Beständigkeit im Handeln: Sprachkultur mit Konjunktur. Rezension zu Rudolf, Gerhild: Wurzeln und Wege. Soziolinguistische Studie zur kirchlichen Sprachen wahl der Siebenbürger Sachsen. Hermannstadt: Honterus-Verlag. ISBN 978-606-008-037-4, Reihe: Miscellanea ecclesiastica des Zentralarchivs der Evangelischen Kirche A. B. in Rumänien, Sibiu/ Hermannstadt, Band XX, 406 S.

German in space and time is a central aspect both from a scientific perspective and from the perspective of one´s own identity preservation within the language island situation. MsGerhild Rudolf’s thesis offers an analysis of the choice of languages within the Evangelical Church A.B. in Romania (ECR) and at the same time a general overview of language change processes within the ECR. There is an irreversible paradigm shift that is taking place along with the ongoing transition from a monolingual to a bilingual linguistic culture in worship. The status of German in the public use of language is also reflected, the efforts of preserving the German language and culture are presented from a current perspective, and the importance of the German minority is discussed historically and in a forward-looking manner. The thesis offers sufficient reason as well to think about future research on the role of the church and of German from different perspectives, to also emphasize the relevance of interdisciplinarity.