Possible dissertation topic?

[Davidius]

One of my options after finishing at UNC is to do graduate work in some area of German Studies. If I were to choose this route I would most likely go into Germanic Linguistics since I very much enjoy studying the mechanics of language. First, I would like to pose a preliminary question to those who know about these kinds of things: do most graduate students know on what subject they are going to write their dissertation when entering a PhD program?

I was tossing ideas around in my head and thought that I might be able to combine my love for the German language with my love for the Reformation in a dissertation by writing about the impact of the Luther Bible on the German language. Perhaps I could research Luther's approach to creating the translation and how it affected the emergence of a unified dialect. What do you think?

 

[Ivan]

One of my options after finishing at UNC is to do graduate work in some area of German Studies. If I were to choose this route I would most likely go into Germanic Linguistics since I very much enjoy studying the mechanics of language. First, I would like to pose a preliminary question to those who know about these kinds of things: do most graduate students know on what subject they are going to write their dissertation when entering a PhD program?

I was tossing ideas around in my head and thought that I might be able to combine my love for the German language with my love for the Reformation in a dissertation by writing about the impact of the Luther Bible on the German language. Perhaps I could research Luther's approach to creating the translation and how it affected the emergence of a unified dialect. What do you think?

I think it's a good possibility. I have read that Luther had a huge effect on the German language. I would be surprised if nothing has been written on the subject. You may need to tweak and refine the thesis a bit, but it is a worthy one.

 

[turmeric]

Killer subject! What committee could reject that topic!