DEI Corner

B y t h e A A T G D E I C o m m i t t e e

With the start of the new school year comes another round of introductions in the classroom. For those looking to incorporate more gender-neutral language into their German-language repertoire, here are just a few resources that may come in handy and can be shared with students at all proficiency levels.

Website: Pronouns and Conjugations | Impuls Deutsch Interactive Grammar (youtu.be/U0QaHA8CKFI)

Video: Trans in Deutschland: Geschlechtsneutrale Sprache | Gender-neutral language (nonbinarytransgermany.tumblr.com/language, from nonbinarytransgermany.tumblr.com)

This short explanatory video is in English with German examples. The video covers verb conjugations in relation to pronouns. The introduction to gender neutral pronouns begins at the 2’13” mark. This video demonstrates an effective way of introducing gender-neutral pronouns into grammar tables at the novice level.

This website is aimed at people in the German-speaking trans community, as well as those questioning their gender identity. This link in particular provides information on different gender-neutral pronouns used in Germany and includes declination tables for many gender-neutral pronouns in German with usage examples. The information is given in both German and English.

PDF: Meinnamemeinpronomen: Broschüre “Mein Name ist ___, mein Pronomen ist ___” (2. Überarbeitete Auflage 2020) (meinnamemeinpronomen.files.wordpress.com/2021/01/mnmp_zweiteauflage2020.pdf, from meinnamemeinpronomen.wordpress.com)

This website and brochure were developed by a community of German speakers who identify as trans*_genderqueer. It was designed as an informational resource for the trans*_genderqueer community and their supporters. The German-language brochure provides information on gender, sex, sexuality, and their connection to language. Short anecdotes provided by fictional trans*_genderqueer characters, literary texts, exercises on gender-neutral language usage, and prompts for self-reflection on the content of the brochure are all included in the PDF. Pronouns and gender-neutral substantives are introduced beginning on page 37, with pronoun tables on page 39 and examples of pronoun/adjective/noun correspondence on page 42.

We know that there are many different resources regarding pronouns and gender-neutral language available online and elsewhere, and we plan to cover the topic more extensively in a later article. If you'd like to share links or materials that you’ve used or developed on the subject, please fill out this Google Form: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdURfZxpOI7HP895S8cJtSjvxjpVzFar9qz6b3gCa93E0T0Lw/viewform. Reader contributions will be added to a more extensive list of resources on a running basis. In the meantime, we hope that these items might help provide additional ideas for how one could begin incorporating genderneutral language in practical contexts.

A C T F L 2 0 2 2 : S e e y o u a t A C T F L !

In other news, the DEI committee looks forward to connecting with you at the ACTFL convention in Boston. We would love to hear your thoughts in person, especially on how best to support DEI-related matters within the AATG. Please stop by – we look forward to meeting you! Details below:

Session/Meeting: Meet the AATG Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee

Description: AATG members are invited to come and get to know the members of AATG's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee. Date: Friday, November 18, 2022 Time: 4:30-5:15pm Eastern Time Location: Room 156C in the Convention Center

DivDaF: Diversity and Social (In)Justice in German as a Foreign Language

Lastly, the AATG has announced a three-year funded project in partnership with interDAF at the Herder Institute of the Universität Leipzig. The project will focus on developing methodological, pedagogical, and didactic materials on the topic of diversity and social (in)justice in German-speaking regions and the USA. The first year of applications is aimed at established professionals in the field of diversity and social (in)justice in the German language classroom. The second and third years of applications welcome all teachers of German as a foreign language who would like to develop a focus on diversity and social (in)justice in the classroom. More information about the project and the application process can be found here: aatg.org/page/divdaf Applications are now open for the 2023 seminar, and are due January 13, 2023.