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The working hypothesis of this article maintains that immersive productions developed in recent years, based on immersive technologies (360 videos and VR) exhibit a certain degree of consolidation in their productive practices, formalizing their own language and narrative grammar. Interactively specific. To meet this objective, we analyze, from a qualitative approach, a set of nonfiction works, designed to be experienced and explored through VR viewers. The results show that spatiality stands as the specificity of the medium, while highlighting the maturation of the use of immersive languages for the production of contemporary works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marcel Danesi's book, "Politics, Lies and Conspiracy Theories: A Cognitive Linguistic Perspective," examines the prevalence of political lies, conspiracy theories, and disinformation and their impact on society. The book explores how metaphors, such as the "deep state" metaphor used by Trump, shape and spread these narratives. It utilizes cognitive linguistics and conceptual metaphor theory to explain the psychological aspects of deception in political discourse, with a focus on the role of social media in amplifying these conspiratorial metaphors. While the book does not critique the educational system, it suggests that the lack of critical thinking and rhetorical skills contributes to individuals' vulnerability to these narratives. The study delves into the linguistic origins of political manipulation and deception, emphasizing the influence of metaphors and language on thought and behavior. It argues that constant exposure to falsehoods and disinformation can rewire the brains of supporters, leading to a state of unquestioning belief where reality and fiction blur. However, the study acknowledges the general population's resistance to reflecting on language and rhetorical strategies, making it challenging to protect susceptible individuals from political manipulation. While the study offers valuable insights into gullibility, it does not provide a solution to the issue. [Extracted from the article]

"Artificial Intelligence & Generative AI for Beginners" by David M. Patel is an introductory guidebook that explores the basics of artificial intelligence (AI) and generative artificial intelligence (GAI). The book covers the history and different types of AI, as well as the concept of GAI, which uses machine learning models to generate unique outputs. It discusses the applications of GAI in various industries and provides case studies of companies that have utilized GAI to expand their businesses. The book acknowledges the benefits of GAI but also raises ethical considerations and potential downsides, emphasizing the need for human oversight and regulation. It also explores the potential impact of GAI on education, highlighting both the benefits and concerns. Overall, the book is recommended for those interested in learning about and utilizing GAI models, while recognizing the importance of understanding its applications and implications. [Extracted from the article]

"The End of Ambition: The United States and the Third World in the Vietnam Era" by Mark Atwood Lawrence explores the shift in U.S. policy towards the decolonized world during the Vietnam War. The book argues that as U.S. military involvement in Vietnam escalated, the U.S. became more willing to work with authoritarian leaders and less tolerant of dissent or criticism from Third World leaders. The author examines case studies of Brazil, India, Iran, Indonesia, and southern Africa to illustrate how this shift played out in specific regions. While the book focuses on U.S. policymakers and government sources, it acknowledges the negative long-term consequences of these policies and complements studies that de-center the United States in the history of the Cold War. [Extracted from the article]

War at the Margins: Indigenous Experiences in World War II, written by Lin Poyer, explores the often overlooked experiences of indigenous communities during and after World War II. Poyer focuses on indigenous groups in Europe, Asia, and the Pacific Ocean, as well as those who provided support to the war effort. The book examines the impact of the war on indigenous communities, changes in their relationships with colonial powers, and their paths to greater self-determination. While the book does not cover every indigenous group or event, it provides a well-researched and thought-provoking study on the topic. [Extracted from the article]

"Placental Politics: CHamoru Women, White Womanhood, and Indigeneity under U.S. Colonialism" by Christine Taitano DeLisle is a book that sheds light on the experiences of CHamoru women in Guam during U.S. colonial rule. The author explores the important role of midwives, known as pattera, in traditional CHamoru birthing practices and the cultural significance of burying the placenta. DeLisle challenges the historical exclusion of women's voices in CHamoru history and examines the impact of white American women, particularly Navy wives, on the island. The book also delves into the lives of prominent figures such as Agueda Johnston, an influential educator in Guåhan's history. It discusses the experiences of white American women in Guam during the early 20th century, focusing on Susan Dyer, a military wife, and her modest lifestyle while her husband served as Naval Governor. The text also explores the role of elite Chamoru women in organizing social and civic events and their relationship with the American colonial regime. It further examines the legacies of Helen Paul, a navy wife who designed the Guam flag, and Agueda Johnston, highlighting her journey from student to teacher and her contribution to CHamoru cultural survival. The book concludes by discussing contemporary CHamoru women who challenge militarization and engage in community activism. [Extracted from the article]

