It has been suggested that German studies be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

Germanistics is the field of humanities that researches, documents, and disseminates German language and literature in both its historic and present forms. Common German names for the field are Germanistik, Deutsche Philologie, and Deutsche Sprachwissenschaft und Literaturwissenschaft. Image File history File links Please see the file description page for further information. ... German studies is a broad term covering a number of academic areas, including more traditional Germanistics. ... The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view. ... German (called Deutsch in German; in German the term germanisch is equivalent to English Germanic), is a member of the western group of Germanic languages and is one of the worlds major languages. ...

Modern Germanistics is usually seen as a combination of two sub-disciplines: German linguistics and German literature studies, the latter comprised of studies of older and newer German literature (Älterer and Neuerer deutscher Literaturwissenschaft). German literature comprises those literary texts originating within Germany proper and written in the German language. ...

German linguistics

German linguistics (traditionally called philology as in Germany, there is something of a difference between philologists and linguists) is roughly divided as follows: Philology is the study of ancient texts and languages. ...

• Old High German (Althochdeutsch) 8th - 11th centuries
• Middle High German (Mittelhochdeutsch) 11th - 14th centuries
• Early Modern High German Frühneuhochdeutsch) 14th - 17th centuries

In addition, the discipline examines German under various aspects: the way it is spoken and written, i.e., spelling; declination; vocabulary; sentence structure; texts; etc. Comparing the various manifestations such as social groupings (slang, written texts, etc.) and geographical groupings (dialects, etc.). Old High German is the earliest recorded form of the modern German language, and was spoken from the middle of the 9th to the end of the 11th century. ... Middle High German is an ancestor of the modern German language, and was spoken from 1050 to about 1500. ... Early Modern High German (Frühneuhochdeutsch), is the direct ancestor of the modern German language, and was used from 1350 to 1650. ...

German literature studies

Literary studies is divided into two parts. One known as Ältere Deutsche Literaturwissenschaft deals with the period from the beginnings of German in the early Middle Ages up to post-Medieval times around A.D. 1500. The present era is covered by Neuere Deutsche Literaturwissenschaft. The field systematically examines German literature in terms of genre, form, content, and motifs as well as looking at it historically by author and epoch. Important areas include edition philology, history of literature, and textual interpretation. The relationships of German literature to that in other languages (e.g., reception and mutual influences) and historical contexts are also important areas of concentration. The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory: Fourth Edition (ISBN 0140513639) is printed in English but contains many German-language literary terms that apply cross-culturally in the field of literary criticism; quite a few of the in terms in the book originated in German but have since been adopted by English-language critics and scholars. A genre is a division of a particular form of art according to criteria particular to that form. ... This article is about the meanings of the word form connected with shape or structure. ... Content can mean Comfort and a feeling of satisfaction Creations, as in open content or free content. ... In literature, a motif is any recurring element that has symbolic significance. ... The history of literature is the historical development of writings in prose or poetry which attempt to provide entertainment, enlightenment, or instruction to the reader/hearer/observer, as well as the development of the literary techniques used in the communication of these pieces. ... German (German: (help· info)), is a member of the western group of Germanic languages (and Indo-Germanic languages) and one of the worlds major languages. ... Literary criticism is the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. ... English is a West Germanic language which is the dominant language in the United Kingdom, the United States, many Commonwealth nations, and other former British colonies. ...

German media studies

In recent years, Germanistics has looked for links with the fields of communications, cultural studies and media studies. In addition, the film studies sub-branch has established itself. Communication is the process of exchanging information, usually via a common protocol. ... Cultural studies combines sociology, literary theory, film/video studies, and cultural anthropology to study cultural phenomena in industrial societies. ... Media studies is a social science that studies the nature and effects of mass media upon individuals and society, as well as analysing actual media content and representations. ... Film theory seeks to develop concise, systematic concepts that apply to the study of film/cinema as art. ...

History of Germanistics

As an unsystematic field of interest for individual scholars, Germanistics can be traced back to Tacitus' Germania. The publication and study of legal and historical source material, such as Medieval Bible translations, were all undertaken during the German Renaissance of the sixteenth century, truly initiating the field of Germanistics. As an independent university subject, Germanistics was founded at the beginning of the nineteenth century by Georg Friedrich Benecke, the Brothers Grimm, and Karl Lachmann. Gaius Cornelius Tacitus Publius or Gaius Cornelius Tacitus (ca. ... The Bible (Hebrew תנ״ך [tanakh], Greek η Βίβλος [hÄ“ biblos] ) (sometimes The Holy Bible, The Book, Good Book, Word of God, The Word, or Scripture), from Greek (τα) βίβλια, (ta) biblia, (the) books, is the classical name for the Hebrew Bible of Judaism or the combination of the Old Testament and New Testament of Christianity... The German Renaissance, whose influence originated in Italy, started spreading among German thinkers in the 16th century. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm The Brothers Grimm (Gebrüder Grimm) are Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, German professors best known for publishing collections of authentic folk tales and fairy tales. ... Karl Konrad Friedrich Wilhelm Lachmann (March 4, 1793 - March 13, 1851), was a German philologist and critic. ...

