ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces examples of change in German in the areas of the lexicon, semantics, syntax and pragmatics. In his seminal studies on language change William Labov distinguishes between social and internal factors influencing change. Some areas in a language are more prone to change than others: the lexicon is easiest to influence, followed by the phonological system. Morpho-syntax, however, is an area where change does not happen easily, especially when a language such as German has a standardised written form that is reinforced by a state institution such as the education system. According to Bettina Steiner, German-speakers are in the process of abolishing the subordinate clause introduced by the conjunctionweil. Discourse markers are elements in a language that act not at the level of the sentence but of the text. As a result of feminist criticism many institutions in the German-speaking countries have adopted linguistic practices that ensure that men and women are equally referred to.
