Horan, Geraldine; (2025) From the ‘Götz-Zitat’ to Fack ju Göhte. How thematising taboo language can enrich learning German as a foreign language. German as a Foreign Language (GFL) , 2025 (1) pp. 92-118.

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Abstract

This article considers the forms and functions of taboo language in German and explores its use in in a range of communicative contexts. With advanced learners of German studying modern languages in UK Higher Education as a target group, the article will address the current absence of this topic in the GfL classroom, the challenges of exploring it with learners, and how potential problems can be overcome. Taking a broadly linguistic-cultural approach, with a focus on specific language-related themes, selected resources will be showcased that feature or thematise taboo language, with suggestions of how they could be employed constructively with advanced learners. It will be argued that addressing taboo language in the GfL classroom is vital in enabling learners of German to acquire a full range of spoken and written styles and registers, and in facilitating a sophisticated understanding of the communicative, sociolinguistic and sociocultural implications of using (or avoiding) taboo language.

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