"Formulaic use of language in student texts" (Contributions to Didactic Reconstruction; 11)

Formulaicity is generally associated with the idea of fixedness and stereotypicality. This may prompt us to ban formulaic phrases from written text production as the antithesis of "genuine creativity". However, a hasty normative condemnation does not do justice to the diverse forms and multifunctionality of formulaic language. If we take a closer look at formulaic language in student texts, we realise that, in addition to the stylistic problems that formulaic language can cause, it also has a number of positive functions.

This dissertation explores the question of what role formulaicity plays in the written language use of pupils - primarily at upper secondary level - and how it should be dealt with in a meaningful way, i.e. it is about empirically recording the significance of this area of language for the learner and developing an appropriate language didactic concept based on this. The study thus follows the three steps of didactic reconstruction: technical clarification of the subject matter, investigation of the learner's perspective and didactic structuring.

The empirical analysis is based on a text corpus from the subjects German, history, values and norms and biology and focuses on the following:

• Analysing possible causes of formulaic language use
• Analysing the stylistic performance of formulaic language use
• Describing and explaining formulation weaknesses resulting from the use of
  formulaic language

By identifying typical problem areas, it was possible to develop concrete suggestions for optimising formulation work, e.g. in the form of a "stylistic filter", with the help of which students can examine their own texts for possible formulation weaknesses. This is supplemented by suggestions for the functional use of formulaic language, e.g. in the form of text-structuring formulation patterns. Teachers are encouraged to deal constructively with formulation weaknesses by guiding them to shift their focus from merely penalising weaknesses to their causes.

Labinsky, Erika (2016): Collocation breaks in upper secondary school texts. In: Aptum. Journal for language criticism and language culture. 12th volume, issue 2 (thematic issue: Formulaic language and language criticism.)

Labinsky, Erika (2015): On the trail of formulation - co-operative text production as a survey method. In: Kaiser, Astrid (ed.): Innovative survey methods. Baltmannsweiler: Schneider Verlag, 99-116.

Margewitsch, Erika (2006): Formulaic formulations in student texts -

On the genesis and interpretation of formulation weaknesses. In: Häcki Buhofer, Annelies/ Burger, Harald (eds.): Phraseology in Motion. Proceedings of Europhras Basel 2004, Hohengehren: Schneider Verlag, 357-369.

Margewitsch, Erika (2006): Formulaic language use in school texts. Oldenburg: Didactic Centre. (= Contributions to Didactic Reconstruction;11)

Margewitsch, Erika (2006): "That sounds convincing because no pig understands it..."- A study on pupils' ideas of style. Oldenburg: Didaktisches Zentrum (= Oldenburger VorDrucke; 537)

Margewitsch, Erika (2005): Thinking about formulating - writing conferences as a research method. In: M. Gerhard; H. Gropengießer &U. Kattmann (eds.): Handbuch zur fachdidaktischen Lehr- und Lernforschung. (in press)

Margewitsch, Erika (2005): Benefits and dangers of formulaic language use in student texts. In: Huneke, Hans-Werner (ed.): Written language. Structures, acquisition, didactic modelling. Heidelberg: Mattes Verlag, 163-181 (= Series of publications of the Heidelberg University of Education 45)

Margewitsch, Erika (2005): "Falsche" Kollokationen und andere Formulierungsschwächen: Spuren auf dem Weg zum guten Stil? In: Helmuth Feilke/ Regula Schmidlin (eds.): Literale Textentwicklung. Lang: Frankfurt/M and others, 185-194.