Pragmatic writing in contemporary German

Abstract In German, written language interfaces with all major layers of grammar, including pragmatics. However, while the connections to phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics are widely acknowledged, the interface with pragmatics has received comparatively little attention. Although numerous studies have addressed individual phenomena such as quotation marks or emojis, a systematic overview of the relevant devices is still lacking. This article provides a first survey of key examples of pragmatic writing in contemporary German and highlights parallels between phenomena that have largely been discussed in isolation. We argue that pragmatic writing devices are widespread and not limited to the digital era. Our selection is guided by a set of defining characteristics: all included phenomena relate to the context of the written utterance. We classify these devices according to the contextual dimension they engage with, be it the utterance situation, illocutionary force, textual structuring and attention management, or the social context through expressions of emotion, (im)politeness, or group identity. While not exhaustive, this overview aims to initiate a broader discussion of a linguistic interface that has long been overlooked.