Abstract
Although most linguists agree that spoken language differs in relevant aspects from written language, it is still controversial whether they have different grammatical systems. In this article, I raise the general question of whether it is possible to speak of a specific grammar of spoken language. For this purpose the problem of spoken versus written modality is discussed together with the problem of rules and regularity (chapter 2); furthermore, the role of the concept “standard language” in this research context is discussed (chapter 3). Using different examples, I analyze syntactic phenomena of contemporary spoken German (chapter 4). On this empirical basis, the central theoretical question is developed and answered: Are there grammatical constructions in spoken Standard German which can be explained by the special modality – e.g. the fluidity and irreversibility – of the oral medium (chapter 5)?