Der Müller Peter and (s) Fischers Emma

Grammar and pragmatics of unofficial personal names in German dialects

Abstract

In German dialects and in rural communities, special personal names are used, in which the surname precedes the given name: der Müller Peter, Fischers Emma. This article presents the results of a research project addressing the grammatical and pragmatic variation of these unofficial names. A mixed methods approach shows that the order of “surname + given name” is triggered by dialect area, the size of a village or town, the age of the speakers, as well as the integration of a referent into the local community. Some unofficial names show remnants of genitive inflection, which has otherwise disappeared in German dialects: Fischer-s Emma. In some cases, we also find cliticized genitive articles: des > s Fischer-s Emma. A diachronic analysis shows that these structures can be traced back to possessive constructions, in which children or wives were assigned to a head of household. Even today, it is still highly relevant in rural communities to identify a person as a member of a local family.