The year 1871 brought Germany a victory over France, concluding the Franco-
Prussian War, and ended with the founding of the “Deutsches Reich“, the German
Empire. As a result of the nationalistic elation felt all through society Herman Riegel,
museum curator and art historian in Mannheim, published his Ein Hauptstück von
unserer Mutterprache, a text that established him as the foremost agitator in a
widespread campaign against the adoption of foreign words into the German
language. Riegel then called for the formation of a German language association
responsible for the purification of the German dictionary from words borrowed from
other languages, most notably French, and occasionally English. In 1885, supported
by similar-minded academics and politicians nationwide such als gymnasium
professor Hermann Dunger, Riegel presided over the establisment of the
“Allgemeiner Deutscher Sprachverein,” the universal German Language Association
(ADSV). It’s objectives were laid down as follows:
1. Projects advancing the purification of the German language, cleansing it from
„unneccessary foreign particles“,
2. Preservation and renovation of „the real spirit und unique character“ of the German
language,
3. Strengthening the „general and overall national awareness“ of all Germans, not
only concerning language, but also concerning „German-ness“ in general.
The following essay will concentrate on the main ADSV projects from 1885 until the
start of the First World War in 1914, on its project successes and failures, especially concerning the incorporation of foreign words via translation, and on the inevitability
of massive problems during the transferral of general linguistic principles into the
language actually used outside academic circles.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Structure of the ADSV
2.1 Central Board and ADSV branches
2.2 ADSV publications
3. Projects and Objectives
3.1 Projects concerning German language and writing in general
3.2 Campaign for German words, campaign against foreign words
3.2.1 Nationalism and the ADSV
3.2.2 Dispensable and indispensable loanwords
3.2.3 Actions, Actionism
3.2.3.1 Successful projects influencing the use of the German language
3.2.3.2 Failed projects and adaptation difficulties
3.2.3.3 Other ADSV projects
4. ADSV criticism
5. Outlook
6. Conclusion
7. References
Objectives and Topics
This study examines the activities, development, and eventual decline of the "Allgemeiner Deutscher Sprachverein" (ADSV) from its founding in 1885 until the start of the First World War. It analyzes the organization's nationalist motivation, its strategies for "Germanizing" the language, and the socio-political impact of its linguistic purism.
- The nationalistic roots and objectives of the ADSV.
- Methods for replacing foreign loanwords with German equivalents.
- The organizational structure and reach of the association.
- Successes and failures in influencing everyday and official German language.
- Critical reception by contemporary intellectuals and scientists.
Excerpt from the Book
3.2.2 Dispensable and indispensable loanwords
Since the object of the ADSV was the advancement of „die Reinigung der deutschen Sprache von unnöthigen fremden Bestandteilen“ (the purification of the German language from unnecessary foreign components),27 the association set out to accomplish that goal with full force. One limitation remained, however: an exemption had to be made in cases of „Lehnwörter, fremdsprachige Fachtermini und Eigennamen [...] sowie unassimilierte Entlehnungen ohne ‚gutes’ einheimisches Äquivalent“ (loanwords, foreign specialist terms and proper names [...] and non-assimilated borrowings that lack a „good“ German equivalent). 28 Riegel himself classifies a foreign word by describing its effect as „well, just foreign.“29
All these criteria that classify words as foreign, unnecessary, or in need of urgent Germanizations were purely subjective and thus could not be applied to an equal measure in all the branches of the ADSV. The board urged to find „a way of modesty, just in the middle of too much and too little“30 because it saw the modest approach as the one most likely to secure the result intended.31 This was an instruction generally ignored by the members of the branches, who enthusiastically proceeded to forcefully Germanize each and every loanword they got hold of, claiming they were „incomprehensible, destroying the text,“32 even though many foreign words did indeed enhance the meaning of the text – clearly illustrating that the main criteria that stamped a loanword as „incomprehensible“ remained not linguistic, but mainly nationalistic.33
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Provides the historical background of the ADSV's founding in 1885, driven by nationalistic elation following the Franco-Prussian War.
2. Structure of the ADSV: Describes the organizational framework of the association, its Central Board in Berlin, and its rapid growth across the German Empire and abroad.
3. Projects and Objectives: Details the primary goal of language purification and the various practical attempts to replace foreign vocabulary with German terms.
4. ADSV criticism: Addresses the external resistance from contemporary intellectuals against state-regulated language usage and the critique of the association's methods.
5. Outlook: Traces the transition of the ADSV into the DSV, its later alignment with the National Socialist regime, and its eventual dissolution.
6. Conclusion: Summarizes that the ADSV was driven more by nationalistic ideology than purely linguistic goals, while noting its lasting influence on specific vocabulary.
7. References: Provides the source list for the literature and archival materials cited throughout the essay.
Keywords
ADSV, German Empire, Language Purification, Loanwords, Nationalism, Linguistic Purism, Germanization, Language Policy, Cultural History, Hermann Riegel, Hermann Dunger, Language Association, Vocabulary Shift, Orthography.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The research explores the history of the "Allgemeiner Deutscher Sprachverein" (ADSV), focusing on its efforts to eliminate foreign loanwords from the German language during the German Empire.
What were the main objectives of the ADSV?
The ADSV aimed to purify the German language of foreign elements, preserve the "unique character" of German, and strengthen national awareness among Germans.
What primary goal drove the ADSV's linguistic campaigns?
The primary goal was the Germanization of the language, motivated significantly by a rising nationalistic sentiment after the 1871 Franco-Prussian War.
Which scientific method did the work utilize?
The work utilizes a historical-analytical approach, examining statutes, association magazines, and contemporary academic critiques to evaluate the ADSV’s success and failures.
What aspects are covered in the main section of the paper?
The main section covers the ADSV's organizational structure, its publications, its specific projects—including successful and failed attempts at language replacement—and the criticism it faced.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include Language Purification, Nationalism, ADSV, Germanization, Loanwords, and Linguistic Purism.
Why did the ADSV's attempt to create a government-led language ministry fail?
It faced vehement protest from renowned intellectuals, such as Theodor Fontane and Gustav Freytag, who argued against state interference in language usage, leading Riegel to eventually retract the demand.
How did the organization change during the National Socialist era?
The ADSV (later DSV) aligned itself with the regime, referring to itself as the "SA of our mother tongue," before finally being disbanded after the regime decided to end forced Germanization projects.
What is the significance of the "Rauchrolle" example?
It serves as an "absurd" example of an unsuccessful and overzealous attempt to replace common terms like "cigarette" with a self-invented German word that never gained acceptance.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Silja Ruebsamen (Autor:in), 2007, Language Purification Attempts during the German Empire: The „Allgemeiner Deutscher Sprachverein“, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/187226
