Research at the Department of German

The Department of German trains language experts and conducts research on language, culture and translation. One of the central research topics in the department is the German language and multilingualism in Finland. In the strategy of the University of Turku, the central lines of research include cultural memory and societal change, as well as themes connected with children, youth and learning.

In the past few years, the research activities of the department have focused on the following areas:

research on language learning and language teaching
research on the grammar of the German language
research on German philology and research traditions
translation and interpretation
multilingualism in society.

The Department of German is a member in the international FI-DACH research network.

Detailed information about previous and current research at the School of Languages and Translation Studies language can be found in the individiual profiles of our researchers in the Research Portal.

Research projects

Ethical and Sustainable Language Teaching (EKKO)

Ethical and Sustainable Language Teaching, funded by the Kone Foundation, is a four-year project launched in the School of Languages and Translation Studies at the University of Turku, Finland in January 2021. The cornerstone of the project lies in the question of how the principles of ethics and sustainability can be promoted in language teaching and pre-service teacher education.

Considering the aspects of sustainable development and language equality is challenging not only in language teaching but also in pre-service language teacher education. The purpose of the project is to research the essence of ethics and sustainable development principles and how they can be promoted in language teaching and pre-service language teacher education. Based on this research, we will develop engaging learning activities for language learners and pedagogic solutions for pre-service teachers and teachers, which promote ethical conduct, sustainable development and language equality.

Project director: Minna Maijala, minna.maijala(at)utu.fi
EKKO Team: Leena Maria Heikkola, Salla-Riikka Kuusalu, Päivi Laine, Maarit Mutta, Katja Mäntylä, Judi Rose, and Veijo Vaakanainen
Project funding: Kone Foundation 2021–2025

https://sites.utu.fi/ekko/en/

From Forest Words into Forest Action (SeedLING)

From Forest Words into Forest Action (SeedLING) is a four-year research project funded by Kone Foundation and launched at the School of Languages and Translation Studies at the University of Turku in January 2024. The study of the discourses of Finnish forest actors and the search for alternative discourse models is the cornerstone of the project.

The purpose of the project is to explore forest-related discourses and their impact in Finland from an eco-philosophical perspective, utilising linguistic research methods and an interdisciplinary approach. Through experimental research, we examine how the discourses of forestry stakeholders influence the opinions of Finnish people. In addition, we seek alternative discourses that support a more sustainability-oriented and eco-philosophically pluralistic way of thinking about forests.

The project is part of Kone Foundation's Metsän puolella -initiative.

Principal Investigator: Minna Maijala

SeedLING Team: Salla-Riikka Kuusalu, Veronika Laippala, Attila Krizsán, Assi-Jutta Kuusela, Telma Peura, Arran Stibbe

More information: https://sites.utu.fi/seedling/

Project funding: Kone Foundation 2024–2027

Implementation of sustainable development goals in language teaching and learning (SustainLANG)

Implementation of sustainable development goals in language teaching and learning (SustainLANG) is a four-year project, funded by the Research Council of Finland and was launched in late 2024 at the School of Languages and Translation Studies at the University of Turku, Finland. At the core of this project of this project lies the potential of language teaching and learning as a means of implementing education for sustainable development (ESD).

The SustainLANG-project aims to

study the integration of sustainable development goals (SDGs) into language teaching and learning at different educational levels in Finland
examine the practical implementation of ESD in language classrooms and teaching materials
map the extent of ESD and language teachers’ and learners’ attitudes towards it using a large-scale questionnaire
develop an innovative theory- and practice-driven ESD implementation model for language teaching and learning

This project will provide new insights into the current state of and possibilities for ESD in language education in Finland, which can be adapted internationally. The aim is to promote change in language education theory and practices.

Project director: Minna Maijala

SustainLANG-team: Salla-Riikka Kuusalu, Päivi Laine, Pekka Lintunen, Eva Malessa, Maarit Mutta, Loretta Saikkonen

More information: https://sites.utu.fi/sustainlang/

Project funding: Research Council of Finland 2024–2028

Language and narratives of femonationalism: contrastive and multimodal perspectives

The research project is dedicated to the linguistic analysis of the phenomenon of femonationalism in the political narratives of female party leaders of right-wing populist parties in Germany (Alternative für Deutschland, AfD) and Finland (Perussuomalaiset). The starting point is the seemingly paradoxical situation that parties with anti-feminist positions are led by women. Drawing on the concept of calculated ambivalence, both the party programs and the individual positioning of the leaders in social media are examined.

The aim of the research project is to describe argumentation patterns and persuasive strategies that instrumentalize feminist discourses in order to support right-wing populist narratives. The focus is on categories such as gender mainstreaming, the threat of Islamism and gender roles. A central methodological approach is the multimodal critical discourse analysis of party programs and the personal profiling of party leaders in social media.

