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.