German and German Political Disunity
and its causes have not been formally studied and warrant further investi-
gation.
1
5. Conclusions
This study underscores the divisive potential of language – it has been a
constant feature of German history and will continue to be in the future
debates about German language and interactions between Germans. In a
certain sense, the perceptions reported on in this study are not so much
based on the linguistic differences of regional varieties, which have always
existed, but rather based on expectations and attitudes conditioned by
radically different historical experiences. Nonetheless a strong perceptual
wall exists along old political borders for the Bambergers and this wall
may have actually intensified ...