Sprache in der Klasse

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This study looks at the language community constituted by a Swiss primary school class of children with a highly assorted mixture of mother tongues. The language used in class is described in terms of variety linguistics and the social processes within the class are examined sociographically. Dialectologic and socio-psychological variables are related to one another; in addition, observations on social solidarity and demarcation are subjected to a qualitative analysis. The language of the class is interpreted as a cumulative product of individual communicative interests. The findings contribute to a better understanding of language and its development in multifactorial contexts.