circle / English as a Foreign Language………...14
2.3 Anglicisms in German language…………………………………. 15
2.3.1 Classification and Integration of Anglicisms Into the System
of the German Language……………………………………..17
2.3.1.1Orthography…………………………………………...18
2.3.1.2 Phonology…………………………………………….18
2.3.1.3 Morphology…………………………………………...19
2.3.1.4 Semantics………………………………………….….21
2.4 English Loanwords and Borrowing Words in German…………..22
2.4.1 Type of Borrowing…………………………………………..24
2.5 The Study of Code-Switching…………………………………...26
2.6 Borrowing and Code-Switching…………………………………30
2.7 Previous Studies…………………………………………………30
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3.METHODOLOGY…………………………………………………..32
3.1 Subjects (Population & Sample)…………………………………32
3.2 Instrumentation…………………………………………………..32
3.3 Reliability and Validity…………………………………………..34
3.4 Research Design……………………………………………….....35
3.5 Data Collection and Procedure…………………………………...35
3.6 Data Analysis……………………………………………………..35
4. RESULT AND FINDINGS………………………………………...36
4.1 Respondent’s general information and educational
background……………………………………...……………37
4.2 The opinions of second and- third year students toward English reinforcing the learning of German………………………….43
4.3 The opinions of second and- third year students towards
English loanwords in a German text…………………...... 45
4.4 Second and- third year students’ suggestions and opinions
towards the adaptation of English loanwords to help understand
German language………...... 52
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5. CONCLUSION, DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS...... 55
5.1 Summary of the Study………………………………….…...55
5.2 Summary of the Findings……………………………..….....57
5.3 Discussion…………….…………………………………...... 61
5.4 Conclusion……………….……………………………….....64
5.5 Recommendations for Further Research…………………....66
REFERENCES…………………………………………………..….…………67
APPENDICES……………………………………………………..…………..75
A. Questionnaire (English Version) ……………………………………75
B. Questionnaire (Thai Version) ……………………………………….85
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
It is a natural for language to change and to be influenced by other languages. Consequently, all languages commonly borrow words from other languages, with this process increasing the lexical complexity of a language. According to Görlach (1994), most languages of the world have been affected by the dominance of English over the past 100 years. The value of the English language can be illustrated by the big influence it has on so many other languages. This influences has led to the act of borrowing useful words from the English language and recording them in foreign languages, so-called loanwords, or in the case of words from the English language, Anglicisms.
Like other languages, German has historically been influenced by other languages, especially the English language. That is to say, German language has notavoided contactwith English words. When we learn German, we often come across many new termsthat are not of German origin or which were created on the basis of an originally English word. The amount of English loanwords in the German language has increased greatly since 1945 (Stehr, 2002). After the Second World War, the connection between Germany and the Western world got stronger and more intense than it had been before. This phenomenon led to the expansionof English use in various areas, e.g. television, politics, law, business, advertising, science,computers, internet, music , radio, mass media (Hilgendorf, 2007) as well as the areas of literature, and education. Some people even say that German has become a mixed language, such asDeuglish (a mixture of Deutsch and Englisch), Engleutsch (a mixture of Englisch and Deutsch), or Gerglish (a mixture of German and English). Although this might be an exaggeration, there is no doubt that the widespread use of English loanwords plays an important role inthe present-day usage of German as mentioned in Carstensen’s study (as cited in Nettmann-multanowsk, 1990, P.27).
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Actually, the dominance of the English language in a German context can be explained by two factors. First of all, due to their victory in World War II, the USA and the UK promoted the use of English as alingua franca and the adaption of English words into German. Secondly, it seems that English is easier to learn and to speak because of its grammar. English sentences are often shorter and more concise in comparison with the German language (Große, 2007). BecauseEnglish is the most popular second languagelearnt by people in non-English-speakingcountries and French or German come inthird place, the English knowledge ofGerman language learners is used as aguideline for teaching. This approach has been popular in Germany and many other EU countries (WannaSaengaramruang, 2006).
In the Thai educational system, German language teaching is offered at many famous universities, both public and private. The public and private universities which offer German as a major are ChulalongkornUniversity, ThammasatUniversity, KasetsartUniversity, SilpakornUniversity, ChiangMaiUniversity, SrinakarinvirojPrasarnmitUniversity, Prince of SongklaUniversity, RamkhamhaengUniversity, KhonKaenUniversity and PayapUniversity.MahidolUniversity is considering offering German as a major, minor, and other higher level courses, after having cancelled elective German courses in the Faculty of Sciences. The only private university that offers German as an elective course is Assumption University (Wanna Saengaramruang, 2006). In addition, the series of university German textbooks in Thailand such as “Tangram. Deutsch als Fremdsprache: Kursbuch und Arbeitsbuch, A 1- B1, Schritte International: Kursbuch Und Arbeitsbuch MIT CD Zum Arbeitsbuch : A1-B1, “Themen aktuell -Deutsch als Fremdsprache - Niveaustufe A1-B1: Kursbuch und Arbeitsbuch Mit CD” use many English loanwords and Anglicisms.Consequently, students will have witnessed the frequent use of English in German. Therefore, it is hard to teach students standard German and ignore Anglicisms in the teaching of German language.
