Herd immunity, spine-tingling moment, binge watching and gender stars – just some of the additions to the current edition of the Duden dictionary of standard German. These days, we don’t just think something is good. We also give it a “like”. And to emphasize inclusivity, we refer to “Kunden” or customers by explicitly combining the masculine and feminine version of the German word, resulting in “Kund:innen”. Although our language is constantly evolving, in recent decades, it has experienced particularly significant developments. Anglicisms and youth slang are replacing traditional words, while the current political and social debates are banishing what are known as “un-words”, which were widely used in the past.
In these times of the internet and social media, it has never been more important for companies to use appropriate language. Put simply, a linguistic “fail” can create a real “shitstorm.” The fact that something has been translated previously is no guarantee that it still cuts the linguistic mustard. You also need to adapt your writing style to keep up with linguistic trends and should therefore revise your content on a regular basis. This is the only way to ensure that your message is correctly understood by your target audience and that you include all the required target groups.
But how is language influenced? How exactly does it change? And what does this mean for you in a business context? Join us on an exciting journey as we explore how languages change.
How and why does language change?
Over the past century, German vocabulary has grown by a third, and this trend is set to increase dramatically. The same phenomenon can also be observed in other languages. There are many reasons for this: new technical innovations, political and social debate, globalization and the slang used by younger generations, especially Gen Z. Let’s take a closer look at language change.
New trends, new terms
It is unlikely that any other age has brought as many new products to market as Industry 4.0. Naturally, new inventions require new words to describe them. Just as the word “refuel” only needed to be created when the first automobile was developed, an “upload filter” only became relevant as hacker attacks on the internet started to increase.
At the same time, modern technological developments are making other words such as “diskette” or “long-distance telephone connection” obsolete, and they are slowly disappearing from everyday use.
However, recent world events, such as the climate crisis, also require new words. German words such as “Insektensterben” (the decline in insect populations), “Bienenfreundlich” (bee-friendly), “Plastikfrei” (plastic-free), “Fridays For Future”, and “fracken” (fracking) all found their way into the Duden dictionary and into our vocabulary in 2020. One thing is for sure: we will continue to find new words and ways to give creative expression to our feelings in all new circumstances in the future.
Anglicisms and the influence of Gen Z on our language
In particular, Generation Z, whose members grew up as digital natives, creates more content on social media than any previous generation and has an ever-increasing need to express itself. This calls for creative words that are also becoming increasingly popular both in the digital world as well as in everyday language. In many cases, native-language and English expressions are combined or unique words created.
For instance, people with a strong awareness of social injustice are referred to as “woke”. On the other hand, insane people are described as “cray” (= short for “crazy”) while insecure people are simply “lost”. The reinterpretation and revival of old terms is another exciting trend. For example, the German word “Ehrenmann” or “man of honor” as used by Gen Z refers to someone who does something special for somebody else – rather than someone you could trust, which is what it meant several centuries ago.
It is hardly surprising that a generation that spends more time on cellphones than any previous generation, rather than interacting directly with friends and family, has developed its own social media language. However, even for older generations, globalization and anglicisms are also shaking up our languages. From a German perspective, the most recent examples are English terms such as “Homeoffice” or “Lockdown”, which have embedded themselves firmly into the global vocabulary.
Current debates: Gender, political correctness, climate crisis
Social and political events can also exert a powerful influence on our language and introduce new words. The biggest change on the writing front has probably been caused by the widespread debate around gender in recent years.
The situation in German is a little more complicated: instead of simply inviting all “teachers” to a parent conference, the simple plural of the German word “Lehrer” meaning “teachers” is replaced with a variant that makes explicit reference to both genders (“Lehrer” (male plural) and “Lehrerinnen” (female plural). This results in formulations such as “Lehrer:innen”, “LehrerInnen”, “Lehrer_innen” or even “Lehrer*innen”. It seems the spelling variations of this inclusive form of expression are as varied as our genders. On the other hand, the English language has even adopted a new non-binary, gender-neutral personal pronoun that refers to individual persons: “they/them” instead of “he/him” or “she/her”. The double personal pronoun “er/sie” (he/she) is also often used in German as a gender-neutral form of address. These new gender trends present challenges to content creators and can interrupt the reading flow. However, an inclusive writing style is definitely advisable if you want to present a cosmopolitan and inclusive image. “Keep it 100,” as Gen Z would say: be honest and show openness and tolerance towards others.
The topic of political correctness has also undergone a major revolution in recent years. German words such as “Negerkuss” (which probably requires no translation here!) or “Mohrenkopf” (blackamoor’s head) have long since been banished from common parlance. “Indians” are now referred to as “indigenous people”, “asylum seekers” as “refugees”, and “disabled” as “people with disabilities.” Even Pippi Longstocking’s father is no longer referred to as “king of the Negroes” in a new edition of the cult book but as the “king of a South Sea island.” Never before has there been such a strong linguistic focus on equal treatment for every individual.
These examples indicate that our language is in no way static but has a tendency to evolve at ever-increasing speed.
How language evolves – what does this mean for you?
But what does this ongoing evolution of our language mean for you? It’s simple: keep up to date with linguistic changes and update your existing content regularly with contemporary formulations. Naturally, these must suit your chosen target audience – a baby boomer may become “lost” when confronted with Gen-Z slang. Also avoid using politically incorrect formulations. A poorly formulated post would be a total “cringe!”
Does it all sound challenging? Don’t worry, the copywriters and translators at ACT Translations always have their fingers on the pulse of linguistic developments and will apply their intercultural skills so that your content meets the linguistic expectations of your target audience.
