Task Cluster C: Contact
Task Cluster C is concerned with the contact of German in Austria with other languages, in particular with Slavic ones.
In this context, the impact of historical and recent Slavic-German multilingualism on German in Austria is of special interest. In our research, we aim to answer the following questions:
- Which Slavic languages were/are spoken by which groups of persons in Austria?
- Did this multilingualism have any effect or does it have any effect recently on the pronunciation, grammar or lexicon of German in Austria?
- Did or do such peculiarities alter the German used by speakers of German in Austria as their first language?
In answering these questions, Task Cluster C draws from the rich collection of linguistic data by Task Cluster B. Additionally, we systematically examine historical texts. We aim to describe the usage of potentially “Slavic” linguistic phenomena in German in Austria and assess whether they were actually caused by contact with Slavic languages based on their diachronic usage and recent distribution.
For example, we are analysing the contact of the ‘Viennese’ variety of German with Czech that was strongest around 1900. We are especially focusing on how language myths concerning Slavic languages and ‘Viennese’ are propagated in the context of dictionary projects.
In addition, we are searching for answers to the following questions: In what way has the 19th century discourse on how society and policies should deal with multilingualism and language contact phenomena influenced and shaped the understanding of multilingualism and language contact phenomena in the Second Austrian Republic? What are the consequences of this discourse for self-understanding and the perception of German-speakers in Austria? Besides, what is the role of the post-war political and scientific discourse about language(s)?
In project phase II (2020–2024), Task Cluster C: German and other Languages in Austria – Perspectives of Language Contact consists of the following project part:
PP06: German and the Slavic languages in Austria: Aspects of language contact
For more information concerning the project part, please click on the link above.
In phase II (2016–2019) a second project part in Task Cluster C, PP05, analysed language policies in several fields of action and tension in administration, law and especially in education from a historical perspective. More information on this project can be retrieved on the following page:
Collaboratively, the two project parts of Task Cluster C develop the Information system on (historical) multilingualism in Austria, short MiÖ, which will be a thematic part of the SFB’s Collaborative online research platform. It will not only provide for the publication of the data gathered in the project parts, but also aims at becoming a point of reference for the broader public with regard to questions on primarily historical multilingualism in Austria. Thus, it will make historical multilingualism visible and raise further research questions. For closer information on the overarching goal, the framework and the modules to be developed during project phase I, please refer to the following pages:
In: DiÖ-Online.
URL: https://www.dioe.at/en/projects/task-cluster-c-contact
[Access: 27.01.2023]
DiÖ – Cluster C – Publication
Schinko, Maria (2022): Die tschechische Arbeiterbewegung in Stockerau um 1900.
- Schinko, Maria (2021): Die tschechische Arbeiterbewegung in Stockerau um 1900. In: Jahrbuch für Landeskunde von Niederösterreich, NF 87, 423-449. M
DiÖ – Cluster C – Publication
Newerkla, Stefan Michael (2022): Reconstructing multilingualism in the Habsburg state: lessons learnt and implications for historical sociolinguistics
- Newerkla, Stefan Michael (2022): Reconstructing multilingualism in the Habsburg state: lessons learnt and implications for historical sociolinguistics. In: Sociolinguistica 36/1-2, 151-167. Open Access. [DOI: M ]
DiÖ – Cluster C – Publication
Makula, Marek / Newerkla, Stefan Michael (2022): Historical Sociolinguistics. Historische Soziolinguistik. Historická sociolingvistika (Special Issue)
- Nekula, Marek / Newerkla, Stefan Michael (Hg.) (2022): Historical Sociolinguistics. Historische Soziolinguistik. Historická sociolingvistika (Special Issue). AV ČR - Akademie věd České republiky - Ústav pro jazyk český. [URL: M ]
DiÖ – Cluster C – Publication
Agnes Kim (2022): Historical dialectology and historical language contact: a case study on the Marchfeld (Moravské pole) in Lower Austria
- Kim, Agnes (2022): Historical dialectology and historical language contact: a case study on the Marchfeld (Moravské pole) in Lower Austria. In: Slovo a slovesnost, 83/4, 279-306. (Themenheft: Exploring methods in historical sociolinguistics, hg. von Nekula, Marek & Stefan Michael Newerkla). [URL: M ]
DiÖ – Cluster C – Publication
