AMD 5

Für mein AMD, ich habe "Denglisch" gelesen. "Denglisch" ist das Wikipedia Artikel that Hartmut recommended. Es war sehr interessant! Ich habe gelernt, dass viele Deutsch und Englisch Wörter interconnected sind. It seem as though technology is the most significant factor behind this connection. The article talks about some of the features of Microsoft word that were translated using "Denglish." The primary example given is the use of "gedownloadet" as the past test for download, instead of the already established and commonplace German word "heruntergeladen." Even on one of the transparencies shown in class, the word "googeln" was used as a verb representing the use of search engine Google. (Which, during the writing this blog post, I discovered is an official English word. See: "http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/google" or you can google it to find a few other definitions...) In addition to computer technology, modern science seems to be a cause of a lot of the "germanization" of English words.

The article also discusses changes in German idioms and grammar rules. For example, some younger Germans might be caught using an apostrophe to indicate possession or a plural or putting a space between a normally compound word. This is likely derived from English language rules, however is obviously incorrect in German.

What I found to be most interesting was the reaction of the older generation to these mistakes. They're often called "deppenapostroph" (idiot's apostrophe) oder "deppenleerzeichen" (idiot's space). I can only imagine how detrimental these mistakes might seem to native Germans and their very compact and logisch language. While there are definitely sticklers for English grammar as well, it seems as though most English speakers always looking for a creative new way to say something, and perhaps more readily accept slang into their culture. (Note: That's a huge assumption. I don't profess to be an expert on informal German diction after reading one Wikipedia article.)

I used to think that the merging of two languages was an utterly tragic event. I believed that it could only lead to a lost of the rich history and culture of a region. As I've started to learn more about other languages and cultures, my feelings towards this have reversed. It's become exciting to see how cultures can use language to build off of one another and grow.