The digitization of reading and writing and their cultural impact

We had found ourselves in the “Gutenberg-Galaxy” before the digitalization made its rise. The development of the book printing by Johannes Gutenberg and developments based on it as well as the following industrialization of printing are decisive for the expansion of the cultural revolution. It has meanwhile been transformed, upgraded and replaced by something which has been called “Turing Galaxy”. One of the most important changes is the automatic processing of data, the program-controlled production or manipulation of texts, images, sounds, formulas, tables and videos. The internet has led us to new distribution channels. The paper shows which trends of development concerning the cultural skills of writing and reading have been realized up to now as a result of the digitalization. Three aspects of development will be discussed: how the way of writing has changed to the present moment by the means of automation, multimodality and networking.

Modalities

The article deals with three dimensions of modality: (i) types of modality, (ii) modal relations, and (iii) modality forms. The first question concerns the totality of modal functions including those encoded by modal verbs both in deontic and in epistemic reading as well as grammatical and semi-grammatical modal signals. The second problem deals with various categorial interfaces and affinities between modality and other verbal categories, i.e. time, voice, and aspect. In the third section diverse forms of encoding modality are discussed. The general claim of the article is that modality signals indicate not only their genuine relation to "facticity", but also a variety of cross-categorial interactions in the verbal paradigm as a whole.

Why sermons (no longer) hit home. How the Emergent Cyclical Levels of Existence Theory by Clare Graves (1914–1986) can be linguistically refined to make it useful for homiletics

The article is the first attempt to use the Emergent Cyclical Levels of Existence Theory (ECLET) by Clare W. Graves as well as its expansion by M. Küstenmacher / T. Haberer / W. T. Küstenmacher (cf. their book “Gott 9.0”, 2010) to study conceptualizations of God in modern sermons. On the example of a sermon based on Mt 25:31–46 (Christ the King Sunday) Kucharska-Dreiß shows how it is possible for a preacher to start with a biblical pericope containing the image of God 4.0 (corresponding with the level four of the spiritual development of an individual) and to develop it in such a way that it may be of interest for listeners at other/different levels of religious awareness (e.g. at the level 6.0). In the conclusion of the article the author points to the essential role ECLET Theory may have for preaching practice as well as for research on communication in religious context as a whole.

The reasons for fighting against the loan words in German

The aim of this article is to show why it was fighted against the lexical borrowings in German, especially in 19th and 20th century. The author describes different reasons considered by the purists for eliminating loan words. The main role played here the national reasons.

Language – memory – architecture. Metonymic presence and metaphorical meaning in the novel Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald (2001)

By the example of the novel Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald, the present paper shows how architecture can inspire literature, being not only a subject of but also a structural model for literary texts. In Sebald’s literary depictions, topography, interiors, buildings and their plans play the role of memory metaphors – following the tradition to conceive of human memory as a spatial concept. The same buildings and architectural structures, presented on photographs combined with the verbal text, become metonymies which re-present the past and the repressed trauma. A number of space metaphors used in Austerlitz are examined: concepts expressing the notion of the hermetic, of dislocation, estrangement, death of cultural memory, of the protagonist’s defence mechanism against trauma. Then, Sebald‘s depiction of language as a maze is considered in the context of the relationship between aphasia as language disorder and metonymy as a poetic means – an analogy going back to R.Jakobson. Finally, Sebald’s „metonymic interaction“ between language and pictures is examined, allowing the conclusion that metaphors of memory in Austerlitz have a rather traditional character, while the metonymies are innovative and have a great impact on the reader/spectator.

„Deutschsein. Eine Aufklärungsschrift“. Zafer Şenocak’s Essays on Cultural Identity in a Country of Immigration

This article examines Zafer Senoçak’s collection of essays entitled „Deutschsein. Eine Aufklärungsschrift“ (2011). It is a significant voice in heated German debates on integration and migration as well as a critical comment on the discussions about national and cultural identity. Senoçak, a writer of Turkish origin, explores the German longing for unity and homogeneity after the unification, which results in rejection of 'the others'. Outlining the increasing ethnic plurality, he shows the obsolescence of the construction of 'Germanness' and its lack of contact with the reality. As a proponent of hibridity theory, Senoçak suggests rethinking of national and cultural cathegories, and making diversity a constituent element of a new German identity.