Dialect, Standard Language, Substandard and the European Language Situation

In the author’s opinion linguistic history and the results of linguistic changes can only be understood if all forms of linguistic existences, including the existing contacts between them, are observed. Throughout this process one can proceed from the basic law of etymology which aims at describing the replacing and complementing processes of standardization and destandarization or dialectization. Even so the main focus of the processes described in this article lies on German, principally all other European languages are showing comparable upgrading and degradation phenomena. At present all European standard languages are characterized by distinct destandardizations which could lead in the end towards a broad dialectization or regionalization of these languages. This will be the case if the indifference towards set norm, especially in spoken standard, correlates with the further abandonment of prestigious domains of communication namely in favor of English, for example in the area of science. These processes which can be determined in all European language situations which are viewed as the end of the understanding of language originating in the Renaissance. In that way linguistics and linguistic standards will be indicated with regard to European language policy