Werkzeug Sprache: Sprachpolitik, Sprachfahigkeit, Sprache und Macht (review)

The third in a series of broad colloquia organized by the Union of German Academies of Science, this collection of articles addresses the status and use of modern German as a communication tool. Its three parts focus on language politics, the language faculty, and language and power, respectively. Although the book will be particularly engaging for Germanists, some articles will also be relevant to scientists and researchers outside German studies and linguistics.

The first two articles are concerned with language politics. U lrichA mmonpresents an analysis of the decline of German as a language of science. Drawing on statistics from scientific publications in various languages, he shows that since the 1930s English has gradually displaced German as a language of scientific inquiry, except in a few niche areas such as philosophy and theology. In the next article, P eterH ansN eldediscusses language politics in an increasingly unified Europe. He argues that the EU is moving toward a ‘new multilingualism’ that will present many challenges to both the study of contact linguistics and the development of language policy.

In the second part on the language faculty, M anfredB ierwischprovides an overview of recent ideas about the language module and the limits of linguistic expression. After several points are made about the nature of language, he concludes that the limits of language, thought, and the world are each distinct. A second article by A lbrechtN eubertand M iriamZ eh-G löckleraddresses the role of a second language as communication tool, focusing particularly on the shift to English instruction and methodology from Russian in the states of the former GDR.

The third part on language and power comprises three articles. In the first, H ans-M artinG augerexplores the concept of violence in language. Examples related to language and gender lead him to conclude that power, but not necessarily violence, is inherent to language. Then, U llaF ixprovides a Foucaultian interpretation of discourse in the former GDR. Finally, E lisabethG ülichpresents a discourse analysis of medical communication, focusing on the construction of expert and nonexpert roles.

Although there is little ground-breaking content in this collection, the articles provide a coherent introduction to language as a tool. In addition, the articles are all very clearly written, with pertinent examples and helpful, guiding excerpts in the margins. Although perhaps intended for German-speaking scholars outside linguistics, this volume would also serve well as a textbook to introduce issues of language and culture in German-speaking contexts. The book will also be useful to linguists and other scholars interested in the functional roles of the German language.