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The present study takes a variationist perspective to explore the varietal repertoires of adult learners of German as a second language (L2), that is, their variable use of standard German, Austro‐Bavarian dialect, and mixture varieties. Forty L2 learners completed a virtual reality task involving interactions with dialect‐speaking and standard‐German‐speaking interlocutors. Using Bayesian multilevel modeling, the goal was to explore differential outcomes in the acquisition of sociolinguistic competence by determining whether participants adjusted their varietal behavior to match that of the interlocutor (i.e., varietal convergence). The results show that there were no interindividual addressee‐dependent convergence tendencies. A holistic person‐centered analysis of individual learners' intraspeaker variation revealed that only select L2 learners adjusted their usage patterns but did not entirely invert their usage of dialect and standard language as a function of the variety of the interlocutor. Introspective qualitative data speak to potential drivers behind the differential development of L2 (multi)varietal repertoires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The German-speaking part of Switzerland is one of the country's regions where distinct dialects coexist with the standard variety. This situation poses a challenge for immigrant children: most of their daily input does not correspond to the language variety that is essential for educational achievement, namely Standard German. Current academic measures concentrate on the decreed use of the standard variety in all contexts and all subjects at school. However, the use and knowledge of the local dialect are important for social inclusion. Therefore, immigrant children need to learn to cope with both varieties. In this study, we look at how immigrant children – driven by the need to be affiliated to a group – make use of the different varieties and languages in their everyday lives. This analysis should provide a useful insight into how language competence and use support the social phenomena of inclusion and exclusion, and how arrangements for the facilitation of language acquisition could take actual linguistic practices into consideration. Der Sprachgebrauch in der Deutschschweiz ist durch das Nebeneinander von Dialekt und Standard geprägt. Diese Situation stellt für Kinder mit Migrationshintergrund eine besondere Herausforderung dar: Der Großteil ihres sprachlichen Inputs entspricht nicht der Sprachvarietät, die für ihren Bildungserfolg wesentlich ist, nämlich Standarddeutsch. Momentane schulpolitische Anweisungen konzentrieren sich auf den ausschließlichen Gebrauch der Standardsprache in allen schulischen Kontexten und Fächern. Da jedoch Kenntnisse des Dialekts und die Fähigkeit, diesen angemessen einzusetzen, entscheidend für die soziale Integration sind, müssen Migrantenkinder mit beiden Varietäten umzugehen wissen. In diesem Beitrag widmen wir uns der Frage, wie die Kinder – ausgehend von der Notwendigkeit ihre Gruppenzugehörigkeit zu demonstrieren – die verschiedenen Varietäten im Alltag verwenden. Diese Analyse bietet Einblicke, wie Sprachkompetenz und Sprachgebrauch die sozialen Phänomene Integration und Ausschluss beeinflussen und wie Sprachfördermaßnahmen die Sprachpraktiken der Kinder miteinbeziehen können. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]