In order to analyse the frequency of anglicism usage in the German language, this paper analyses articles from the German newspaper Die Zeit. Media and the press, for instance, mimic the use and competence of English words in the German language among German native speakers. Therefore, analysing newspaper articles is an efficient and effective way to demonstrate the spread of anglicisms.
At the beginning of this thesis there is a general explanation of anglicisms. This not only includes a definition but also further information on the different forms of anglicisms, such as direct or indirect loan influences as well as hybrid anglicisms. Moreover, it illustrates the transmission processes with its parameters and the grammar of anglicism within the German language system. Consequently, this lexical productivity is summarized, and the types of integration of anglicisms into the German lexicon are further evaluated. This is then followed by a chapter that highlights diachronic aspects of integrating English borrowings into the German language and the motives of using these. Subsequently, it provides information on the impact it has on German and the reasons why some German linguists believe their language to be endangered.
The analysis in this paper encompasses a broad sample of 60 articles in total from six different news categories that were published between October 2019 and February 2020 on the online platform of the German newspaper Die Zeit.
Since Second World War, the use of anglicisms in the German language has drastically increased, and thus, English words are borrowed more frequently. Nowadays, in the year 2020, one can confidently argue that nearly every German native speaker uses anglicisms in their everyday life.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. What is an Anglicism
2.1. Definition
2.2. Different Forms
2.2.1. Direct loan influences
2.2.2. Indirect loan influences
2.2.3. Pseudo Anglicism
2.2.4. Hybrid Anglicism
2.3. Transmission Processes and Parameters of Transmission
2.4. Grammar of Anglicisms
2.4.1. Orthography
2.4.2. Morphology
2.5. Types of Integration
2.6. Lexical Productivity
3. Anglicism in German
3.1. Diachronic Perspective
3.2. Motives
3.3. Impact on the German Language
3.4. Critique of Language
4. Method
4.1. Research Aim
4.2. The Corpus
4.3. Research Method
5. Results
5.1. Quantitative Analysis
5.1.1. Percentage of Anglicisms per Section
5.1.2. Type-token ratio per section
5.2. Qualitative Analysis
5.2.1. According to word class
5.2.2. Hybrid Anglicism
5.2.3. Lexical Productivity
6. Discussion
7. The Future of Anglicisms in German
8. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Topics
The primary objective of this thesis is to investigate the current frequency and quality of anglicism usage in the German newspaper Die Zeit, comparing these findings with existing academic literature to assess the impact of English on the German language.
- Quantitative analysis of anglicism frequency across six news categories.
- Qualitative evaluation of anglicisms based on word classes and hybrid formation.
- Comparative discussion of results with established studies by Onysko and De Ridder.
- Examination of the lexical productivity and integration stages of English borrowings.
- Discussion on the discourse surrounding language protection and the future of German.
Excerpt from the Book
2.2.4. Hybrid Anglicism
Like pseudo anglicisms, hybrid anglicisms demonstrate that there is, in fact, lexical productivity, which in turn shows general acceptance of these words in the RL society. As the term ‘hybrid’ already suggests, these types of anglicism are a combination of borrowings from English with German elements, such as Wunderkids for ‘miracle kids’. These combinations do not result from direct lexical transfer, but they are lexical creations based on partial translation. While inflections may also mix English and German morphemes, hybrid anglicisms relate to derivational processes. These include “affixation of borrowed bases and the formation of compounds of native and borrowed morphemes” (Onysko 2007: 55). Hybrids occur in all word classes, but compound nouns make up the majority of hybrid anglicisms. (Onysko 2007:55-59)
Carstensen (1993: 67) categorises them in different types of hybrids according to their compounds. One type would be partial loan translations. These anglicisms are a compound construction with a native and a borrowed morpheme, yet they are fully based on an English word. An example for partial replacements is the word Krisenmanagement from the English ‘crisis management’. If the compounds lack an English model, such as Gelegenheitsjob (‘occasional job’), they result from conceptual motivation in the RL (Onysko 2007: 57). In order to define the type of hybrid anglicism, it is essential to focus on etymology. However, this can be problematic as it is sometimes unclear. (Carstensen 1993: 67).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the rise of English borrowings in German and sets the scope for the analysis of articles from Die Zeit.
2. What is an Anglicism: Provides theoretical definitions, categorizations of loan influences, and examines grammatical and integration processes.
3. Anglicism in German: Discusses the historical and social motives behind borrowing and the critical debate regarding the endangerment of the German language.
4. Method: Describes the corpus of 60 selected newspaper articles and the quantitative/qualitative research methodology.
5. Results: Presents the statistical data on anglicism frequency, word classes, and hybrid structures found in the researched texts.
6. Discussion: Compares the current findings with earlier studies by Onysko and De Ridder to contextualize the results.
7. The Future of Anglicisms in German: Evaluates the ongoing language development and the role of English in a globalized society.
8. Conclusion: Summarizes the key findings, confirming the lexical productivity of anglicisms while suggesting German is not under immediate threat.
Keywords
Anglicism, German language, language contact, lexical productivity, hybrid anglicism, media, newspaper, corpus analysis, quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, linguistic integration, loan words, borrowing, Die Zeit, syntax.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this academic work?
This paper examines the usage, frequency, and integration of English loanwords within the German language, specifically analyzing content from the weekly newspaper Die Zeit.
Which thematic areas does the research cover?
The study investigates articles from six distinct categories: society, culture, politics, sports, science, and economy.
What is the primary research question?
The research aims to determine the extent of anglicism usage in modern German media and whether this trend supports the hypothesis that specific news genres are more susceptible to English influence than others.
What methodology is employed to analyze the corpus?
The author uses a mixed-methods approach, performing a quantitative analysis of word counts and frequency, followed by a qualitative analysis of word classes and hybrid formation.
What is covered in the main body of the paper?
The main body covers the theoretical definition of anglicisms, historical development of borrowing, the methodology of the study, and an in-depth presentation of the results obtained from the corpus.
Which keywords define this paper?
Key terms include anglicism, lexical productivity, language contact, hybrid anglicism, and newspaper corpus analysis.
How does the usage of anglicisms in Die Zeit compare to previous studies?
The findings indicate a relatively low frequency of anglicisms compared to studies focused on Der Spiegel, suggesting that the prevalence of English depends heavily on the specific target audience and style of the publication.
What conclusion does the author reach regarding the "endangerment" of German?
The author concludes that while anglicisms are lexically productive, the grammatical integrity of the German language remains stable, and there is no evidence that the language is at risk of extinction.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Madeleine Sailer (Autor:in), 2020, Anglicisms and their Usage in the German Newspaper Die Zeit, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/902179
