Socio-pragmatic investigations on case government in wegen in the staged oral texts of the 18th and 19th centuries

On the basis of drama texts from 1750 to 1850, the genitive and dative use of the preposition wegen in the staged oral texts are sociopragmatically analyzed with respect to diastratics and diaphasics using politeness theory. The analysis of the drama texts yields that the factor P (power) regulates the diastratic and diaphasic functions of the case government primarily: Different case government represents different degrees of deference, demeanor, confidentiality and education. The factor of distance (D) can be pragmatically relevant only in the genitive use between a speaker and hearer who are equal in power (P); depending on the size of the distance, either demeanor or distancing is reflected in the genitive case used. The genitive use demonstrates the "politic" function (deference and demeanor), and - when the power of the speaker and hearer is the same - the negative "polite" function (demeanor and distance). The dative can represent the positive "polite" function of confidentiality.