German Language Guide 2011-12
German Language Guide 2011-12
German Language Guide 2011-12
FACULTY OF
MEDIEVAL AND MODERN LANGUAGES
GERMAN
Language Guide
For the
PRELIMINARY COURSE
Michaelmas Term
German Language Guide
for the Preliminary Course in German
CONTENTS
(Page No.)
1. The Language Course
4. Study Skills
5. Grammar Topics: guide to the grammar classes
11. Grammar checklist: common sources of error
13. Vocabulary: sharpen up your learning strategies
15. German Essay: phrases to help you present your
points
24. Pronunciation: how to sound German
27. Deutsche Gesellschaft und Kultur seit 1890
Genarationen und Geschlechter
(Aus-)Bildung wozu?
Arbeit zwischen Selbstverwirklichung und
Emfremdung
Nation und Nationalismus
56. Paper 1: Sample paper (TT08)
1
The Language Course
The first year of the German course is designed to consolidate and improve your language
skills while exploring issues related to twentieth-century German society and culture and
developing an appreciation of German language and literature. The syllabus is set out in the
Handbook for the Preliminary Course in German, The course will prepare you for the
Preliminary Examination, taken at the end of your first year. It consists of two parts that carry
equal weight: Language (Paper I and Paper II) and Literature (Paper III and Paper IV). In
order to pass Prelims, you need to pass both parts. Within each part, papers can compensate
each other, e.g. if you pass Paper I and fail Paper II, it is still possible to pass the Language
part if the marks overall are above the pass mark of 40 (see the "Descriptors for Prelims" in
your Handbook, which set out the scale of marks and the criteria used for assessment).
Language teaching is provided partly by your college and partly by the Sub-faculty of
German. Much of the teaching takes place in small classes, and you will have close personal
contact with your tutors - this is luxury provision, and you should make good use of it! It will
only benefit your language competence if you put in the necessary work independently outside
classes - only you can do the learning. This Guide is intended to give you advice on how you
can make the most of your abilities and the opportunities provided by your course.
1) Reading Comprehension: You will be given a text of around 400-450 words. This is
on a subject that relates to the four topics studied. Roughly equal credit will be given for
evidence of detailed comprehension, and for linguistic accuracy and variety. Answers in
English will be discounted. You will be expected to answer three questions, aiming for
the following length: 1(a) approximately 150 words, 1(b) approximately 100-150 words,
1(c) approximately 250 words.
2) Essay: You will be given approximately six questions that relate to the four topics
studied, from which you choose one. You should aim for a length of 500-600 words.
Roughly equal credit will be given for linguistic accuracy and variety, and for initiative,
ability to take up and express complex ideas, and the shape of the argument. The exercise
is not conceived as a test of detailed or specific knowledge.
Paper II: Translation into German (IIA, 1½ hrs) and Translation from German (IIB, 1½
hrs)
In both exercises, credit will be given for fluency and a sense of style, always bearing in mind
the need for accuracy and appropriateness. The two exercises are of equal weight.
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Language Teaching
You will follow an integrated programme of language teaching in which each part contributes
to the whole. The first-year course is designed to focus on areas that will lay a secure
foundation for the rest of your course and enable you to develop skills systematically beyond
A-level competence. Emphasis will be placed on the development and precise use of
vocabulary and grammar. Teaching is provided by a number of people:
College Tutor: Your college tutor will oversee your programme of language teaching
throughout your course and will act as your 'personal coach' to ensure you have the
necessary support to make good progress. Classes for translation from and into
German (Paper II) will be organised by your college tutor, who will also liaise closely
with your Lektor about preparation for Paper I. If you have problems with your
language learning, or need general advice, you should turn to your college tutor in the
first instance.
Lektor: Your college is part of a consortium of colleges that employs a Lektor, who is
a native speaker of German. Across the colleges, there are five Lektors. They will
participate in a centralised course providing lectures and seminars for Deutsche
Gesellschaft und Kultur in Michaelmas Term and you will also have college-organised
classes with your Lektor to prepare you for the Paper I Reading Comprehension and
Essay. Over the three years of your course at Oxford, your Lektor will fulfil an
important role in helping you develop your language skills.
Language Instructor: The Language Instructor is employed by the Sub-faculty of
German and normally teaches at the Language Centre in 12 Woodstock Road. The
Language Instructor, together with a colleague, provides weekly grammar classes.
Heath Harrison Fellows: These are employed by the Sub-faculty and they will give
classes to provide additional grammar practice to support the structured programme
provided by the Language Instructor.
