ABSTRACT
A key aspect of the study of socio linguistics is the investigation of the emotional value speakers attached to their language. Linguistic purism is not about language as such but about what speakers feel about language. Historical sociolinguists argued that purism constitutes an important part of the history of a language since this in turn is integral to the history of the society in which it is used. The conservative reaction in Germany to the popularity of French culture was one of rejection, very similar to modern reactions of parents about the musical taste and fashion sense of their teenage children. Linguistic purism is not restricted to the past, and examples of people complaining about the current state of the language can easily be found in most societies. The Verein identifies three principal motivations for its existence: to preserve German as a language of cultural and academic writing, to further the language's development and to prevent its replacement by English.