See also

• German literature
• Sturm und Drang
• New Objectivity
• Germanisches Nationalmuseum

German literature comprises those literary texts originating within Germany proper and written in the German language. ... Sturm und Drang (literally: storm and stress) was a Germany literary movement that developed during the latter half of the 18th century. ... The New Objectivity, or neue Sachlichkeit (new matter-of-factness), was an art movement which arose in Germany during the 1920s as an outgrowth of, and in opposition to, expressionism. ... Germanisches Nationalmuseum, founded in Nuremberg, Germany in 1852, houses a significant collection of items relating to German culture and art extending from prehistoric times through to the present day. ...

Bibliography

Books

• Atlas Deutsche Sprache [CD-ROM]. Berlin: Directmedia Publishing. 2004.
• Hartweg, Frédéric G.: Frühneuhochdeutsch: eine Einführung in die deutsche Sprache des Spätmittelalters und der frühen Neuzeit. Tübingen: Niemeyer. 2005.
• Die Deutschen Klassiker (CD-ROM).
• Burger, Harald: Sprache der Massenmedien. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. 1984.
• Ernst, Peter: Germanistische Sprachwissenschaft. Wien: WUV. 2004.
• Hickethier, Knut: Film- und Fernsehanalyse. Stuttgart, Weimar. 1993.
• Hickethier, Knut (ed.): Aspekte der Fernsehanalyse. Methoden und Modelle. Hamburg: Lit Verlag. 1994.
• Kanzog, Klaus: "Einführung in die Filmphilologie". Munich. 1997.
• Muckenhaupt, Manfred: Text und Bild. Grundfragen der Beschreibung von Text-Bild-Kommunikation aus sprachwissenschaftlicher Sicht. Tübingen: Gunter Narr Verlag. 1986.
• Prokop, Dieter: Medienproduktanalyse. Zugänge - Verfahren - Kritik. Tübingen: Gunter Narr Verlag.
• Beutin, Wolfgang: Deutsche Literaturgeschichte: von den Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart. Stuttgart: Metzler. 1992.
• Fohrmann, Jürgen Fohrmann and Wilhelm Voßkamp (eds.): Wissenschaftsgeschichte der Germanistik im 19. Jahrhundert. 1994.
• Marven, Ln: Body and narrative in contemporary literatures in German : Herta Müller, Libuse Moníková, and Kerstin Hensel. 2005.
• Shitanda, So: "Zur Vorgeschichte und Entstehung der deutschen Philologie im 19. Jh.: Karl Lachmann und die Brüder Grimm," in Literarische Problematisierung der Moderne, ed. by Teruaki Takahashi. 1992.

Journals

• The Journal of English and Germanic philology
• Journal of Germanic linguistics
• Muttersprache.
• Zeitschrift für deutsche Philologie.
• Zeitschrift für Germanistik.

External links

• BUBL Link (U.K.-based) Catalogue of Internet Resources Concerning the German Language: http://bubl.ac.uk/link/g/germanlanguage.htm (well organized; covers many aspects of the language and the study of it)
• http://www.library.adelaide.edu.au/guide/hum/german/german_net.html (University of Adelaide's categorized guide to German Area Studies online)
• http://www.dartmouth.edu/~wess/wesslit.html (Dartmouth's German-Studies Web links, annotated and arranged by topic)
• http://libadm87.rice.edu/ref/german.cfm (Rice University's guide to German studies, including printed literature and links to German newspapers and magazines)
• http://www.germanistik.net/ germanistik.net (tries to get the user straight to the best sources of help; in German)
• Germanistik im Netz - Erlanger Liste (The 'Erlanger Liste' is currently the largest collection of links to the various aspects of G***, including such archives, publishers, etc.; in German)
• Literaturwissenschaft online ("Literaturwissenschaft online" Kiel University's e-learning site with live and archived lectures; free of charge; in German.)
• Bibliographie der Deutschen Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft ("BDSL Online" is the electronic version of the largest bibliography in the field of German language and literature studies. Access to report years 1985-1995 is free of charge.)
• http://www.doaj.org/ljbs?cpid=8 (DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals, Literature and Languages)
• http://www.sign-lang.uni-hamburg.de/Medienprojekt/Literatur/9.med.analy.html (University of Hamburg site with media studies bibliography)

University Departments and Research Institutions

• Categorical list of German Departments around the world: http://www.germanistik.net/universitaten.htm
• Department of German Language and Literature, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario: http://www.queensu.ca/german/
• Hamburg University, Germany: http://www.slm.uni-hamburg.de/Stuplan/DeutSprachLit_eng.html
• Jawaharlal Nehru University, India: http://www.jnu.ac.in/Academics/Schools/SchoolOfLanguage/GermanCenter.htm
• Department of German, University of California, Berkeley, U.S.A.: http://german.berkeley.edu/index.php
• Department of German, Princeton University, U.S.A.: http://german.princeton.edu/
• Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, University of Pennsylvania, U.S.A.: http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/german/index.html
• Department of Germanic Studies, Cornell University, U.S.A.: http://www.gradschool.cornell.edu/catalog/fields.php?id=07
• Department of Germanic Languages and Literatrues, Harvard University, U.S.A.
• Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, Yale University, New Haven, Conn., U.S.A.
• Department of German, New York University, New York, New York, U.S.A.: http://www.nyu.edu/fas/dept/german/
• Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A.: http://sitemason.vanderbilt.edu/german/