Akademie för uns Kölsche Sproch
Encyclopedia
The Akademie för uns Kölsche Sproch (Academy for our Colognian language) was established in 1983 by the Stadtsparkasse Köln (Cologne
Savings and Loan Association
). As part of the bank's foundation for culture, this academy campaigns for the preservation and promotion of the Kölsch dialect as a language. The academy considers itself the only one of its kind in Europe.
The academy has five main areas of activity: studying the Cologne dialect, holding seminars, running a library and dialect archive, holding events and producing publications.
While the academy does not teach the Cologne dialect as a foreign language, the seminars cover the themes of language use, linguistics
and literature
, as well as looking into the history of the city and the dialect. Written and oral Kölsch examinations are held, with successful candidates receiving a certificate signed by the city mayor. The library is divided into five sections, the main section being "Cologne" with 7,000 books. It also has the sections "Rhineland
", and "local languages spoken in area of the German
Dachsprache", and "general Germanic linguistics", and last not least there is standard literature such as encyclopedies, bibliographies, and other directories available. They have and all kinds of media in addition to printed books, including a notable collection of historic picture postcards of Cologne.
The academy acts as a publisher, with 25 books in and on the Kölsch dialect and on the history of the city currently in print. It has also produced an interactive CD-ROM dialect dictionary, a set of voice recordings to be used in automotive navigation system
s or personal navigation assistant
s, and an interactive internet banking portal for the Cologne Savings and Loan Association in Colognian language.
Larger books are usually produced and published by or in cooperation with one of the major publishing companies in Cologne, such as Bachem, Bouvier
, or Greven. There are cooperations with the Landschaftsverband Rheinland as well.
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
Savings and Loan Association
Savings and loan association
A savings and loan association , also known as a thrift, is a financial institution that specializes in accepting savings deposits and making mortgage and other loans...
). As part of the bank's foundation for culture, this academy campaigns for the preservation and promotion of the Kölsch dialect as a language. The academy considers itself the only one of its kind in Europe.
The academy has five main areas of activity: studying the Cologne dialect, holding seminars, running a library and dialect archive, holding events and producing publications.
While the academy does not teach the Cologne dialect as a foreign language, the seminars cover the themes of language use, linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
and literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, as well as looking into the history of the city and the dialect. Written and oral Kölsch examinations are held, with successful candidates receiving a certificate signed by the city mayor. The library is divided into five sections, the main section being "Cologne" with 7,000 books. It also has the sections "Rhineland
Rhineland
Historically, the Rhinelands refers to a loosely-defined region embracing the land on either bank of the River Rhine in central Europe....
", and "local languages spoken in area of the German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
Dachsprache", and "general Germanic linguistics", and last not least there is standard literature such as encyclopedies, bibliographies, and other directories available. They have and all kinds of media in addition to printed books, including a notable collection of historic picture postcards of Cologne.
The academy acts as a publisher, with 25 books in and on the Kölsch dialect and on the history of the city currently in print. It has also produced an interactive CD-ROM dialect dictionary, a set of voice recordings to be used in automotive navigation system
Automotive navigation system
An automotive navigation system is a satellite navigation system designed for use in automobiles. It typically uses a GPS navigation device to acquire position data to locate the user on a road in the unit's map database. Using the road database, the unit can give directions to other locations...
s or personal navigation assistant
Personal navigation assistant
A Personal Navigation Assistant also known as Personal Navigation Device or Portable Navigation Device is a portable electronic product which combines a positioning capability and navigation functions....
s, and an interactive internet banking portal for the Cologne Savings and Loan Association in Colognian language.
Larger books are usually produced and published by or in cooperation with one of the major publishing companies in Cologne, such as Bachem, Bouvier
Bouvier
Bouvier refers to several things:* Bouvier , wine-grape variety grown primarily in Austria, Hungary and Slovenia* Bouvier des Flandres and Bouvier Bernois , breeds of dogs* Bouvier's Law Dictionary...
, or Greven. There are cooperations with the Landschaftsverband Rheinland as well.