Schinko, Maria (2022): Hinweise auf individuelle und gesellschaftliche Mehrsprachigkeit in historischen Schulprogrammen
- Schinko, Maria (2022): Hinweise auf individuelle und gesellschaftliche Mehrsprachigkeit in historischen Schulprogrammen. In: Slovo a slovesnost, 83/4, 307-334. (Themenheft: Exploring methods in historical sociolinguistics, hg. von Nekula, Marek & Stefan Michael Newerkla). [URL: M ]
DiÖ – Cluster C – Publication
Nekula, Marek / Newerkla, Stefan Michael (2022): Exploring methods in historical sociolinguistics: editorial
- Nekula, Marek / Newerkla, Stefan Michael (2022): Exploring methods in historical sociolinguistics: editorial. In: Slovo a slovesnost, 83/4, 245-350. Open Access. (Themenheft: Exploring methods in historical sociolinguistics, hg. von Nekula, Marek & Stefan Michael Newerkla). [URL: M ]
DiÖ – Cluster C – Presentation
Kim, Agnes (15.07.2022): Vortrag in Ghent
- Kim, Agnes (15.07.2022): Stratification of Slavic loanword vocabulary in German in Austria. (Sociolinguistic Symposium 24, Universität Ghent) [URL: M ]
DiÖ – Cluster B, Cluster C – Presentation
Kim, Agnes; Pvlinusic Vilus, Eva; Korecky-Kröll, Katharina; Pluschkovits, Markus & Ulrich Dressler (15.07.2022): Vortrag in Ghent
- Kim, Agnes / Pavlinusic Vilus, Eva / Korecky-Kröll, Katharina / Pluschkovits, Markus / Dressler, Wolfgang (15.07.2022): Areal-horizontal and social-vertical variation of reflexive and reciprocal constructions in rural and urban Austria. (Sociolinguistic Symposium 24, Universität Ghent) [URL: M ]
DiÖ – Cluster B, Cluster C, Cluster D, Cluster E – Event – Panel
Colloquium bei Sociolinguistic Symposium 24
- Lenz, Alexandra N. / Rakocevic, Dragana / Bülow, Lars / Vergeiner, Philipp / Pavlinusic Vilus, Eva / Kim, Agnes / Korecky-Kröll, Katharina / Pluschkovits, Markus / Dressler, Wolfgang / Stiglbauer, Rita / Wittibschlager, Anja / Dorn, Amelie / Ziegler, Theresa / Monsberger, Teresa / Tscheru, Gerrit / Koppensteiner, Wolfgang / Höll, Jan / Niedzielski, Nancy (13.07.2022 bis 16.07.2022): Colloquium ‘Targeting (socio-)linguistic complexity from multiple perspectives: Variation, contact and perception in German in Austria’. (Sociolinguistic Symposium 24: Inside and beyond binaries, Universität Ghent) Participating institutions: SFB Deutsch in Österreich. [URL: M ]
DiÖ – Cluster C – Presentation
Kim, Agnes (07.07.2022): Vortrag in Salzburg
- Kim, Agnes (07.07.2022): Mehrsprachigkeit und dialektaler Wandel im Marchfeld. (7. Kongress der Internationalen Gesellschaft für Dialektologie des Deutschen (IGDD), Universität Salzburg) [URL: M ]
DiÖ – Cluster C – Article – Blog und Article
Das „Wienerische“ und das „Slawische“ – eine identitätspolitische Liebesgeschichte


Agnes Kim hat gerade ihre Dissertation zum Bild des „Slawischen“ in Wörterbüchern des „Wienerischen“ geschrieben und ist dann über einen Kommentar von Hans Rauscher gestoßen, der ihr gezeigt hat, dass ihr Thema doch für breitere Kreise interessant ist, als sie dachte. Hier berichtet sie darüber, warum.
DiÖ – Cluster C – Article – Memo
Auszeichnung mit dem Ingeborg-Ohnheiser-Preis für Maria Schinko
Am Freitag, 6. Mai 2022 wurde Maria Schinko für ihre Masterarbeit „Sprachliche Zugehörigkeit und Sprachkompetenz an den Brünner Gymnasien 1867–1918“ (Slawistik Universität Wien, Betreuung: Stefan Michael Newerkla) mit dem Ingeborg-Ohnheiser-Preis der Österreichischen Gesellschaft für Slawistik ausgezeichnet. Der Preis wird seit 2019 alle zwei Jahre im Rahmen der Jahrestagung der ÖGSl für die besten Qualifikationsarbeiten im Fach Slawistik vergeben.
Link zur Arbeit: https://utheses.univie.ac.at/detail/52078/
Link zur Website der ÖGSl: https://slawistik.at/
DiÖ – Cluster C – Publication
Kim, Agnes (2022) Historische Mehrsprachigkeit in Österreich. Von kakanischen und/zu österreichischen Lösungen
- Kim, Agnes (2022): Historische Mehrsprachigkeit in Österreich. Von kakanischen und/zu österreichischen Lösungen. In: Stadnik, Elena: Sprachenvielfalt und Mehrsprachigkeit im Unterricht. Linguistische, sprachdidaktische und bildungswissenschaftliche Beiträge zur sprachlichen Bildung (Schriften der Kirchlichen Pädagogischen Hochschule Wien/Krems 24) 117–127. M
DiÖ – Cluster B, Cluster C – Presentation
Elspaß, Stephan & Stefan Michael Newerkla (11.04.2022): Austria as a showcase of internal and external multilingualism. Old and new linguistic frontiers
- Elspaß, Stephan / Newerkla, Stefan Michael (11.04.2022): Austria as a showcase of internal and external multilingualism. Old and new linguistic frontiers. (ICLaVE|11, online) Plenary Talk [URL: M ]
DiÖ – Cluster C – Publication
Newerkla, Stefan M. (2022): Germanic and Slavic Contact: Lexicon
- Newerkla, Stefan M. (2022): Germanic and Slavic Contact: Lexicon. In: Encyclopedia of Slavic Languages and Linguistics Online, Editor-in-Chief: Marc L. Greenberg [DOI: M ]