Anglicisms in German

Studienarbeit aus dem Jahr 2012 im Fachbereich Anglistik - Linguistik, Note: 1,7, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität Greifswald (Anglistik), Veranstaltung: Lexicology, Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: [...] Language contact, however, is a normal phenomenon and "as a historical fact has been

acknowledged since antiquity, but not, however, as a phenomenon worthy of study [ ... ] But

only in the last decades of the nineteenth century did questions of language contact become

an area of scientific interest (Oksaar 1996; If.)" (Svetlana, 20). Most of the older studies

focus on the synchronic aspects whereas newer studies also take a diachronic view into

consideration (cf. Burmasova, 10). Furthermore, morphological and orthographic aspects

play a role in addition of the frequency of use (cf. Burmasova, 11).

Nowadays, there are a lot of critical voices which reject the use of anglicisms because they

fear a loss of German language heritage. There are even some initiatives providing

equivalents for every English word. The Verein deutscher Sprache (Association of the

German Language), for instance, emphasizes the importance of German equivalents Thus,

the question is whether it is possible to find equivalents for every anglicisms and if those

equivalents are suitable. Moreover, the question arises if anglicisms are on the rise to an

extend where they may threaten the German language.

In this term paper, I want to take a closer look on the use of anglicisms in the press in order

to find an answer to these questions. In the course of this, I want to refer to studies by

NICOLE PLUMER, ALEXANDRA ZURN and CHRISTIANE GOTZELER. I also want to provide some

samples from Stern and Bild and present my own results. Before that, a definition of the

term anglicism will be given. Moreover, I want to take historical developments into

consideration, including German reactions to certain changes. After that, a classification of

anglicisms will be provided in order to become aware of the different types. Furthermore, I want to present some linguistic changes connected to anglicisms. Lastly, I want to provide

some considerations concerning the language of the press and present my own little study

in this field before I come to my conclusion.