%0 Journal Article %A Franke, Katharina %D 2017 %T German as a contact language in South Africa: linguistic perspectives %U https://bridges.monash.edu/articles/journal_contribution/German_as_a_contact_language_in_South_Africa_linguistic_perspectives/5063581 %R 10.4225/03/5930c7bb0608c %2 https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/8570812 %K Contact linguistics %K journal article %K Syntactic change %K German in South Africa %K 1959.1/6647 %K monash:6647 %K Monash University. Faculty of Arts. School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics. %X This paper explores existing literature and linguistic research on German as spoken in South Africa from a language contact perspective. Following a brief overview of the situation of German speakers in South Africa, this paper presents a survey of various linguistic features of South African German, by drawing extensively on data from the study of German in South Africa by Stielau (1980). Structural changes in the morpho-syntax and syntax will be discussed in detail. I will conclude by briefly considering possessive pronoun constructions in South African German thereby reviewing the issue of explaining language change in language contact situations. %I Monash University