Hatte ich vorsichtshalber den Times-Artikel über die ‘German linguistic submissivness’, unsere bekannte sprachliche Unterwürfigkeit, überflogen, muß ich die Travel-Service-Hostess hinter dem Counter ziemlich perplex angestarrt haben, als sie loslegte: „Jetten sie single or double, IT, Comfort oder Business Class? Carrier? In London Bed & Breakfast oder Full Service, Fly-And-Drive-Arrangement, Rent-a-car oder nur Transfer vom Airport zur City-Lodge? (Pollmeier 1994, in Spitzmüller 2005: 117).
Most linguist are consistent with the fact that German linguistic purism came to an end with the abolition of the ‘Allgemeiner Deutscher Sprachverein (ADSV)’ in 1940 (Pfalzgraf 2006: 9). Since the late 1990s, however, the debate about foreign words in German has become more intense. A number of politicians from all parties have recently criticezed the overuse of Anglicisms. Furthermore, there have been demands for a law to protect the German language - as France did in 1975. Nationally supported associations as well as private organizations and internet homepages combat the so-called ‘flood’ of Anglicisms in German. In 1899, Hermann Dunger wrote an article on Wider die Engländerei in der deutschen Sprache , but the opposition to the English influence has existed since the 17th century.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. The spread of English
2. The borrowing process
2.1. The term Anglicism
2.2. Other terminology
3. Anglicisms in the German language after 1945
3.1. Language change
3.2. Interventions
4. Linguistic purism and language policy in Germany
4.1. The ‘ADSV’ (Allgemeiner Deutscher Sprachverein: General German Language Association)
4.2. Linguistic purism from 1919-1945
4.3. Linguistic purism after 1945
4.3.1. The ‘GfdS’ (Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache: Association for the German language)
4.3.2. The ‘Duden’
4.4. France as model?
Conclusion
Objectives and Themes
This paper examines the increasing prevalence of Anglicisms within the German language and investigates whether this linguistic trend persists despite ongoing efforts of linguistic purism. The primary research goal is to analyze the mechanisms of language borrowing, the historical and contemporary resistance to English influence, and the effectiveness of institutional interventions aimed at protecting the German language.
- The historical and sociolinguistic spread of English as a global lingua franca.
- Taxonomies and definitions of Anglicisms and the borrowing process.
- The impact of American English on post-1945 German language development.
- Institutional and political approaches to linguistic purism in Germany and France.
- The perceived tension between linguistic globalization and the preservation of national language identity.
Excerpt from the Book
1. The spread of English
“It takes little linguistic training to notice that of all the world languages it was the English language that played the major international role at the end of the second millenium AD“ (Nettmann-Multanowska 2003:1). English is more widely spoken and written than any other language has ever been. It could be labeled as a world, international or global language – or all three:
The term World English acknowledges, according to Nettmann-Multanowska, the “planetary reach of the language” (2003: 2). According to Viereck (2002: 242), in 1996 there were approximately 355 million speakers of English as a mother language, 100 million of English as a second language and 150 million of English as a foreign language.4 In over 50 countries, English is the official or co-official language.5 But these estimations are unreliable because it is not clear which competencies one needs to be considered as a speaker of English. This worldwide spread of English “makes substantial demands on the language itself, which has undergone various transformations, remakings, domesticatings, or nativizations” (Nettmann-Multanowska 2003: 2). The varities of English, especially those with official status, are often refered to as ‘the New Englishes’ (Melchers & Shaw 2003: 7), also called ‘different Englishes’or ‘World Englishes’ (Nettmann-Multanowska 2003: 2).6
The term International English refers to English as a ‘lingua franca’.
There is a reasonably clear consensus in the sociolinguistics literature about the term lingua franca: a lingua franca is ‘a “contact language” between persons who share neither a common native tongue nor a common (national) culture, and for whom English is the chosen foreign language of communication’ (Rubdy & Saraceni 2006:41).
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Outlines the ubiquity of English in modern German communication and introduces the historical opposition to foreign influence that shapes the paper.
1. The spread of English: Explores the transformation of English into a global lingua franca and the various sociolinguistic factors contributing to its worldwide dominance.
2. The borrowing process: Provides a theoretical framework for defining Anglicisms and categorizing the different types of lexical, structural, and semantic borrowing.
3. Anglicisms in the German language after 1945: Analyzes the specific impact of American English on West and East German language varieties and the cultural implications of this linguistic change.
4. Linguistic purism and language policy in Germany: Details the history of organized efforts to preserve German, from Baroque language societies to modern institutional and legislative debates.
Conclusion: Synthesizes the findings, suggesting that while German is evolving, its functional survival remains distinct from its role as a scientific language, noting that language change is rarely unidirectional.
Keywords
Anglicisms, German language, linguistic purism, language policy, borrowing process, lingua franca, globalization, loanwords, language contact, sociolinguistics, standardization, Denglisch, language change, Americanization, linguistic identity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this paper?
The paper examines the phenomenon of Anglicisms in the German language, analyzing how English vocabulary has integrated into German and the reactions this has provoked among linguists and the public.
What are the core thematic areas?
The core themes include the definition and categorization of borrowing, the historical roots of German linguistic purism, the post-war Americanization of German, and the effectiveness of modern language protection policies.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to determine if the German language is experiencing a decline due to foreign influence and to assess whether organized linguistic purism remains a viable approach to language management.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The work utilizes a combination of literature analysis, sociolinguistic theory, and historical investigation of language policy, including comparative studies between Germany and France.
What is the content of the main body?
The main body covers the theoretical categorization of loanwords, a historical overview of purist movements, case studies of language policies, and an assessment of public discourse surrounding Anglicisms.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Anglicisms, linguistic purism, language policy, globalization, borrowing process, and sociolinguistics.
What role does the 'ADSV' play in this study?
The 'ADSV' represents the institutionalization of the German foreign word fight, marking a significant turn toward organized nationalistic linguistic purism in the late 19th century.
How is the term "Pseudo-Anglicism" used?
It describes words that appear to be English but do not actually exist in the English language or carry different meanings, such as the German usage of 'Handy' for a mobile phone.
Why is France mentioned as a model?
France is cited because of its explicit language legislation (such as the Loi Toubon) designed to protect French, which serves as a point of reference for German proponents of stricter language laws.
What is the 'Tiefencode' theory mentioned in the text?
It is a concept cited in the paper suggesting that a person's fundamental language patterns are established in childhood, leading some researchers to fear that excessive Anglicisms could damage the 'deep' structure of the mother tongue.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Nina Jeanette Hofferberth (Autor:in), 2008, Anglicisms in the German language - in spite of linguistic purism?, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/229990