This research project is the first to conduct contrastive analyses of femonationalism with a clear linguistic focus. The interactions between language, gender discourses and political instrumentalization will be analysed. The social relevance lies in uncovering mechanisms that contribute to the legitimization of discriminatory politics and deciphering the rhetorical strategies of populist party leaders. The long-term plan is to build a network through the project to investigate similarities and differences in the political instrumentalization of language at an international level. This will enable a comprehensive analysis of the role of multimodal communication in populist discourse.

Further information: Dr. Christian Niedling

Mourning in animal cemeteries

This project examines animal cemeteries in five different areas in Germany. The focus lies on the verbalization of grief. Furthermore, animal names and indications of multilingualism on the grave markers are analyzed. The aim is to describe the structures and the individuality of the local mourning cultures and to compare them with similar phenomena in other areas of Germany. As the next step, the findings from the animal cemeteries are compared with findings on human graves to identify differences and similarities. A comparison with Finnish animal cemeteries is in planning.

For further information, please contact Doris Wagner, PhD

Die Trauer auf Tierfriedhöfen

In diesem Projekt werden Tierfriedhöfe aus fünf verschiedenen Gegenden Deutschlands untersucht. Der Schwerpunkt liegt auf der Versprachlichung der Trauer. Des Weiteren werden die Tiernamen analysiert sowie die Mehrsprachigkeit auf den Grabzeichen. Ziel ist, Strukturen und Individualität der Trauerkultur herauszufinden und sie mit anderen Gegenden Deutschlands zu vergleichen. Im nächsten Schritt werden die Befunde der Tierfriedhöfe mit Humangräbern verglichen, um Unterschiede und Gemeinsamkeiten herauszufinden. Ein Vergleich mit finnischen Tierfriedhöfen ist ebenfalls geplant.

Für weitere Informationen kontaktieren Sie bitte Doris Wagner, PhD

The project “Languages in the Kakola prison”

The Turku remand prison (formerly the Central prison in the Turku and Pori Province, founded in 1890) was located on the Turku Kakola hill until 2007. The Turku remand prison housed Finnish inmates from the Turku and Pori Province as well as foreign prisoners who waited for their case to be processed, for their sentencing, as well as for any further measures. The research project aims to bring out new information about foreign prisoners, especially those of German nationality. The study covers a period that extends from 1914 to the present.

The research project paves the way for the study of "turning points" in the Finnish history from the perspective of linguistic diversity. Its results complete our understanding of changes in the Finnish legal culture. Furthermore, an interesting contribution to our understanding of cultural history can be expected from results concerning our understanding of the influence of German people and German culture in the Turku area at the beginning of the 20th century.

Contact person: PD Dr. phil. Doris Wagner

Sprache und Narrative des Femonationalismus: Kontrastive und multimodale Perspektiven

Das Forschungsprojekt widmet sich der sprachwissenschaftlichen Analyse des Phänomens Femonationalismus in den politischen Narrativen weiblicher Parteivorsitzender rechtspopulistischer Parteien in Deutschland (Alternative für Deutschland, AfD) und Finnland (Perussuomalaiset). Ausgangspunkt ist die scheinbar paradoxe Situation, dass Parteien mit antifeministischen Standpunkten von Frauen geführt werden. Unter Rückgriff auf das Konzept der kalkulierten Ambivalenz werden sowohl die Parteiprogramme als auch die individuellen Positionierungen der Vorsitzenden in sozialen Medien untersucht.

Ziel des Forschungsprojektes ist es, Argumentationsmuster und persuasive Strategien zu beschreiben, die feministische Diskurse instrumentalisieren, um rechtspopulistische Narrative zu stützen. Dabei stehen Kategorien wie Gender-Mainstreaming, Bedrohung durch Islamismus und Geschlechterrollen im Fokus. Ein zentraler methodischer Ansatz ist die multimodal angelegte Kritische Diskursanalyse von Parteiprogrammen sowie persönlicher Profilierung der Parteivorsitzenden in sozialen Medien.

In dem Forschungsprojekt werden erstmals kontrastive Analysen des Femonationalismus mit einem klaren sprachwissenschaftlichen Fokus vorgenommen. Dabei werden die Wechselwirkungen von Sprache, Gender-Diskursen und politischer Instrumentalisierung analysiert. Die gesellschaftliche Relevanz liegt darin, Mechanismen aufzudecken, die zur Legitimation diskriminierender Politik beitragen, und die rhetorischen Strategien populistischer Parteivorsitzender zu entschlüsseln. Langfristig ist geplant, durch das Projekt ein Netzwerk aufzubauen, um Gemeinsamkeiten und Unterschiede in der politischen Instrumentalisierung von Sprache auf internationaler Ebene zu untersuchen. Dies ermöglicht eine umfassende Analyse der Rolle multimodaler Kommunikation in populistischen Diskursen.

Weitere Informationen: Dr. Christian Niedling