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The influx of English words in to German

  Tags: Loanwords | English | German
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12 messages over 2 pages: 1 2  Next >>
elbereth
Triglot
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United Kingdom
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Speaks: English*, German, French
Studies: Latin

 
 Message 1 of 12
02 May 2010 at 2:45pm | IP Logged 
I think this is mainly something to do with media,but perhaps also the rise of English;though I am not very knowledgeable about that.I am annoyed at the use of English words where there is another word in German.For example,when I visited Cologne/Dusseldorf in December,I saw the word "sales" in a shop window,if I remember correctly,the German word would be Angebote.When I did German at A-level(I am doing languages independently now) there were words like shoppen,instead of einkaufen,Test instead of Pruefung.Other words I have seen on Youtube are:
"satire,clips,shoppen,video,uploadet,armee,outtakes,Mainstre am-Medien."

Perhaps this is because of the media,but I am English and do not want to be saying these words with an accent,it is strange.I also found out that the German word Heere means army instead of Die Armee.I appreciate this with French in a way,but in German I do not.My German teacher said if we want a language which does not change to do Latin,which I am doing anyway,still,what do people think?   
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chucknorrisman
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 Message 2 of 12
02 May 2010 at 2:57pm | IP Logged 
As a Korean who feels a bit sad about how there are more words of Chinese origin than that of native Korean, I can understand why you would say that. I personally like to see the languages use their original words instead too when I study other languages. They feel more authentic.

It's inevitable because English is such a global language and everyone wants to get a piece of it. But don't worry, German probably won't lose its native words to the point that Korean lost its own to Chinese for a long time.

Edited by chucknorrisman on 02 May 2010 at 2:58pm

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!LH@N
Triglot
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Germany
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Speaks: German, Turkish*, English
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 Message 3 of 12
02 May 2010 at 4:09pm | IP Logged 
Just a sidenote:
Armee is a German word and refers to both the army as used in English (land forces) and also to armed forces in general, whereas Heer only means land forces.
Armee does not come from English.

Regards,
Ilhan
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lichtrausch
Triglot
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Speaks: English*, German, Japanese
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 Message 4 of 12
02 May 2010 at 6:16pm | IP Logged 
elbereth wrote:
I think this is mainly something to do with media,but perhaps also the rise of English;though I am not very knowledgeable about that.I am annoyed at the use of English words where there is another word in German.For example,when I visited Cologne/Dusseldorf in December,I saw the word "sales" in a shop window,if I remember correctly,the German word would be Angebote.When I did German at A-level(I am doing languages independently now) there were words like shoppen,instead of einkaufen,Test instead of Pruefung.Other words I have seen on Youtube are:
"satire,clips,shoppen,video,uploadet,armee,outtakes,Mainstre am-Medien."

Perhaps this is because of the media,but I am English and do not want to be saying these words with an accent,it is strange.I also found out that the German word Heere means army instead of Die Armee.I appreciate this with French in a way,but in German I do not.My German teacher said if we want a language which does not change to do Latin,which I am doing anyway,still,what do people think?   

Most English words that seep into German are as short lived as fashions. Also, since there are almost always native German alternatives, there is no need for you to use them yourself. Satire and Armee aren't English loan words as far as I know. Here are some suggestions for what you can use:
Sale: Abverkauf
Clip: Filmausschnitt/Werbefilm
shoppen: ladenbummeln/einkaufen
uploaden: laden/hochladen
outtake: Drehpanne

I think it's important to not just dismiss all loan words as trash though. "Video" for example fits quite well in German. "shoppen" and "clip" are also nice and short and not very intrusive. However I wish words like uploaden, and even worse, forms like geuploadet, a quick exit out of the German vocabulary.

Edited by lichtrausch on 02 May 2010 at 6:19pm

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elbereth
Triglot
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Speaks: English*, German, French
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 Message 5 of 12
02 May 2010 at 6:32pm | IP Logged 
Yes,I think Armee may come from French,which has obviously influenced English and so there are many similar words in both languages.I am sorry about Korean.I do think maybe those loan words may fit,shop is Anglo-saxon as well,video is latin("I see" is the translation),so we have taken it also,but I would try to look for other things.I am glad that some do share my opinion.
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tracker465
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 Message 6 of 12
04 May 2010 at 3:17am | IP Logged 
I also find the amount of English words in German to be annoying. I remember being in a town, and seeing the word "Shoe" in part of the name of a store. Another time, I went to Subway and although it is an American restaurant, I could not believe it when I heard the infamous "getoastet" word.
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Teango
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 Message 7 of 12
04 May 2010 at 4:36am | IP Logged 
People use English phrases and buzzwords here in Germany all the time, it's just the fashion really and you'll find it pretty much nearly everywhere. Most of the music you hear is English, as are the large proportion of clothing outlets, shop fronts, logos, movies and catch-phrases. Even a lot of business is conducted in English or a mixture of English and German these days.

Personally as a learner, it'd be great to have a little less English around, as I'm really keen to just immerse myself fully into the German language. This proves quite difficult most the time however, because everyone seems to speak, want to learn or improve, or is in some way surrounded by, English. For example, I've been living in Germany now for over a year, and I'm still looking for a modern radio station that plays predominantly German contemporary music or even get my hands on a cool t-shirt with a logo or design in German rather than English. If anyone has any suggestions by the way, they're very welcome. :)

All this aside however, it's still quite interesting how one language flows or becomes absorbed into another. We have lots of loanwords and foreign phrases in English too, especially French for example, and I often wonder how this compares. Examining the influx of English words into German, this is often just a direct loanword like "Cheers!", other times it's a Germanized English verb like "downloaden". You even get bizarre words like "Handy" and "Streetworker", which mean something very different in Germany you'll be intrigued to hear (mobile phone, social worker). ;) If you're interested in learning a little more about all this, then check out any good links on Denglish.


Edited by Teango on 04 May 2010 at 4:45am

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lichtrausch
Triglot
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United States
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Speaks: English*, German, Japanese
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 Message 8 of 12
04 May 2010 at 5:44am | IP Logged 
Teango wrote:
For example, I've been living in Germany now for over a year, and I'm still looking for a modern radio station that plays predominantly German contemporary music or even get my hands on a cool t-shirt with a logo or design in German rather than English. If anyone has any suggestions by the way, they're very welcome. :)

This station plays a lot of, maybe even mostly German music.
link


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