Denglisch
This is a How to Learn German Fast blog, and deals mainly with a system and ideas and tips on how to learn German fast and enjoyably, which can be applied to any languages that you may wish to learn, but of course, German in particular. In other words, this here is about language, and in particular, German. I share my language learning system that I used to learn German with you, and also at the same time tell my tips and stories of how I came to learn German fast and enjoyably. Deutsch macht wirklich Spass und man kann viel lernen.
At the same time, this How to Learn German Fast website also deals with German culture, history, tips, examinations, fun stuff, and other stuff related to German, Germany and obviously language. Today's topic is Denglisch, and if you are here to this website to learn how to speak German fast and enjoyably, you should be visiting these pages:
Those pages will help you learn the learning system and have a clear understanding of how to learn German, from the basics of getting to know why you want to learn it to what level and how long you wish to spend on learning German, all the way to learning about how to take and pass your German language examinations. Read them slowly and surely to have a better understanding and do apply what you have learnt or gleaned from the information and ideas.
Alright, now on for today's post on a very interesting cultural phenomenon hitting Germany:
Denglisch - Deutsch und Englisch
My first exposure to Denglisch came during a German course lesson, with my teacher Frau Verry. She said: "Ich habe ein paar Seite geskippt" and then my ears pricked up, because I was wondering if there was a word called "geskippt" (til today I have absolutely no idea if there is really a German word called skippen meaning to skip pages). My German teacher Frau Verry started laughing and then started telling us this story which apparently happened in her class:
Student: Haben Sie schon meine Hausaufgaben gedownloadet?
Frau Verry: Falsch! Nicht gedownloadet. Trennbar! Downgeloadet!
Student: Have you gedownloadet my homework?
Frau Verry: That's wrong! It's not gedownloadet... because the word is separable, the rule is "downgeloadet"!
And so that was how I was introduced to Denglisch. Welcome to the world of Denglisch, where English and German collide, Englisch und Deutsch zusammen, and we have Denglisch, not Germglish, for goodness' sake. More examples of Denglisch are:
Angela Merkel ist ein smartes Maedchen.
Die Software ist gecrasht.
Ich muss den Computer unbedingt rebooten.
I have keine Ahnung.
Hitler hat ABC gejoined.
smart... crashen... rebooten... i have... joinen...
It is very fun and interesting to learn German, and it's even more interesting to know that the formal and clear cut German language that we learn in schools, in German language courses and in formal settings is made into this very interesting language called Denglisch in real life. There is a major controversy surrounding Denglisch. Some older Germans are very upset with it because from their point of view, Denglisch is corrupting the purer and more German form of the German language. In addition, Denglisch is sometimes invented, English instead of German, and Denglisch is something that older people or purists really detest. There are many things wrong about Denglisch to them.
On the other hand, many youths in Germany today are familiar with English and they speak it rather fluently. Not all speak English of course, and certainly not all German youths are fluent in either English or German or both. Yet to a large extent many Germans are speaking Denglisch informally. English seems to have taken over the world in a sense, because the cultural legacy and strength of English seems to have permeated everywhere. And also, Denglisch seems to be more expressive than formal German or the standard Hochdeutsch.
The use of Denglisch has been disputed, as I already mentioned, by people who hate it and people who use it for their daily expression. The issue is even more complicated, because the version of Denglisch that I have just spoken about is only one definition of Denglisch. There are apparently many many types of Denglisch, from the high brow to the low brow, from computer speak to normal everyday speak. There are many ways of looking at Denglisch and it is more than just a mere influence of English words or English words with German grammar. Denglisch has now spread to ...
English words replacing German words entirely, like Taskforce, Shopping, Service, und so weiter... (replacement of German by English)
English words conjugated with German grammatical rules (the examples that I have mentioned are usually of this nature)... (German grammar with English words)
English being used instead of German, or German being mixed with pure English sentences... (English and German hand in hand)
German being used purely, but with English grammatical rules and with the German grammatical rules being shoved aside and changed to suit the English language... (German words with English grammar)
The list is endless.
Learning German is very fun, but then again, why not learn a bit of Denglisch? It is fun too and it might also help you communicate with the Germans, especially the youth, since some Denglisch does not correspond to a mere influence and one-to-one exchange with English. As the example of downgeloadet shows, you still have to take separable verbs into effect and so on. It might be quite fun!
Nonetheless, German is a beautiful language and you should learn it to the best of your abilities, because after all, when all that's said and done, a language has a certain beauty to it. Communication wise, it is usually OK to know a bit of Denglisch in addition to your Hochdeutsch (which is definitely very useful in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and other countries). Note that standard German ensures that you are understood everywhere, regardless of youth language and youth culture.
At the same time, let's not make Schiller, Goethe and Nietzsche upset, and let's learn Deutsch the proper way and with the proper words and grammar.
We all know English is a rather beautiful language and that English is dominating the world currently. That is an undeniable fact. At the same time, German is beautiful too, and we have to appreciate this good and beautiful language too, after all.
If you're interested on this topic, I strongly recommend surfing the Net and looking around to find out more Denglisch words and more on Denglisch. Nonetheless remember to speak good German when you're in Germany! German, properly learnt, grammatical and fluent, will be invaluable to you.
Cheers!
HOW TO LEARN GERMAN FAST ;)
Learn how to learn a language!
Denglisch is fun, true... but correct German is expressive and beautiful too :)