Most of your language work will take place in classes: translation classes, grammar classes,
classes designed to develop your essay-writing skills and discussion skills. You will be given
assignments for these, and it is important that you do these thoroughly and hand them in good
time to enable your tutor to provide feedback.
The lectures will give you exposure to German academic language in a lecture format, and
introduce the four topics, providing information while stimulating ideas. The classes enable
you to practise your oral skills and engage in discussion on the topics. The period covered in
this course with the starting date of 1890 is designed to link up with the literary texts you are
studying, and the topics are designed to relate to your texts. You should not therefore think of
the topics in purely contemporary terms, but also develop a historical perspective and explore
as many links as you can with the literary texts. You will not be required to show detailed
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knowledge of historical developments, but your literary texts can highlight key issues that are
relevant to these, and provide useful example material.
In Hilary Term and Trinity Term, college classes will provide preparation for the Reading
Comprehension exercise and Essay through written work.
Use the resources of the Language Centre, Faculty Library, German Society...
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Study Skills: balancing language learning and tutorial work
Language learning and tutorial work each constitute half of your German course, and language
papers carry the same weight as the tutorially taught papers both in the Preliminary
Examination and in Finals. This should be reflected in the way you plan your work. It doesn't
mean that you'll need to work for both aspects of the course in the same way - indeed you may
need to develop quite different techniques and working patterns.
Plan ahead
Language work should carry the same weight as your work for tutorials, so you should make
sure that you factor systematic language learning into your weekly time-table. As with
tutorials, the contact hours in language classes are only the tip of the iceberg; they should
provide the focus for independent work and an opportunity for feedback that will only be
useful if you provide the necessary basis. So you will need to
allow sufficient time to complete the pieces of language work set (3 hours per piece is
a realistic estimate)
set aside regular periods for systematic vocabulary learning and revision (15 minutes
every day is better than 2 hours once a week)
allow time to go over the work covered in the language classes and consolidate
grammar
Work efficiently
You will make most progress if you find efficient ways of practising and developing your
language skills. This may mean experimenting with different patterns of work. It may
therefore be helpful to
work out the time of the day when you are best able to remember vocabulary
remember that language and literature work are interconnected: you can't understand
linguistics nuance unless you know about a culture, and you can't find out about a
culture unless you are able to appreciate linguistic nuance.
establish connections between the different parts of your course. You could, for
example, note down unusual phrases, verbal constructions and items of vocabulary
while reading a set text, and transfer them onto your own database or record cards, or
look for examples of grammatical constructions you have just revised in the literary
texts you are reading for your tutorial work
make a note of useful phrases for essay writing when reading German criticism
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GERMAN GRAMMAR FOR FIRST YEAR STUDENTS
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- Demonstrative pronouns (5.1)
- Interrogative pronouns (5.3)
NOTE: The numbers of the exercises for work in class refer to the content they deal with
rather than the exercises in their entirety. This also applies to the topic lists for Hilary and Trinity
Terms.
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GERMAN GRAMMAR FOR FIRST YEAR STUDENTS
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w4: PASSIVE chap.15: chap.15:
1-7, 10 1-7, 10
- Passive with 'werden' (15.1) (revision)
- Passive with 'sein' (15.2)
- 'von' or 'durch' after passive (15.3)
- Passive constructions without
a subject (15.1.3, 15.1.4)
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GERMAN GRAMMAR FOR FIRST YEAR STUDENTS
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w5: PREPOSITIONS chap.20: chap.20:
1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 4, 7, 12,
- Prepositions taking the accusative 9, 10, 11 13, 14
/dative/genitive (20.1, 20.2, 20.4)
- Prepositions taking the accusative
or dative (20.3)
- Equivalents for English 'to' (20.5)
w8: PRELIMS
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GRAMMAR CHECKLIST
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Confusion of das and dass
(das: article, demonstrative pronoun, or relative pronoun Tables 4.1, 5.1 3.1,3.4,10.5
introducing a relative clause, e.g. Das Buch, das ich gelesen and 5.8
habe, ist gut.
dass introduces a subordinate 'that'-clause, e.g. 'Ich glaube,
dass...') 19.2.1 10.3
Subordinating conjunctions 19.2.1.d;
(avoid juxtaposed conjunctions, e.g. dass, wenn... - confusing) 21.9.1
Case of the noun after prepositions where there 20.3 5.3
is a choice between accusative and dative
Word order 21.1 and Chapter 9,
(esp. position of main verb & infinitives in Table 21.1 esp. 9.2
main/subordinate clauses)
Basic uses of the comma 23.5 12.6
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Vocabulary: Sharpen up your Learning Strategies
The quickest way to expand your vocabulary is to learn words systematically - just reading or
listening is unlikely to be sufficient, and even a year abroad won't work wonders unless you
support your exposure to the language with systematic learning. Finalists still regularly find
that what lets them down in their translations and proses is their lack of vocabulary. Learning
vocabulary takes time and effort, and you should experiment to find the methods that work
best for you. Below you will find some suggestions. The following books are helpful: Paul
Stocker, Wort für Wort, 3rd ed. (Hodder & Stoughton, 0340771631); Gabriele Forst, Veronika
Schnorr et al., Mastering German Vocabulary. A Thematic Approach (Barron's, ISBN
0812091086).
