Denglisch (German spelling) or Denglish (English spelling) is a portmanteau of the German words Deutsch and Englisch. Used in all German-speaking countries, it describes an influx of English, or pseudo-English, vocabulary into the German language through travel and English's widespread usage in advertising, business[1] and IT. Synonyms are Gerglish, Angleutsch and Engleutsch.
While some feel 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].
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Due to lack of rules for proper declension and conjugation forms, English words within Denglisch will have a flexion added to them, so they often come out in some twisted form. One may hear from native German speakers:
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 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.
Since the actual knowledge of English is rather low, those English words 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.
These words seem to be foreign words, but they are German creations and have a different meaning in (real) English.
| German word | Meaning to German speaker |
|---|---|
| Beamer | projector |
| City[6] | city centre, downtown, central business district |
| Dressman[7] | male model |
| Drive-In[8] | drive-through |
| Evergreen[9] | golden oldie |
| Fitnessstudio[10] | gym or fitness club |
| Handy[11] | mobile phone or cell phone |
| Mobbing[12] | bullying |
| Oldtimer[13] | vintage or classic car, or aircraft |
| Peeling[14] | 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[15] | photo shoot |
| Showmaster[16] | TV-show host |
| Slip[17] | briefs, knickers, panties |
| Smoking[18] | dinner suit, tuxedo |
| Streetworker[19] | social worker |
| Timer[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. |
Denglisch may combine words according to English rules by writing them in succession. According to the Standard German grammar rules, this is incorrect.
The first spelling, the words in succession, have a totally different meaning hinting towards someone believing a repair has been carried out.
Another phenomenon is the anglicised use of an apostrophe followed by the letter s, denoting the genitive in English. This use is incorrect in German:[24]
Less often it is used, incorrectly, to mark a plural (Greengrocer's apostrophe):
or for adverbial expressions, such as
This use of the apostrophe, also quite common with native English speakers, is sometimes referred to as Deppenapostroph which means moron's apostrophe. Its counterpart is the Deppenleerstelle, also called Deppenleerzeichen which means idiot's space, incorrectly separating parts of a compound word.
It is notable that some companies such as Deutsche Bank now do much of their business in English.
Several departments of the major German telephone company Deutsche Telekom are known as "T-Home", "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 untranslated.
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 26th of August 2006). KFC Germany's recruitment slogan is "I Am for Real", and their website shows very heavy use of English coupled with substandard German.[25]
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.
The use of ("Handy") has its roots in a commercial name, too. It is related to the handheld Walktie-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 television broadcaster ProSieben uses the slogan "We love to entertain you". The Zurich Financial Services advertise "Because change happenz" and the Deutsche Bahn (German Rail) called their fastest trains ICE, an abbreviation of "Inter City Express". Their information booths/stands are called "ServicePoints" (also an example of the widespread semi-Germanisation of Anglicisms).
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".
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   | Denglish definition and citation - Word Spy - Denglish |
| | Opinion: Desperately Ditching Denglish - Opinion: Desperately Ditching Denglish | Europe | Deutsche Welle | 15.11.2004 |
| | Gayle Tufts - Gayle Tufts * The Big Show |
| | HSH Nordbank Run - HSH Nordbank Run 2009 in der HafenCity |
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