Sebastian Nickel – författare

Seminar paper from the year 2017 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 2,0, University of Potsdam, language: English, abstract: Being located at the fringes of England, at the course of the Scottish border, the North-East is often perceived as distinct from other English regions. Thus, this region has developed its unique local identity which is essentially borne by the distinctiveness of the spoken traditional dialect - Geordie. Despite its wide regional prevalence, the dialect's identifiability aspects are especially rooted in the urban area of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Here, influencing factors such as football, a strong communal spirit, and recent media presentations have shaped the local patriotism as well as the identification with the spoken Tyneside English. However, the intense local language identification as an authentic "e;Geordie from the toon"e; has also been accompanied by a proceeding dialect levelling in the same area. These ambiguous circumstances arouse a sociolinguistic interest in a closer examination of the development, identification and perception of the Geordie dialect. How does the dialect contribute to the local identity? And does the local dialect levelling correlate with a changed attitude towards Geordie?In order to provide a suitable approach to the raised issue, the outline of this work is structured as follows: The theoretical part will discuss i.a. a brief classification of the terminology Geordie (2.1), its historical background (2.2) as well as the phonological features of Tyneside English (3.1). Subsequently, the third chapter will focus on dialect levelling and diffusion in the area of Newcastle. Dominic Watt s empirical study on FACE and GOAT vowels serves as an illustration for contact-induced levelling in the Tyneside vowel system (3.2). Hereby, further aspects such as gender and social class will extend the reflection of a Geordie identity . Taking these points into account, the current status of Geordie, its reputation in the United Kingdom (4.) as well as an outlook on the future of the dialect are presented towards a final conclusion (5.).

Seminar paper from the year 2016 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 2,0, University of Potsdam, language: English, abstract: In course of its long democratic history, the United Kingdom has gone through many governments whose influential Prime ministers had formed the British society. But probably no other British Prime minister (PM) has ever left his marks so much as Margaret Thatcher, who held longer office than every other PM before. However, the assumption that her almost twelve years lasting term of office could be taken as an indicator for her great popularity as great politician is not applicable at all. Indeed, the "e;Iron Lady"e; and her revolutionary economy and welfare policy, known as Thatcherism, polarised and still divide the minds of the British society. Whereas her supporters are prizing her policy as the basis of Britain's power and wealth for millions, her critics blame her to be responsible for the ruin of the social sector and the destruction of a social community sense. This seminar paper is concerned with the controversial policy of Margaret Thatcher. For my work, I argue that The policy of Thatcher has cemented the British class system rather than loosen it . As a theoretical background I will examine the British class system and define the term class itself. The main part is structured into three linked chapters dealing with the main features of Thatcher s era in order to reveal how Thatcher s policy affected the major classes in the UK: Working -, Middle - and Upper Class. Thereby, it will be illustrated and concluded in the final part of this work if Thatcher can be seen rather as an icon or rather as a hate figure for the UK and its classes. The entire work is embedded in a short portray of the social life in the UK before and after Thatcher s legislative period in order to compare the development objectively.

Seminar paper from the year 2017 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,7, University of Potsdam, language: English, abstract: Nathaniel Hawthorne is considered as one of the most significant American novelist of romantisism of the early 19th century. The interplay between contrasting and ambigious literary motifs can be taken as typical for the era of romantisism as well as for Hawthorne's personal style of writing. In his novels he devoted himself in exploring moral and the social issues of the American society and its roots in the Puritan heritage. Thereby, he often thematised his own deep bonds with his Puritan ancestors and created story plots that both highlighted their weaknesses and their strengths. Whereas Hawthorne himself openly showed admiration for the strengths and determination of his Puritan ancestors, he also adresses his own negative concerns for their rigid and oppressive rules of living. "e;The Scarlet Letter"e; from 1850, as a text book expample of his great literary works, shows Hawthorne s attitude towards Puritans from the Massachusetts Bay Colonies in his portrayal of characters, his plot, and the themes of his story. This ten-page thesis paper attempts to probe into Hawthorne s contradictory religious thoughts reflected in "e;The Scarlet Letter"e;. In course of this, I vindicate the point of view that Hawthorne illustrates Puritanism as contradictory. Furthermore I claim that his critique on Puritanism is partly contradictory as well. This contradictoriness of his critique is also often accompanied by an ambiguity of his literary illustrations. The 2nd and 3rd chapter of this paper will shortly expose the major characteristics of Puritanism and Hawthorne s personal relation to it. The major focus is put on elaborating the contradictions of the depicted Puritanism and Hawthorne s attitude to it in the 4th chapter.

Seminar paper from the year 2017 in the subject Didactics for the subject English - Pedagogy, Literature Studies, grade: 1,3, University of Potsdam, language: English, abstract: With the turn to rather communicative language teaching during the mid-seventies, role playing has found its way in German EFL classrooms. Even forty years after its initial arrival, role playing is still one of the most frequently used communicative teaching methods. The method is commonly regarded as decidedly effective, communicative, versatile and close to everyday life situations. Unsurprisingly, role playing has been also establishing itself in the compulsory Brandenburg curriculum framework for decades now. However, the apparent opinion of the enormous popularity of role playing is not shared by everybody. Especially for reticent and shy pupils as well as for those who suffer from language and speech anxiety in the EFL classroom, this method states a frequent confrontation with their problems. Since this confrontation can by far not be treated as an individual case, this paper aims to approach on the chances and limitations of role playing in regard to the issue of pupils anxiety of speaking. Where in the design of the role play can major issues be found? Are those issues even avoidable? And do comparable alternatives to role playing exist? In order to provide a proper answer to the raised questions above, the outline of this paper is structured as follows. At first, necessary terminologies need to be defined more closely to ensure the further intelligibility. This part includes a short definition of a role play, its decisive characteristics as well as the explanation of its didactic usage. Furthermore, the terms speech-, speaking- and language anxiety will be examined in the same chapter (2.1 & 2.2). Following this, leading scientific theories around anxiety in the language classroom (2.3), including Horwitz s components of language anxiety, will serve as a basis to expose the narrow connection between the method s design and the theories perceptions. Against this theoretical background, the third chapter (3.) will focus on the availability of suitable alternatives to role playing and their evaluation. Finally, chapter 4 will conclude and critically reflect on the made perceptions. The personal additional value of this work lays in a more sensitive practice with role plays and in finding improvements within the dealing with speech anxiety of pupils.