Use a vocabulary book in class, writing clearly. Put the title of the text and/or the
subject area above the words you list, so you remember the context. Test yourself on
the words and write difficult ones on separate cards.
The best way to learn words is using cards (or pieces of paper, around 4cm by 8cm):
- Write the German on the front and the English on the reverse.
- Write clearly with a thin pen and use colour coding, e.g. Nouns: masculine -
blue, feminine - red, neuter - green
- Verbs: regular verbs - black, strong verbs - pink, irregular verbs - purple.
- Always write the article before a noun
- Test yourself on the word both ways.
- Put the card aside once you know the word. Check the cards regularly.
As you work your way through Hammer's Grammar, write out example words and any
irregular words on cards. Add a note giving grammatical information on the reverse
(e.g. *weak masc.).
You should pay particular attention to verbs and verb valency. Learn the sentence
patterns that go with verbs in phrases so you can remember use of cases and
prepositions more easily. An excellent guide on differentiating verbal constructions is
Martin Durrell, Using German Synonyms (CUP).
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- Read them out loud.
- Stick them on your wall.
- Make up short sentences with them. It helps to learn them in context, especially
verbs.
- Ask a friend to test you.
- Have vocab competitions.
Set aside regular slots and stick to them - if you find you have lapsed, don't get
frustrated, just pick up again where you left off. It helps to have a routine. That way
you'll see progress.
Read the books for your tutorial work in German! Every minute you spend reading
them in English is wasted as far as the development of your German competence is
concerned. Conversely, reading is an excellent way of expanding your vocabulary,
learning how it is used in context, and improving your feel for the language.
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GERMAN ESSAY
- mit seiner Aussage/Behauptung, dass ..., meint der Autor/Verfasser, dass ...
- mit seiner Aussage/Behauptung, dass ..., will der Autor/Verfasser andeuten, dass ...
with his statement/claim that... the author means/wants to suggest that...
- der Abschnitt/die Passage will darauf hinaus/weist darauf hin, dass ...
the paragraph/passage is aiming at/is pointing out...
- diese Aussage/ Behauptung bezieht sich auf/ geht von der Voraussetzung aus, dass ..
this statement refers to/starts on the assumption that...
- mit diesem Satz nimmt der Verfasser Stellung zu dem Thema/Problem/zu der Frage
with this statement the author comments on the topic/question/problem
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Referring to the essay title
Introductory remarks
- heute werden wir immer wieder mit dem Problem ... konfrontiert
today we are repeatedly confronted with the problem of
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- ich möchte zu Anfang versuchen + infinitive clause
I should like to begin by
- ich will/werde versuchen, diese Aussage/dieses Argument auf seine Stichhaltigkeit hin
zu untersuchen
- im folgenden soll die Stichhaltigkeit dieser Aussage überprüft werden
I should like to examine the validity of this statement/argument
- auf diese und weitere/ähnliche Punkte werde/möchte ich im Verlauf dieses Aufsatzes
näher eingehen
I should like to examine those points in more detail in the course of this essay
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Giving somebody else's point of view
Agreeing/ disagreeing
- in diesem Punkt gebe ich dem Autor Recht/ hat der Autor Recht
on this point the author is right
- an dieser Stelle erhebt sich jedoch der Einwand/ könnte man einwenden
here one could object however
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Expressing a certainty
- es ist völlig klar/ zweifellos richtig/ es steht eindeutig fest, dass ...
it is absolutely clear/certain/undoubtedly true that...
- diese Statistik deutet darauf hin, dass ... (NOT schlägt vor)
this statistic suggests that...
- die Richtigkeit dieser Aussage würde ich bezweifeln/ in Frage stellen. Ich glaube
vielmehr,...
I would doubt/ question the validity of this statement. I rather think ...
Conceding a point
- man muss zwar zugeben, dass ... Aber/ jedoch/ allerdings ...
one has to admit that... But...
- das ist sicher eine vertretbare Meinung. Es stellt sich trotzdem die Frage ...
this is certainly a tenable view. Nevertheless the question arises...
