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SoSe 21: The formation of shortened words in Germanic languages

Renate Raffelsiefen

Comments

Three-letter acronyms such as EPA (< Environmental Protection Agency) are typically pronounced as letter compounds in English (i.e. ((i)(pi)(?i)), whereas similar acronyms in German are pronounced as a single word (e.g. ('?po) APO (< Außerparlamentarische Opposition). Abbreviations preserving syllable-size strings consist of closed syllables in English (e.g. sitcom (< situation-comedy)) but typically of open syllables in German (e.g. Kita (< Kindertagesstätte)). In both languages we can abbreviate just the first member of a complex expression with a single letter (e.g. H-bomb (< hydrogen bomb), K-Frage (< Kanzlerfrage), but not just the second (*hydrogen-B, *Kanzler-F). We will explore patterns like these aiming to find explanations for the differences and asymmetries observed. Access to a large German corpus and smaller English and Swedish corpora will be provided, but participants are encouraged to find additional data and work on shortenings in other Germanic languages as well. Participants who register for the course through Campus Management will receive additional information and reading material. Others should contact me directly (rrenate@zedat.fu-berlin.de). close