Audiovisual co-creation has always had a pedagogical nature, which has been maintained in its adaptation to digital communication, although it is applied in different ways. This study analyses the pedagogical proposals in collaborative interactive non-fiction in the digital environment, and compares them with previous projects of participatory practices. As case studies we selected five interactive audiovisual projects that stand out for their educational intent and their preparation of teaching resources, and analyzed their pedagogical proposals. First, we looked at pedagogy in pre-digital or analogical collaborative creation, which was used to develop an original analytical table. We used this table to study the five collaborative projects through three identified categories. The results show that these categories continue in initiatives today, although the findings show a shift in the pedagogy about audiovisuals, particularly concerning the technical aspects, as well as a weakening of the connection between learning and participation in the collective production. Finally, we can highlight that combining educational practices with collaborative production on the Internet is important to increase citizen participation and give a social perspective to this audiovisual modality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The book "German as a European Language" by Gisela Zifonun promises to introduce characteristic features of the German language. It consists of eight chapters that address various aspects of German and compare them to other languages such as English, French, Polish, and Hungarian. The book attempts to convey grammar in an illustrative and concrete manner, but often lacks explanations and backgrounds for the comparisons. It is aimed at language enthusiasts, but requires linguistic expertise and does not have a clear target audience. The book concludes by stating that German fulfills nine characteristic features of the Standard Average European and therefore belongs to the European language family. However, overall, the book does not fulfill the purpose of learning something new or refreshing existing knowledge. [Extracted from the article]

The publication by Grażyna Zenderowska-Korpus titled "Phrasemes in Text Types" examines the communicative-pragmatic potential of phrasemes in various text types. The author emphasizes the importance of teaching phrasemes in foreign language instruction and presents various examples from text types such as letters to the editor, horoscopes, and advertisements. The second part of the book deals with the role of phraseology in foreign language didactics and presents possibilities and limitations of phraseodidactics. The publication is aimed at German as a Foreign Language teachers, Germanists, and language mediators who are interested in phraseodidactic and culture-specific questions. [Extracted from the article]

The book "Early Language Policy in the 21st Century. An International Perspective" by Zein, Subhan, and Coady, Maria R. deals with the framework conditions for foreign language teaching in primary education. A total of 14 chapters are dedicated to foreign language teaching in English, Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese on all continents. The focus is on the situation of German language teaching in Great Britain, which is described as sobering. German ranks third among foreign language learners there, while Chinese as a foreign language is gaining momentum. The book shows that foreign languages are a political football and do not align with the needs of teachers or learners. [Extracted from the article]

The anthology "New Perspectives on Willingness to Communicate in a Second Language" by Zarrinabadi and Pawlak addresses the issue of willingness to speak in a foreign language. The volume presents 12 scholarly articles that deal with various aspects of willingness to speak. The authors examine, among other things, the influence of cultural and personal factors, the role of the teacher, and the significance of a flipped classroom approach. The contributions show that willingness to speak depends on various factors and that there are no simple solutions. The volume offers a well-founded examination of the topic and can be recommended to both experts and beginners in this field. [Extracted from the article]

The anthology "ar|gu|men|tie|ren. A central speech act in subject and language teaching" by Stephan Schicker and Sabine Schmölzer-Eibinger examines the development, modeling, and promotion of argumentation competence in teaching. The focus is on the importance of argumentation for interdisciplinary teaching and democratic participation. The volume contains theoretical contributions, literature reviews, and individual studies that present current research results. The structure of the book includes three parts: arguing in language teaching, arguing in subject teaching, and arguing in second language. The contributions address various aspects of argumentation, such as oral argumentation, argumentative text types, and the use of question words in argumentative conversations. The present volume deals with the topic of argumentative competence in various teaching contexts. Subject-specific models of argumentation competence are presented, and the differences in knowledge goals, tasks, and positioning procedures in the subjects of German, history, and biology are analyzed. A textbook analysis shows that closed tasks hinder independent comparison, while open and metacognitive tasks promote argumentation skills. A study on intertextuality in argumentative texts shows that students often inadequately use intertextual references. The fourth chapter deals with argumentation in German as a second language (DaZ) teaching, examining the written language competence of newly arrived students. An intervention study shows positive and negative transfer effects from Russian to German in promoting written argumentation skills. The volume provides insights into the research field as well as practical suggestions for promoting language and argumentation competence. [Extracted from the article]

