PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

In the public discourse on differences between Germany and German-speaking Switzerland, the stereotype that Germans act more directly in communication is often found. Variational-pragmatic studies that contrast the communicative behaviour in Germany and German-speaking Switzerland do not yet exist. This study presents the results of an online survey and five focus group interviews that examine the variation in the realization/evaluation of requests between different regions within Germany and German-speaking Switzerland. The focus group interviews confirm that there is a great awareness of differences in communicative behaviour from an intercultural perspective. The results of the online survey show that conventional indirectness and hedging strategies are indeed increasing from the north of the investigated area to the south. However, it also shows that the Alemannic language behaves homogeneously on the German and Swiss sides, which contradicts generalizations that emphasize national statehood.