MLR, 105.3, 2010 889 between participants. The chapters in this book document the present concern about the state of the language and show how these concerns are really about the state of society, not of the language. University of Bristol Nils Langer Was istgutesDeutsch? Studien undMeinungen zum gepflegten Sprachgebrauch. Ed. by Armin Burkhardt. (Duden? Thema Deutsch, 8) Mannheim: Duden. 2007. 411pp. 25. ISBN 978-3-411-04213-5. It has been noted by many scholars that there is a singularly defensive attitude towards codified linguistic norms inGermany, memorably termed Sprachnormen frommigkeit by Peter von Polenz over twenty years ago, and the question of these norms has once again become a hotly debated issue inGermany, perhaps spread ing out from the insecurity caused by the unexpectedly contentious orthographic reform of 1996 and the concern about the effect of Anglicisms on the language, with puristic tendencies which had been suppressed since 1945 re-emerging after unification. This has taken the form of concern and discussion in themedia about the supposed decline of the language and increasing deviation fromwhat has tradi tionally been considered 'gutesDeutsch', and books such as those by Bastian Sick (e.g. Der Dativ istdem Genitiv sein Tod (Cologne: Kiepenheuer & Witsch, 2004)) lambasting 'bad' German have enjoyed immense (and thoroughly undeserved) success. The aim of this volume, as the editor makes clear in his introduction, is to provide a set of informed contributions to this debate from experts across a wide range ofGerman linguistic studies. A major problem, as the editor sees it,is the lack of connection between professional scholars of language and the general educated public, who often feel that such experts (especially those held responsible for the spelling reform) fail tounderstand their concerns and arewilling simply to observe the ongoing demise of the language from their ivory towers. Despite this aim, itmust be doubted whether the twenty-nine essays in this book can succeed in bridging this gap. They are divided into four sections entitled Rucksichten (three essays giving a historical perspective), Einsichten (nine essays on what can be considered good in terms of linguistic aspects such as pronunciation, grammar, and style),Hinsichten (twelve essays on theuse of the language in specific registers or genres), and Ansichten (five essays expressing views from a number of perspectives on the state of the language). In practice, all but one (that by Dieter E. Zimmer in the fourth section) are by precisely thekind of professional scholars who are held to lack concern for the dire condition of the language. In general, these essays are of an unusually consistent quality for an edited volume of this kind, and some are quite outstanding?notably those by Gottfried Kolde on Sprachpflege from 1945 to 1968, by Hans-Werner Eroms on what con stitutes 'good' grammar, and by Jiirgen Schiewe on Sprachkritik. The essays are informed and informative (and written in good German), and they are unanimous 890 Reviews thatwhat is good German' isGerman used appropriately for the topic, comprehen sibly,and imaginatively?in Schiewe's terms (p. 373) it isGerman characterized by Angemessenheit, Pragnanz, and Variation. Rudolf Hoberg's essay entitled 'Besseres Deutsch: Was kann und soil eine wissenschaftlich begrundete Sprachpflege tun' is a succinct and eminently sensible summary ofwhat the criteria should be forgood German, by an academic linguistwho despite the stereotype does care deeply about quality in language?but is not convinced thatGerman civilization as we know it will perish when people no longerwrite sentences like 'Die Blumen sturben sicher, wenn du sie nicht bald begossest'. It is unlikely that the book will win over the self-appointed guardians of lin guistic excellence and sundry other pedants to the view thatmodern German has immense vitality and is in no way in decline. But what James and Lesley Milroy in their Authority in Language, 3rd edn (London: Routledge, 1999) refer to as the complaint tradition'?the idea that the language of the present is in often unspecified ways 'bad' compared with the language of the past?has a long history across many languages, and the desire for stable linguistic norms appears very deep-rooted. In themain, the essays in this book can be recommended without hesitation, but, unfortunately, theywill probably neither...