ABSTRACT:
This paper presents data about recent changes in the lexicon of Austrian German. Ever since the introduction of satellite TV in Austria and the conquest of child’s room by the new media (audio-cassettes, CDs, DVDs etc.) an acceleration of lexical loans from German German can be observed. The primary linguistic input of many young children and teenagers is German German by watching children’s TV and films made or dubbed in Germany and listening to audio-cassettes recorded with German actors using a distinctly German German lexicon and pronunciation.
It is interesting to note that the adoption of German German forms is not uniform but dependant on many different factors. The data which we collected show that class, place of residence (urban vs. non-urban) linguistic attitudes towards the native norms and the quest for social upwards mobility are the most thriving forces whether imported forms are adopted or not.
