Some call it Denglisch or Denglish (Deutsch and Englisch), others call it Gerglish, Engleutsch, Angleutsch or even Neudeutsch for New German. But regardless of the term used, it is meant to describe how the influx of English vocabulary, primarily through advertising, business and information technology, has anglicized or Americanized modern German.
This shouldn't be too surprizing as it is estimated that up to one third of the world's population already speaks some form of the English language. In the United States it's already up to two thirds of the population, for instance (hardy, har, har). But language purists in Germany certainly have their work cut out for them. Germans are notoriously thorough and with New German it appears to be no different. Not only do Germans seem to embrace many of these new English words, they actually create new, pseudo Englisch words which have no meaning in "real" English at all. Or are you familiar with the terms Dressman, Evergreen and Showmaster?
These German language purists may not rave quite as much as their French counterparts do, but they are trying to alarm the German public as best they can. And perhaps it is for the best. Or to throw in a little New German terminology here to give you an idea: They are "oldtimers" and "talkmasters" who have formed a "team" in which they do a lot of "chatten" about how nobody has been "checken" how not "happy" they are when it comes to this "bullshit" English language "recycling" their German one so that is why they are "brainstorming" for "reform" and may even be "casting" a new "start-up" language "coach" to go "shoppen" for a "happyend" or, if not, just end up tossing the whole thing in a "box."
Interestingly, when it comes to advertising English, it turns out that most Germans confronted with these slogans do not always know what they actually mean. A recent television report brought to light how poorly understood some of "mainstream" New German is understood by the Germans who use it-or are subjected to it on a daily basis. Another study has revealed that less than half of the Germans tested can properly translate any of this marketing English. When asked about a popular drugstore chain's motto "Come in and find out," for instance, many thought it meant "Come in and find your way back out." "Have a break, have a kitkat" was not clearly understood by most of those tested. A Siemens slogan "Be inspired" fell on quite a number of deaf ears because roughly 85 percent of the potential customers asked did not know what "inspired" meant.
Just looking through a German newspaper or watching a few minutes of German TV will most likely surprize a non-German speaker as to how much New German is in circulation these days. Within the course of a few days I stumbled across the following: Networking, capacity building, empowerment, visibility, brand awareness, noise, outsourcing, fast food, comics, cool, mountain biking, hiking, tracking, paragliding, key account manager, new, news, mail, container, meeting, notebook, talk show (or talkshow), team, tour, made in Germany, wellness, e-commerce, stretching, homepage, accessibility, car sharing, mobbing, facility management, content management, reform, start-up company, coaching, multimedia, look, feel, taste, newsletter, skills, hot spots, links, live, trends, trademarks, brain drain and home banking.
But the heyday of New German might be ending. Germans on the street may have now finally had enough of all this foreign terminology. The Association of the Friends of the German Language recently voted that they prefer the German word for sale (Verkauf or Ausverkauf) over the English word, for instance. And foreign minister Guido Westerwelle recently got a lot of positive resonance when he refused to answer a question posed to him by a British reporter in Berlin--in English.
The end of New German? It's hard to imagine that it could happen anytime soon. Although, as another Englishman once said: No, this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning. Or maybe it's not, hard to say for sure. Come in and find out.
Originally from California's Central San Joaquin Valley and washed ashore on the coast of old West Berlin, Charles Larson is a freelance writer well versed in German and German culture. For more info, feel free to visit his website at EnglishPro & Co.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Charles_Larson
