Sally Johnson is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Leeds. Her research interests include sociolinguistics, language politics, language and gender, and the linguistics of German. She has previously published Gender, Group Identity and Variation in the Berlin Urban Vernacular (Peter Lang, 1995), Language and Masculinity (co-edited with Ulrike Hanna Meinhof – Blackwell, 1997) and Exploring the German Language (Arnold, 1998).

The book’s concentration on the debates and legal rulings makes it especially insightful. This book will appeal not only to those focused on the German sociolinguistic situation but also to the wider readership interested in broader issues of the politics of standardization and the relationship between individuals, society, institutions, government and language.

• Acknowledgements 1. Introduction to the 1996 Reform of German Orthography 2. Historical Background 3. Linguistic Details 4. The Constitutional Challenge 5. The 1996 Reform as Language Ideological Debate6. The Trouble with Spelling? Discussion and Conclusions BibliographyIndex

Sally Johnson is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Leeds. Her research interests include sociolinguistics, language politics, language and gender, and the linguistics of German. She has previously published Gender, Group Identity and Variation in the Berlin Urban Vernacular (Peter Lang, 1995), Language and Masculinity (co-edited with Ulrike Hanna Meinhof – Blackwell, 1997) and Exploring the German Language (Arnold, 1998).

The book’s concentration on the debates and legal rulings makes it especially insightful. This book will appeal not only to those focused on the German sociolinguistic situation but also to the wider readership interested in broader issues of the politics of standardization and the relationship between individuals, society, institutions, government and language.

• Acknowledgements 1. Introduction to the 1996 Reform of German Orthography 2. Historical Background 3. Linguistic Details 4. The Constitutional Challenge 5. The 1996 Reform as Language Ideological Debate6. The Trouble with Spelling? Discussion and Conclusions BibliographyIndex

Sally Johnson is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Leeds. Her research interests include sociolinguistics, language politics, language and gender, and the linguistics of German. She has previously published Gender, Group Identity and Variation in the Berlin Urban Vernacular (Peter Lang, 1995), Language and Masculinity (co-edited with Ulrike Hanna Meinhof – Blackwell, 1997) and Exploring the German Language (Arnold, 1998).

The book’s concentration on the debates and legal rulings makes it especially insightful. This book will appeal not only to those focused on the German sociolinguistic situation but also to the wider readership interested in broader issues of the politics of standardization and the relationship between individuals, society, institutions, government and language.

• Acknowledgements 1. Introduction to the 1996 Reform of German Orthography 2. Historical Background 3. Linguistic Details 4. The Constitutional Challenge 5. The 1996 Reform as Language Ideological Debate6. The Trouble with Spelling? Discussion and Conclusions BibliographyIndex