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- sicherlich kann man das auch anders sehen. Aber ich denke/ meine/ glaube/ finde
one can certainly take a different view on this. But I think
- im Prinzip stimme ich dem Autor zu, möchte jedoch auch zu bedenken geben, dass
in principle I agree with the author, but I would like to raise the point that
- bis zu einem gewissen Punkt halte ich diese Meinung für gerechtfertigt. Man muss
allerdings auch darauf hinweisen, dass ...
up to a point I think this view is justified. But I would also like to point out that
- es besteht kein Zweifel, dass ... Das muss aber nicht unbedingt heißen/ bedeuten
there is no doubt that... But that does not necessarily mean
- in diesem Zusammenhang
in this context
- außerdem darf (NOT muss) man nicht vergessen/ außer Acht lassen
moreover we must not forget
- wenn man ... mit... vergleicht, fällt auf/ wird deutlich, dass ...
when one compares ... with ... one notices/it becomes clear that...
- einerseits/ auf der einen Seite ... andererseits/ auf der anderen Seite
on one hand ...on the other hand
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- diese Ansicht steht im Gegensatz zu
this view is in contrast to
- Ich habe nichts gegen diese Entwicklung einzuweden. Im Gegenteil, ich würde sie
sogar begrüßen.
I do not object to this development. On the contrary, I would welcome it.
- folglich/ infolgedessen
consequently
- insofern ...,als
insofar as/ in that
- aus all dem läßt sich/ kann man nur folgern/ schließen, dass ...
from all this one can only conclude that...
Giving reasons
- da/ weil/ denn (NOTE: 'denn' is followed by a main clause)
since/ because/for
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- das lässt sich/ ist darauf zurückzuführen, dass ...
this arises from/is due to
Giving examples
- zum Beispiel/ beispielsweise (INVERSION afterwards)
for example
- es lassen sich zahlreiche Beispiele dafür anführen. Man denke nur/ etwa an ...
there are several examples of this. Take, for instance, ...
- als Beispiel dafür (NOT davon) braucht man nur ... anzuführen
to illustrate this, one need only refer to
- wenn man also von dem Standpunkt ausgeht, dass ..., dann ...
so if one takes the view that... then
In conclusion
- welche Schlussfolgerungen lassen sich nun aus der obigen/dieser Analyse
ziehen/ableiten
what conclusions may be drawn from the above/this analysis
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- es spricht also alles dafür, dass ...
all of this points to the fact that
- aus all dem läßt sich nur folgern/ schließen, dass ...
from this one must conclude that
- man kommt also unweigerlich zu dem ( NOT zum) Schluss, dass ...
so one evidently has to come to the conclusion that...
- nach eingehender Betrachtung muss man also zu dem Ergebnis kommen, dass ...
on reflexion one is forced to conclude that...
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GERMAN PRONUNCIATION
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Achat, Ararat Tochter, Docht, dort
Torte
wachte, Schacht, focht, fort
warte scharrt
5. R between vowels
6.
Lehrer, Tore, Rohre, bohren, fahren, karren,
Starre
Schrift, schreiten,
Sprache, Strauch, Straße, Strecke, Strauß,
Sträusel, Strumpf, strecken,
Strich, stricheln, Streich, streicheln, frieren,
froren, frei, frisch,
English has a clear L at the start of words and before all vowels, e.g.
live, laugh, colon
and a dark L before consonants and at the end of words, e.g.
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hill, coal, cold, bottle
The difference is in the shape of the tongue: for clear L the tongue is flat,
for dark L curved. Notice the difference in the shape of the tongue when
you say the listed examples.
German only has clear L. This means you need to practice keeping your
tongue flat for all positions of L in a word. Practice the difference between
similar words:
English German
tall Toll
full Fulda
stool Stuhl
Feel, feeler viel, viele
O and U For these vowels, you need to work your lips much harder than in English
and push your jaw forward.
In English these vowels tend to be pronounced with a much more relaxed
mouth than in German.
Try a mirror - e.g. purse your lips strongly as for a kiss for U, put sides of
mouth close together for O.
O/Ö The difference between these sounds is in the position of the tongue, while
the lips remain in the same position.
For O the tongue is at the back of the mouth, for Ö it moves forward.
Practice (loudly) moving your tongue backwards and forwards while
keeping your mouth in the position for O.
U/Ü As for O/Ö.
You can practice the correct position of the tongue for Ü by saying long I.
If you alternate the sounds I and Ü you should only move the position of
the lips, while keeping the tongue in the same position for I and Ü.
