Denglisch (German spelling) or Denglish (English spelling) is a portmanteau of the German words Deutsch and Englisch. Used in all German-speaking and Dutch-speaking countries, it describes an influx of English, or pseudo-English, vocabulary into the German or Dutch language through travel and the widespread usage of English in advertising, business[1] and information technology. Synonyms are Gerglish, Germish, Angleutsch and Engleutsch.
While it has been argued that this influx, similar to the import of Latin and French words in the past, makes the language more expressive,[2] in many sectors of society it remains controversial, notably with older generations who are often less accustomed to English terms.[3]
Contents |
English words within Denglisch will have a flexion added to them, so they can be declined in the same manner as German words.
or
The German version of Microsoft Windows XP will inform the user of the fact that it is currently downloading updates with the words:
The same can be expressed in standard German, without the use of any English words, as:
The adaptation also takes the other route, where literal translations of popular English expressions slowly but insistently swap out the correct German words and idioms. Widespread examples of this evolution are:
These phrasings may have originated from (dubbed) English-language movies and other media translated into German, but they are also used in everyday language.
Some of those constructs will only be found in youth language, where it has become common, for example, to talk about coole Events which captures almost, but not quite, the same meaning as the respective English phrase.
The English words that are borrowed usually have rather specific connotations attached to them, in most cases more so than either their translation or their original: Statement [to the press, or a pledge of opinion], Event [cool] social/cultural occasion, like a concert], Paper [scientific research paper, not 'paper/'Papier - though the latter may also mean "document"/"paper"].
Another phenomenon is the usage of the English genitive (possessive) construction 's , often called Deppenapostroph (Idiot's apostrophe or Idiot's inverted comma), instead of the appropriate German constructions. For example, a Denglisch speaker might write Wikipedia's Gestaltung (Wikipedia's design) instead of either Wikipedias Gestaltung, or die Gestaltung der Wikipedia. Less often it is used, incorrectly, to mark a plural (Greengrocers' apostrophes):
or for adverbial expressions, such as
Denglisch may combine words according to English rules by writing them in succession. According to the Standard German grammar and spelling rules, this is incorrect.
The first spelling, the words in succession, makes no logical or grammatical connection between the words but simply juxtaposes them. The second combines them to one word, an Annahme (in this case a place where something is received) for Reparaturen (repairs). This is often called Deppenleerstelle, or Deppenleerzeichen which means idiot's space, incorrectly separating parts of a compound word.
These words seem to be foreign words, but they are German creations and have a different meaning, or no meaning at all, in (real) English.
| German word | Meaning to German speaker |
|---|---|
| Beamer | (digital) projector |
| City[6] | city centre, downtown, central business district origin: The City (of London) |
| Dressman[7] | male model |
| Drive-In[8] | drive-through |
| Evergreen[9] | golden oldie (referring not just to music, but to anything that has been popular for a long time) |
| Fitnessstudio[10] | gym or fitness club |
| Handy[11] | mobile phone or cell phone |
| Oldtimer[12] | vintage or classic car, or aircraft |
| Peeling[13] | facial or body scrub |
| public viewing | has been used for major sport events like the FIFA World Cup when the games were shown on huge screens to the public, although public viewing used to have a different meaning apparently this "new" meaning is creeping into native English |
| Shooting[14] | photo shoot |
| Showmaster[15] | TV-show host |
| Slip[16] | briefs, knickers, panties |
| Smoking[17] | dinner suit, tuxedo origin: the then less formal dress for events with smoking allowed |
| Streetworker[18] | social worker |
| Timer[19][20] | calendar / appointment book |
| Tischset, or Set[21] | placemat, doily |
| trampen[22] | hitchhiking |
| Wellness-Hotel[23] | Closest translation would be "spa", although often used to describe hotels that simply have a pool or sauna or other such amenities plus appropriate promotional adverts. |
Some companies such as Deutsche Bank now do much of their business in English.
Several departments of the major German telephone company Deutsche Telekom were known as "T-Home" (formerly "T-Com"), "T-Mobile", "T-Online", and "T-Systems".
Many American films such as Ice Age do not translate their titles into German. Menus of many global fast-food chains also usually go partly or completely untranslated: Double Whopper (earlier: Doppel-Whopper) mit leckerem Bacon und Cheddar Cheese.
Advertising agencies have such need for both languages that they want ads for new employees to contain plain English such as "Join us". (Wetzlarer Neue Zeitung 26 August 2006). KFC Germany's recruitment slogan is "I Am for Real", and their website shows very heavy use of English coupled with non-standard German.[24]
German commercials or—more often—written ads thus are likely to use many English terms:
The term "downloaden" is alleged to have been coined by Microsoft, as there is a non-English and often-used German word ("herunterladen"). Microsoft Windows Update uses the phrase "Downloaden Sie die neuesten Updates" (Download the latest updates) instead of the standard "Laden Sie die neuesten Aktualisierungen herunter". The latest interface guidelines suggest that the term "herunterladen" should be used again, because many users complained. However, Aktualisierungen (other than herunterladen) would not be idiomatic German in this usage, or at least have to be explained as Softwareaktualisierungen or Programmaktualisierungen, the former involving the new Anglicism "Software".
The use of ("Handy") has its roots in a commercial name, too. It is related to the handheld Walkie-talkie, a commercial name for the two-way radio transceiver to be transported in a bag, later in hands, hence called ("Handie-talkie"). The proper translation would be ("Handsprechfunkgerät"). Germans used to cite the word ("Handy") as an example for Denglisch.
The field of personal hygiene tends to use much English:
The same applies to detergents:
Larger national and international companies based in Germany also make use of English to describe their products. The television broadcaster ProSieben uses the slogan "We love to entertain you", while Zurich Financial Services advertise with the slogan "Because change happenz". The fastest trains run by Deutsche Bahn (German Rail) are named "IC" and "ICE", abbreviations of "Inter City" and "Inter City Express", while information booths are named "ServicePoints" and first-class waiting areas are referred to as "Lounges".[25]
Sometimes such neologisms also use CamelCase, as in the Deutsche Telekom's newest rates called "Fulltime", "Freetime", "Call Plus" and "Call Time" offering additionally such features as "CountrySelect". Travel agencies offering "last minute" bookings or manufacturers adopting "just in time" deliveries has become general use, probably required by international commerce and economic interests.
The phrase "Test it!" is increasingly common as an English phrase idiosyncratic to German, meaning roughly "try it out". This is thought to have originated with advertising copy for West cigarettes, exhorting consumers to "Test The West".
|
||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||