There is also a personal reason why the governor was happy to take on this function on behalf of the Federal President. Jakob Ebner was Stelzer’s German teacher at the Aloisianum Gymnasium in Linz. As director of the school theater, Ebner left a lasting impression on his students. Stelzer played the state chancellor in a performance of Büchner’s “Leonce and Lena”.
The award was given during a conference on the subject of “Austrian German as a standard language: norm, perception and use”. The reason for the award is Ebner’s achievements in the codification of Austrian German. Christiane Pabst, Editor-in-Chief of the Austrian Dictionary, made it clear in her speech that the history of this codification cannot be told at all without extensively acknowledging the name of Jakob Ebner.
A pioneer turns 80
Ebner, who will celebrate his 80th birthday on November 23, is regarded as a pioneer in the study of the peculiarities of the Austrian language. You can hear and see that there are significant differences between German and Austrian German. However, as Stefan Dollinger and Philip C. Vergeiner pointed out, the topic often became a bone of contention in language-ideological debates. The times when Austrian German was dismissed as a mere dialect variant are over. Ebner was instrumental in putting the lexicography of Austrian German on a serious linguistic basis. (chess)
Source: Nachrichten
