An Introduction to Romance-Germanic Philology
I.V.Panferova, PhD
2020
4
LANGUAGE FUNCTIONALITY
Based on the above remarks and a more detailed study of the Germanic languages, eight
main types can be distinguished [Berkov, 2001, 277-280]. It should be borne in mind that a)
these functions are rare in their pure form, since some additional ones are usually attached to the
main functions; b) each subsequent type includes the functions of the previous one.
Type 1 is the function of everyday (informal) communication. There are apparently no
languages proper among the Germanic group belonging to this type. This function is typical only
for territorial dialects or Creole languages. The foregoing, of course, does not exclude the
sporadic use of the dialect in public speeches, on the radio or television, the publication of texts
(up to books) in the dialect, etc. For example, in North Norway, in Holugaland, there is a theater
where performances are performed in a dialect (even Ibsen's "Peer Gynt" was staged in
translation into a dialect). The position of the Low German in the FRG was similar.
Type 2 is the function of official oral communication. It is widely performed in
Luxembourgish and Swiss-German dialects. It is characteristic that there are no social
restrictions for them and their prestige is even higher than literary German. This function is
combined with the function of limited informal written communication, which includes literature
in dialect, brief publications in the press, etc.
Type 3 is the function of limited official (oral and written) communication. It is
characteristic of a national community that does not constitute any administrative unit for more
or less large groups of national minorities living scattered in the country (for example, the
Scandinavians in the USA and Canada; newspapers are published in Scandinavian languages,
etc.).
Type 4 is the function of the official means of communication of a non-state, but
administratively separated society - an autonomous region, province, etc. As a rule, the speakers
of this type of languages are bilinguals, and their language is influenced by the state. This type
includes the Frisian and Faroese languages.
Type 5 is the function of one of the state (official) languages of the country. These are the
functions of Dutch in Belgium, Afrikaans in South Africa, German in Switzerland and
Luxembourg, etc. A special case is devoted to Bokmål and "New Norwegian", as the result of
the exceptional development of the linguistic situation in Norway.
Type 6 is the function of the official language of the only one country. There are only two
such Germanic languages - Danish and Icelandic.
Type 7 is the function of the official language of more than one country. There are two
options for this function. Firstly, a language may be the only state (official) language of two or
more countries (such as Spanish in Spain and a number of Latin American countries). There are
no such languages among the Germanic ones. Secondly, it can be the only state (official)
language of one or several countries and at the same time one of two or more state (official)
languages in another country or other countries. So, English is the only official language in
England, USA, Australia, New Zealand, etc. and at the same time one of the official languages in
Canada, South Africa, a number of former English colonies, etc. German is the only official
language in Germany and Austria, but also one of the official languages of Switzerland and
Luxembourg. The position of Swedish and Dutch is similar. As it is clear from what has been
said, this type of language also includes those modern Germanic languages that have been
classified as type 5.
Type 8 is the function of the language of international communication. It is typical for
English and, to a lesser extent, German.
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