Important changes in the contemporary German vocabulary are caused by the influence of language for specific purposes. In certain areas such as business, information science, sports, music, etc., the impact of English is remarkable and is also often criticised. The endeavour to influence the...

The paper contains a descriptive analysis of selected interdisciplinary research methods developed for the study of complex socio-ecological systems (climate change problems in particular). Institutional analysis and participatory methods of social consensus are in the centre of the focus.