Word Formation in University-Level German Language Instruction – An Essential Interface Between Vocabulary and Grammar

Abstract

Word formation is one of the most productive and creative areas of the German language. As a central level between vocabulary and grammar, it plays an essential role in the acquisition of German as a foreign language, as it enables learners to gain insight into the structure and meaning of words. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how the principles of word formation can be taught in university-level DaF (German as a Foreign Language) lessons, so that they are accessible, memorable, and useful in the language learning process. The focus is particularly on compounds and derivatives. As knowledge of word formation is crucial for the comprehension of unfamiliar vocabulary, it can play an important role in the process of text reception. In this context, students should be taught how to identify compounds and determine their Immediate Constituents (ICs). An analysis based on ICs most clearly reveals the structural, semantic, and functional features of compounds. Various morphological structures are identified, such as ICs being simple forms or suffix-/prefix-derived forms. From a semantic perspective, compounds can display a wide range of word formation meanings, including local, temporal, causal, final, and other meanings. For derivatives, we rely on the content-based word formation theory of Weisgerber, who posits that derivational morphemes assume specific functions, connect with the content of the base word, and modify it in a particular way. The same affix can thus convey multiple meanings. To enable students to apply their knowledge of word formation in text reception, it should be reinforced through targeted word formation exercises. Possible exercise types include forming compounds, identifying ICs, analyzing the relationships between them, explaining complex word meanings through paraphrasing, deriving words through suffixes or prefixes, and examining the functions of affixes. However, in many German (DaF) textbooks, word formation is not sufficiently addressed, making the proposed approach potentially innovative. Additionally, dictionaries often lack comprehensive information on word formation, as not all lexical units are included. Therefore, it is crucial for students to possess fundamental knowledge of word formation in order to deduce the meaning of words. However, in electronic dictionaries, word formation is presented in greater detail. Our approach also takes into account wordplay from various text types. Such wordplay can not only help students understand new word formation products but also stimulate creative word production, thereby fostering their linguistic creativity.