The questionnaire as a tool for teaching German modal particles

Abstract

This work is an effort to collect relevant information about the decision making process on the communicative functions of the modal particles (henceforth MP), regarding different contexts. For this purpose, an online questionnaire was developed. For the data collection, sixty-two German native and non-native participants were asked to select from a set of sentences (with or without MPs) which provided the most adequate interpretations for pre-established contexts. The results suggest that native participants were more likely to select the expected options, but the reflections on the decisions taken were challenging for both groups. Therefore, data analysis indicates deficiencies in understanding the function and modal complexity of MPs. Thus, in addition to investigating the decision making process of both groups, we sought to offer tools for teaching MPs in German as a foreign language.

Keywords:
German modal particles; German as a foreign language; relevance theory