The study by Wang, Jiayi examines the lexical interferences between German and Chinese in Chinese German language teaching. The focus is on verbs and verb constructions. The author discusses the role of the native language in learning and using vocabulary and advocates for a contrastive approach to vocabulary acquisition. The book provides an overview of the research status in China on contrastive studies of the German-Chinese language pair and offers suggestions for vocabulary exercises. It emphasizes the complexity of lexical learning and the necessity of appropriate vocabulary instruction in foreign language teaching. [Extracted from the article]

The anthology "German Studies and German as a Foreign Language in Multilingual Contexts" contains seven contributions that deal with the topic of multilingualism from a language didactic, intercultural, and system-oriented perspective. One essay examines how plurilingual societies deal with communicative challenges, while another analyzes the situation of the German language in Morocco. An empirical study investigates the influence of French on the acquisition of German among Moroccan German studies students. Another contribution deals with the gual-intercultural and contrastive perspective foreign language teaching based on a textbook. The conference proceedings address various aspects of multilingualism from a linguistic, foreign language and literature didactic, intercultural, and language policy perspective. The authors emphasize the importance of literariness in foreign language teaching and suggest paying more attention to multilingualism and interculturality. Concepts for promoting literary-aesthetic learning in German as a Foreign Language/German as a Second Language studies are also presented. The conference proceedings provide important impulses for the discussion on multilingualism in the context of German studies and German as a Foreign Language/German as a Second Language studies. [Extracted from the article]

The book "Deutsch im Maschinenbau" by Maria Steinmetz and Heiner Dintera is a textbook aimed at non-native German-speaking students of mechanical engineering at technical universities and colleges. It is intended to help learners acquire technical language structures and enable them to act effectively in the field of mechanical engineering. The book consists of seven chapters that contain relevant technical language structures and elements for various communication situations. It also includes exercises and tasks to promote the receptive and productive skills of the learners. The textbook allows mechanical engineering students to communicate in authentic language use contexts and contributes to the development of technical language teaching materials. [Extracted from the article]

The dissertation by Stefan Rahn examines oral examination conversations with German and international students at German universities. The study analyzes the linguistic structures in the examination interactions and investigates thematic and action structures, types of knowledge, and processes of knowledge processing, as well as the communicative realization of linguistic action. The results show that there are different variations of thematic-propositional structure and that conceptual knowledge plays an important role. The work thus provides a relevant contribution to the discussion on the study ability and academic success of international students. [Extracted from the article]

The publication "Language and Academic Success among Education Foreigners" analyzes the influence of language proficiency on the academic success of international students in German-language bachelor's or state examination programs. The SpraStu project, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, was conducted from 2017 to 2020 at the universities of Leipzig and Würzburg. The results show that language proficiency at the beginning of studies has an impact on academic success and generally improves during the course of study. However, it is noted that some students have difficulties with writing and that the validity of language tests for university admission varies. The publication calls for better support for the target group in learning German during their studies and emphasizes the importance of targeted language support from the beginning. [Extracted from the article]

The book "Ugly Words" by Joachim Scharloth deals with the ideological discourse of the New Right and their use of hate speech. The author analyzes the abusive vocabulary of the New Right, which is mainly found on mainstream platforms of the AfD (Alternative for Germany). Societal issues and political fields that are discussed by the New Right in the media are addressed. The book provides insight into the processes of abusive word formation and the instrumentalization of language by the New Right. It invites readers to approach language in a reflective manner and is aimed at a broad audience, especially advanced learners of the German language and students in the field of linguistics. However, it is pointed out that discriminatory speech is not only used by the New Right, but also by other parts of German society. It is emphasized that the recognition of cultural differences is an important part of democratic discourse. [Extracted from the article]

The book "Wissenschaftliches Arbeiten an deutschen Universitäten" by Schäfer and Heinrich has been published in its second edition and is specifically aimed at foreign students in the humanities and social sciences. It provides practical assistance with exercises and fills a gap in the literature on academic work, as it is explicitly targeted at foreign students. The book covers various aspects of academic work, such as note-taking, presenting, and writing a written academic paper. It also includes exercises and examples to help students. Although the book has some shortcomings, it can be recommended as long as there is no better work available for the target audience. [Extracted from the article]

