Most of all linguists who find themselves engaged in Contact Linguistics agree upon the fact that the influence of the English language on German is constantly increasing and has especially risen during the last decades of the 20th century. (cf. Viereck 1980: 11; Götzeler 2008: 58-59) Due to the close collaboration in the political and economical sector, the contact between the two language regions has become more intense and has thus led to a higher frequency of borrowings from English. As a direct consequence of this process, a public discussion on the drawbacks of the use of anglicisms in German has started and found his peek in the foundation of the Verein Deutsche Sprache formerly called the Verein zur Rettung der deutschen Sprache in 1997. (cf. Götzeler 2008: 61)
The increasing presence of loanwords, as commonly believed, as well as the ongoing public discussion on their use is reason enough to analyze the use of anglicisms in the German language by using the example of the German newsmagazine FOCUS. In this context it shall be examined, whether the frequency of anglicisms in 2009 is higher than the frequency in 1993. Furthermore, as the corpus consists of texts from two different categories, namely Deutschland and Modernes Leben, numerical differences concerning those sections is also subject of the study. As a result, proof for the following theses is expected:
1. The frequency of anglicisms used in 2009 is higher than in 1993.
2. The number of borrowings in the section Modernes Leben will be greater than in the section Deutschland.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. English Influence on German
3. Research
3.1. Corpus
3.2. Method
3.3. Definition of Anglicisms
4. Evaluation
4.1. Quantitative Analysis
4.1.1. Frequency According to Year
4.1.2. Frequency According to Subject Area
4.2. Attempts at an Explanation
5. Conclusion
6. Bibliography
7. Enclosures
Objectives and Topics
This paper aims to investigate the development and frequency of English loanwords in the German newsmagazine FOCUS by comparing articles from 1993 and 2009. The research explores whether the influence of English has increased over time and if there are significant usage differences between the subject areas "Deutschland" and "Modernes Leben".
- Diachronic analysis of Anglicism frequency in German print media.
- Comparison of English influence across different thematic sections.
- Classification and definition of Anglicisms (loanwords, hybrids, pseudo-anglicisms).
- Quantitative evaluation of linguistic data from the magazine FOCUS.
- Socio-linguistic context of language contact in German journalism.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1. Corpus
As mentioned before the corpus is taken from the German newsmagazine FOCUS, which has been established in 1993 in order to compete against the well-known German magazine Spiegel. The decision to investigate the use of anglicisms in a medium of the press was influenced by several aspects: First and foremost, news magazines help to represent current tendencies and developments in the language use of a nation and furthermore serve as a spring for new word creations. Plümer aptly summarizes:
Da die Mediensprache im Allgemeinen als Spiegel und Verbreiter sprachlicher Neuerungen gilt und ihr außerdem eine überaus große Nähe zur Gemeinsprache attestiert wird, bietet sie sich als idealer Untersuchungsgegenstand an. (Plümer (2000) in Götzeler 2008: 128)
Secondly, the FOCUS offers the possibility to compare the numerical occurrence of loanwords at two different points in time due to its written from and easy access.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Presents the topic of language contact and outlines the research objective to analyze Anglicism frequency in the magazine FOCUS.
2. English Influence on German: Provides a historical overview of English borrowings in German and the social implications of this linguistic phenomenon.
3. Research: Details the corpus selection from FOCUS, the applied methodology for identifying loanwords, and the classification criteria for Anglicisms.
4. Evaluation: Presents the quantitative findings regarding yearly trends and thematic differences, followed by a linguistic explanation of the results.
5. Conclusion: Evaluates the initial hypotheses against the empirical results and discusses the representativeness and potential for future research.
6. Bibliography: Lists all primary sources (articles from FOCUS) and secondary literature used for the study.
7. Enclosures: Provides detailed charts, tables, and statistical data supporting the analysis.
Keywords
Anglicisms, Contact Linguistics, German Language, FOCUS Magazine, Loanwords, Hybrids, Quantitative Analysis, Diachronic Research, Media Language, Language Change, Lexical Borrowing, Socio-linguistics, Modernes Leben, Deutschland, Empirical Study.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research paper?
The paper examines the frequency and usage of English Anglicisms in the German newsmagazine FOCUS by comparing articles from its founding year, 1993, with articles from 2009.
What thematic areas are being compared?
The research compares two specific sections of the magazine: "Deutschland" (political and current affairs) and "Modernes Leben" (lifestyle, culture, and entertainment).
What is the central research hypothesis?
The paper tests two hypotheses: first, that Anglicism frequency increased from 1993 to 2009, and second, that the "Modernes Leben" section contains a higher number of borrowings than the "Deutschland" section.
Which methodology is applied in the study?
The study uses a quantitative empirical approach, utilizing software to create word lists, followed by individual verification of potential Anglicisms against linguistic dictionaries and the "Anglizismen-Index".
What topics are discussed in the main body of the work?
The main body covers the theoretical background of language contact, the selection of the corpus, the definition of Anglicisms, the presentation of numerical data through charts, and an attempt to explain the results through socio-linguistic theory.
Which keywords best characterize this study?
Key terms include Anglicisms, Contact Linguistics, FOCUS, Language Change, Quantitative Analysis, and Lexical Borrowing.
Does the study confirm that Anglicisms increased between 1993 and 2009?
No, the findings were actually contrary to the initial hypothesis, as the analysis showed a lower relative frequency of Anglicisms in 2009 compared to 1993.
Why was the magazine FOCUS chosen for this analysis?
FOCUS was selected because it is a prominent German newsmagazine that covers a wide range of topics, provides easy access to archives, and is known for its openness to international terminology.
What role do "hybrids" play in the findings?
Hybrids represent a significant portion of the collected data, indicating that English elements are being creatively integrated into German word formation processes, such as "Seelenstriptease".
- Quote paper
- Nadja Grebe (Author), 2010, The Use of Anglicisms in the German Magazine FOCUS, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/161067
