The German Language Column
Word!

Word! The language column

How does one find one's way around the rules of the German language, where do new words come from, and what are the most important changes in the use of the language - for example, due to digitalisation and a higher sensitivity due to the gender issue? These and other exciting topics are the focus of our column about the German language.

The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.

Ludwig Wittgenstein

24th Season: Berit Glanz

A purple-tinted photo shows a dove with a shopping cart, one on the left and one on the right edge of the image.

Berit Glanz on youth language and online culture
Skibidi

Our new columnist Berit Glanz is fascinated by the language of internet culture – and lately amused by how parents have stormed the digital stage, playfully parodying their kids’ favourite slang.

Fan Fiction

Berit Glanz on Fan fiction
Doing it for the Plot

In her final language column, Berit Glanz explores the many faces of fan fiction. After all, who hasn’t dreamed of stepping into the spotlight as the hero – or even side character – of a thrilling or romantic tale?

Young woman reading

Berit Glanz on how libraries are making waves on social media
Laughs at the Library

Social media thrives on exaggeration and big emotions – hardly the terrain of libraries and other public institutions. But Berit Glanz has spotted a new trend: humorous book videos presented by fun-loving library staff. A format that’s proving hugely popular.

Spanish artist Rosalía

Berit Glanz on Rosalía’s Berghain
Pop Icon Sparks Curiosity

It’s been a long time since a music video caused a stir on social media quite like Berghain by Spanish singer-songwriter Rosalía. Writer Berit Glanz is equally captivated – not just by the performance itself, but also by the online frenzy as fans join forces to decode its meaning.

A cell phone leaning against the wall in recording mode, showing a young girl dancing.

Berit Glanz on Lip-Syncing
Singing With Other People’s Voices

What do silent films and TikTok clips have in common? Why are lip-synced videos mini documents of practiced multilingualism? Berit Glanz knows the answers – and delights in the playful playback memes appearing in her feed.

Still life of a sweet candy pizza slice with colorful toppings

Berit Glanz on Internet Confession Memes
Unfortunately, I Do Love

Guilty pleasures – we all have them. Once they were secrets no one was supposed to know about. Today, the opposite is true. Berit Glanz explores how personal and embarrassing moments are shared online – boldly and globally – often revealing something profoundly human.

23rd Season: Simon Sahner

Certificate of incapacity for work

Simon Sahner on Sick Days and How We Talk About Them
The Myth of the Lazy Sick Person

If you’re sick, you’re sick – you can’t work. That would seem obvious. Yet some voices in politics and business suggest that people take sick leave out of laziness or weakness. Simon Sahner criticises this view and highlights the serious social consequences of such assumptions.

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Simon Sahner on the Impact of Disease Names and Diagnoses
Calling Diseases by Their Name

Sometimes a diagnosis comes as a relief; sometimes naming a disease only increases the burden. Simon Sahner takes a closer look at how the name of a disease impacts those affected.

A breast cancer awareness ribbon, surrounded by white daisies and red hearts

Simon Sahner on How Men and Women Write About Illness
Journal or Review?

Why do men with cancer tend to document their suffering for the public almost immediately, while women are more likely to turn to writing only after overcoming an illness? Simon Sahner examines this phenomenon and the social conditions that shape it.

Doctor and patient preparing for a full-body CT scan

Simon Sahner: How Do You Talk to People Who Are Ill?
“You’ll Get Through This.”

Knowing how to talk appropriately to someone who is seriously ill is no easy matter. Drawing on his own experiences as a patient, Simon Sahner, explores the faux pas well-meaning family members and medical professionals can so easily make.

Rally for International Long Covid Awareness Day in March 2024 in front of the German Bundestag in Berlin

Simon Sahner on medical diagnoses and their consequences
When Illness Becomes A Myth

Certain illnesses are surrounded by myths that suggest sufferers are personally responsible for their condition. Simon Sahner explores this phenomenon – and warns against the capacity of myths to obscure reality.

Diagrams

Simon Sahner explores the twofold language of illness
Illness – A Metaphorical Battle

When it comes to illness – especially serious illness – we often resort to language that makes it sound like we’re heading into battle. Our new columnist, Simon Sahner, knows from his own painful experience that martial metaphors can help us endure the burden of a sick body – and fight for recovery.

22nd Season: Daniel Stähr

A dark green tinted photo shows a wave in the form of dollar notes.

Word! The Language Column
What Is the Language of Capitalism?

Language shapes the way we think — and that includes how we talk about the economy. In his column, Daniel Stähr explores the language of capitalism and shows that it is not a law of nature – but a way of speaking that shapes what we believe to be true.

A dark green-tinted photograph shows an oasis with water in the foreground and people and camels passing by in the background. On the right-hand side of the image, you can see a picture of the author Daniel Stähr framed in a circle.

Word! The Language Column
Toxic Oasis

Terms like “tax haven” or “tax exile” may sound harmless – but they distort reality. Daniel Stähr shows how language shapes our perception of taxes, obscures problems, and why we should start speaking about them more precisely and honestly.