Z This is pronounced like strong TS
e.g. Zoo, Zahn [pronounced as "tsoo", "tsahn"]
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DEUTSCHE
GESELLSCHAFT
UND KULTUR
SEIT 1890
This course focuses on four topics, and you will find sample material for each topic on the
following pages:
This dossier is not intended to provide comprehensive information on the topics. It gives you a
starting point for developing your ideas and finding other relevant material. The course will
support you in this process.
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GENERATIONEN
und
GESCHLECHTER
Wortschatz
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die Empfängnisverhütung (-, no pl), die Pille (-, -n), das/der Kondom (-s, -e)
die künstliche Befruchtung
der Haushalt (-s, -e), die Hausarbeit (-, -en)
der Erwerb (-[e]s, -e)
erwerbstätig, die Erwerbstätigkeit (-, -en)
die Versorgung (-, -en)
die Erziehung (-, -en)
die Kinderbetreuung (-, -en)
die Kinderkrippe (-, -n), die Tagesmutter (-,*?*)
die Benachteiligung (-, -en)
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(AUS-)BILDUNG - WOZU?
Wortschatz
Bildung und Ausbildung bezeichnen im Deutschen zwei miteinander verwandte Begriffe, die
sich durchaus im Widerspruch zueinander befinden können. Der Duden definiert Ausbildung
und Bildung folgendermaßen:
die Bildung (-, -en) [mhd. bildunge, ahd. bildunga*?*= Schöpfung; Bildnis, Gestalt]:
<o.*?*PI.> a) das Bilden (5), Erziehung: die B. der Jugend; mehr für die B. tun; b) das
Gebildetsein; das Ausgebildetsein; erworbenes Allgemeinwissen: eine wissenschaftliche,
künstlerische, humanistische B.; seine B. vervollständigen, vertiefen; eine umfassende B.
besitzen; eine vorzügliche B. erhalten; ein Mann von B. (ein gebildeter Mann); das gehört zur
allgemeinen B. (das sollte jeder Gebildete wissen); c) (seltener) gutes Benehmen: sie hat keine
B. (weiß nicht, was sich schickt).
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die Gesamtschule
das Gymnasium (-s, -ien)
die Berufsschule (-, -n)
die Universität (-, -en), die Uni (-, -s)
der Schüler (-, -), die Schülerin (-, -nen)
die Schulpflicht (-, no pl)
in die / auf die / zur Schule gehen (- ging - gegangen)
eine Schule besuchen
der Student (-en, -en), die Studentin (-, -nen)
studieren, zur Uni gehen, an einer Uni studieren
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Bildung -
ein brisantes Thema
Soll Schule...
Was ist die PISA Studie? ... eine internationale Schulleistungsstudie, an der mehr als 30
Länder teilnehmen. Sie vergleicht die Leistungen von 15-jährigen Schülerinnen und Schülern
unterschiedlicher Nationen. Im Jahr 2000 wurde besonders das Leseverständnis überprüft, die
Bereiche Mathematik und Naturwissenschaften bildeten Nebenkomponenten. Deutsche
Schüler und Schülerinnen schnitten besonders im Bereich Leseverständnis nicht gut ab.
Österreichische Jugendliche wiesen im Bezug auf mathematische Grundkenntnisse
Schwächen auf (s. Cartoon). Weitere Kritikpunkte am deutschen Schulsystem: die mangelnde
SOZIALE DURCHLÄSSIGKEIT und die BENACHTEILIGUNG DER KINDER VON MIGRANTEN.
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ARBEIT
zwischen
SELBSTVERWIRKLICHUNG
und
ENTFREMDUNG
Wortschatz
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der Gewinn (-s, -e)
der Verlust (-s, no pl)
die Schulden (pl)
die Inflation (-, -en)
die Währung (-, -en)
sich verbessern
sich verschlechtern
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NATION
und
NATIONALISMUS
Wortschatz
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der Nationalsozialismus
das Dritte Reich
die Verfassung (-, -en)
das Grundgesetz (-es, -e)
der Föderalismus (-, no pl), föderalistisch
der Zentralstaat (-[e]s, -en)
das Land (-es, *?*er)
das Bundesland, die neuen/alten Bundesländer
die Wiedervereinigung (-, -en)
der Beitritt der DDR zur Bundesrepublik
die Wende (-, -n), der Fall der Mauer
demokratisch
totalitär
monarchistisch
kommunistisch
sozialistisch
sozialdemokratisch
fortschrittlich
liberal
konservativ
reaktionär
faschistisch
links(extrem), rechts(extrem)
rechtsbürgerlich
adelig
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2009 Exam Paper available at
http://missun29.offices.ox.ac.uk/papers/2009/trinity/4421.pdf
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