The book "Writing in Contexts" by Sandra Reitbrecht presents selected contributions from a conference in Vienna in 2019. The first part of the book deals with the modeling of writing contexts, while the second part addresses the exploration of writing contexts. The authors discuss various theoretical approaches and models for investigating writing processes. It is emphasized that context plays an important role in the modeling and exploration of writing processes. The third part of the book, which deals with the design of writing contexts, is not covered in this review. The text addresses various methodological problems in the field of writing and language analysis. It is pointed out that in writing didactics, the promotion of discourse-related competencies is often lacking, especially in foreign languages. It is also discussed whether cognitive processes can be investigated through thinking aloud. Furthermore, the significance of the language act of comparison in written exams is analyzed, and it is noted that transparency and clear criteria are often lacking. Finally, the necessity of appropriately addressing variation and precision in the school context is emphasized in order to prepare for academic writing at the university level. [Extracted from the article]

The book "Antisemitism in Language" by Ronen Steinke deals with the significance of word choice in relation to antisemitism. The author examines the negative connotations of the word "Jew" and the discriminatory use of terms associated with Judaism. Steinke also considers the use of Yiddish in the German language and the ambivalent meaning of some Yiddish expressions. He emphasizes the necessity of sensitive language and warns against problematic rebranding. The book also includes comments from various personalities on the topic of antisemitism and provides suggestions for further discussions and research. [Extracted from the article]

The present work by Qiu Kuanyong examines the discursive construction of terrorism in German and Chinese media. The newspapers Die Welt and Süddeutsche Zeitung in Germany, as well as the People's Daily in China, are analyzed. The results show that the perception of terrorism in German media has changed after the attacks of September 11, 2001, and terrorism is defined as a communication strategy. In Chinese media, terrorism is discussed as a threat to stability, and the fight against terrorism by the US and Europe is portrayed as self-serving. The work provides insight into the differences between the two countries and allows for a deeper understanding of the Chinese terrorism discourse. [Extracted from the article]

The book "Language Games: Specialized Language Business DaF" by Brigitta Joebstl-Berger is an experiential report about a DaF module in the field of Business German, which the author developed and conducted at the University of Milan. The book is aimed at teachers working in the field of specialized language business and includes both face-to-face and online lessons. It describes the didactic framework, the theoretical embedding of the concept, and the implementation of the module in its various phases. The book provides concrete insights into teaching design in the field of Business German and is based on a constructivist didactics. [Extracted from the article]

The book "How Goethe Became Japanese" by Stefan Keppler-Tasaki examines the cultural appropriation of Goethe in Japan. The study shows that Goethe plays a significant role in Japan's cultural self-understanding. The book covers various topics such as the reception of Goethe in Japanese German studies, his influences on the discourse of suicide and popular culture, as well as his connection to Buddhism. Other German-speaking authors such as Gottfried Benn and Thomas Mann are also discussed. The book provides insight into German-Japanese relations and the reception of Goethe in Japan. [Extracted from the article]

The dissertation "The performance of phrasal verbs in text" by Susanne Kabatnik examines the textual performance of phrasal verbs (FVG) in German. The author analyzes the functions of FVG in the text and investigates whether substituting FVG with base verbs leads to a change in the sentence. The results show that FVG can convey specific information that cannot be expressed by base verbs. The publication provides interesting insights into the textual performance of FVG and demonstrates that their use is indispensable in many situations. However, errors were made in selecting the Polish equivalents, which leads to incorrect findings in the work. [Extracted from the article]

The book "Investigative Foreign Language Teaching" by Udo O.H. Jung is criticized in the review. The author covers various topics on 460 pages, but not investigative foreign language teaching as the title suggests. Instead, he presents a variety of materials and information that are interesting but not suitable for investigative learning. The author overwhelms the readers with information instead of encouraging them to conduct independent research and ask questions. The book also includes information about street names and stamps, which are impressive but have little to do with the topic. The reviewer suggests a project that would actually enable investigative learning by comparing Volkswagen advertisements in Germany and Brazil and asking questions about the different features of the cars. Jung's book does not meet the requirements for investigative learning but produces facts that cannot be questioned. The author has a different understanding of investigative teaching and presents information that is meant to impress but leaves little room for student activities. However, the book also contains interesting information about innovative technological systems and covers culturally relevant topics from different countries. [Extracted from the article]