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Consequently, the adaptation of English loanwords in German language can , in the researcher’s point of view, alternativelyhave benefit for the teaching and learning process if teachersapply this method as a tool to improve teachers’competence in teaching German language and enhance students’ ability in German. Using clues of lexical words, for example, students can guess the meaning of German words by comparing them with English. Examples include Adresse, Auto, Banane, Beginn, Aktion,akzeptieren, Bank, Bier, Buch, diskutieren, Haus, Kindergarten, intelligent, Seminar, Butter, schwimmen, Bad, Hand, Fisch, Mann, Name etc.According to the research of “Teaching of German in Thailand: Past, Present, and Future”(Wanna Saengaramruang, 2006), the use of the technique ofInternationalismen,which referstoa group of words which are similar in form and meaning among various languages derived from the same root, frequently Latin,(for example, Elefant/elephant, elegant/elegant, Fisch/fish, Foto/photo, etc), and which is defined as guessing the meaning from another foreign language that learners have studied before, such as English, French, or Italian, can perhaps contribute to the teaching of reading in the case of such words as Zeremonie, Präsident, Olympiade,Beginn, Nation and Parade. The approach of ‘Internationalismen’ or ‘German as a thirdlanguage after English’ can be applied to teach the reading of a German text because it can motivate Thai students toward more effective learning of German and make German language learners feel that German is not difficult. However, this approach has not been adopted in Thailand.”
1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
As aGerman tutor, the researcher had the opportunity to teach students studying German at famous high-schools with long-standing German programmes as well as students studying German at famous universities in Bangkok and vicinity. The researcher,however, hasbeen confronted with an apparent paradox. Despite the
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difficulty and complexity of the German language, the researcher has tried to teach students to use German words in every circumstance, askingthem to search for the correct term and encouraging them to use German vocabulary properly,. The researcher sometimes has had difficulty explaining German vocabulary or sentences to the students and the students also have difficulty understanding standard German vocabulary and sentences from textbooks. Consequently, the researcher asked students about their attitudes towards the German language and found that although a large number of students think they can gain many advantages from German language and are willing to learn it, they think that German is very difficult, especially in terms of vocabulary and grammar. In addition, after collecting information related to the adaptation of English loanwords in the German language, the researcher discovered something very interesting. Even though numerous researchstudies on Anglicisms in German have been conducted on many aspects, only a few studies have considered the aspect of adaptation of English loanwords to help teach the German language.
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
Based on the statement ofthe problem above, the main purpose of this research isto explore opinions towards the adaptation of English loanwords to increase the understanding of German for second and- third yearstudents majoring in German at the Faculty of Humanities, Kasetsart University.
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
Because few research studies have addressed the benefits of the adaptation of English loanwords to help teach German language, the results of this study are expected to improve the process of teaching and learning German language.
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Consequently, the results of this study can be useful to German teachers, German tutors and students. For German teachers and tutors, knowing student’s problems, can help teachers decide on the proper method of adapting English borrowing words to help teach German vocabulary and sentences based on student’s problems. For students, the results of this study are expected to help them overcome their learning problems in applying English loanwords as well as help them understand the meaning of German words and sentences. Additionally, the results of this study are expected to create new knowledge on the adaptation ofEnglish loanwords in regard to the teaching of German language and vocabulary.
1.5 DEFINITION OF TERMS
The following are the definitions of terms used in the context of this study:
1.5.1 Loanwords refer to a word from one language that is used in another language with little modification or without being changed. Loanwords of this study mean words which are borrowed from English language and incorporated into the German language. These words are completely or partially naturalized into the German language.
1.5.2 Borrowingis defined as a natural process of language change whereby one language adds new words to its own lexicon by copying those words from another language. In this study, borrowing refers to a word or phrase that has been copied from English language and which is immensely useful in creating new German words, enriching the German vocabulary and making the German language flexible and resourceful.
1.5.3 Anglicisms are English words or expressions which are used or borrowed into a non-English language. In this study, Anglicisms refer to the influx of English, pseudo-English and English vocabulary into the German language.
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1.5.4Code-switching is the mixing of words, phrases and sentences from two or more languages or varieties of language, especially within the same speech event. In this study, code-switching refers to the phenomenon wherein a bilingual-or multilingual speaker shifts from German language to English language or from English language to German language in the course of a conversation.
1.5.5 Second and- third yearstudents mean the second and- third year undergraduate students who were majoring in Germanat the Department of Foreign Languages, German Section, Faculty of Humanities, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand.
1.5.6The opinionsmean the opinions of the second and- third year undergraduate students who were majoring in German at the Department of Foreign Languages, German Section, Faculty of Humanities, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand towards the adaptation of English loanwords to help them understand the German language.
1.6 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The following research questions are addressed through this study:
1)Is there a relationship between English loanwords and German language?
2) Is there a relationship between the opinion towards the adaptation of English loanwords and the understanding of German language for second and- third year students majoring in German at the Faculty of Humanities, Kasetsart University?
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1.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
The following limitations are the factors that, in one way or another, may have affected the outcome of the study. Firstly, one limitation of this study is the time constraints of the semester. Secondly, this study focuses on a specific and basic group of English borrowing words in the German language. There are various types of borrowed words apart from this study. Lastly,the number of participants was only 32, the findings will have limited validity.
1.8 DELIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
The researcher conductedthis study focusing on German language learning problems faced by students in applying borrowed English words and the learning strategies used by both students and teachers to overcome German learning problems. This study is delimited to second and- third year students majoring in German at the Faculty of Humanities, Kasetsart University.