A businessman carrying a briefcase walks past a construction site.

Word! The Language Column
The Myth of the Hard-Working Middle Class

Politicians like to refer to the so-called hard-working middle class when describing who their measures are intended to benefit. Who and what exactly are they talking about – and who is being left out? Daniel Stähr on a promise of salvation that is no longer being fulfilled.

Financial data on a digital screen

Daniel Stähr on economic formulaic language
Technocrats of all countries, unite!

People who have studied economics often express themselves in a very formulaic way. This does not make them apolitical, explains Daniel Stähr. Not to mention their influence on social structures.

Scene from the film “The Wolf of Wall Street”. Pictured: Margot Robbie and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Daniel Stähr on the portrayal of wealth in film
Is there such a thing as anti-capitalist storytelling?

“The Wolf of Wall Street”, “White Lotus”, “Parasite” – there is no shortage of films and series that take a critical look at excessive wealth. Daniel Stähr takes a closer look – and finds a lack of guidance on how to resist it.

Complete drying up of the Isar

Daniel Stähr on language and climate change
Climate Protection or Growth – Is That Really the Question?

Daniel Stähr is outraged: politicians and business leaders continue to suggest that we must choose between measures to combat climate change and prosperity. This prevents effective climate policy from being taken – and allows the climate catastrophe to loom ever closer.

2ist Season: Bettina Wilpert

In the background, the flags of Bavaria can be seen waving in the wind. In the foreground is a picture of the author, Bettina Wilpert. She is white, with short brown hair, wearing a thick jacket over a shirt and glasses.

Word! The Language Column
What remains of the dialect?

Bettina Wilpert grew up in Bavaria. But she was soon drawn to Berlin and Leipzig. She is hardly homesick for Bavaria. However, some unique Bavarian words and phrases still accompany her through everyday life.

Hamburg Rathausmarkt: Participants in “Handmaidsriot” with an action against femicide

Word! The Language Column
Cover-up Tactics

Linguistically smoothing over and glossing over unpleasant facts – this is achieved with the use of euphemism. Bettina Wilpert lifts the veil and asks what could be behind the euphemisms. Her advice is to look closely at the words. Especially with politically sensitive topics.

A blue-tinted photo shows police officers wearing hard hats, one of them holding a megaphone. On the right is the author of the language column Bettina Wilpert

Word! The Language Column
Battle at the Frontline

War rhetoric is everywhere - whether in the media, politics or everyday life. Linguistically, too, we are currently arming ourselves. Bettina Wilpert calls for a conscious and careful use of language.

A blue-tinted photo shows protesters at a “Slut Walk” in Philadelphia in August 2011. Most appear to be female-presenting and are holding signs, one of which reads: “My ass is not a reason for assault.”

Word! The Language Column
Prohibit? Appropriate? Reinvent?

Bettina Wilpert is not the only one to criticise the authoritarian language policy of the current US government. Because when terms disappear, many things can no longer be named. Sometimes, on the other hand, it is good when words are replaced. And where is it said that you can't invent new words?

A mural on the building of the former art centre Tacheles, which reads: How long is now

Word! The Language Column
Today Is Tomorrow

Why? When? What? Bettina Wilpert's daughters are discovering the world by asking questions – and the peculiarities of the German language. Extremely stimulating for parents – and sometimes exhausting, because not every explanation comes easily.

Two ravens on the left edge of the picture, beaks tucked into each other. The author's portrait of columnist Bettina Wilpert on the right.

Word! The Language Column
Deadbeat Fathers and Family-Oriented Mothers

Mothers bear an endless burden of societal expectations. This was the case in the past, and it often remains so today. Our new columnist, Bettina Wilpert, critically examines thought patterns and linguistic imagery surrounding motherhood. She asks: Why are there no “deadbeat fathers”?

20th Season: Christiane Rösinger

Illustration: Person with a green speech bubble containing a recycling symbol

Word! The Language Column
Rubbish Bins and Yellow Bags

How is German identity forged? Exactly: by sorting waste correctly. As a teacher of German as a foreign language, Christiane Rösinger introduced her students to the secrets of different types of waste and their containers. After all, only those who separate their rubbish correctly are properly integrated.

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Illustration: two people with empty speech bubbles

Word! The Language Column
Desperate for something to talk about

Sharing silence is supposed to be a particularly strong bond. But perhaps many couples have simply run out of things to talk about. Luckily, Christiane Rösinger has some advice – and presents it in rhyme.

Illustration: Mobile device with the letters A, B, C

Word! The Language Column
Please don't!

More and more people suffer from language allergies. Christiane Rösinger is one of them. Here she presents her little alphabet of disgusting words sometimes used in Germany.

Illustration: Male person points to a board on which the words “Best Ager” can be read.

Word! The Language Column
Old and older

Christiane Rösinger focuses on an unfortunately common form of linguistic discrimination today: ageism. How does this belittling of old people work? And why is it often associated with natural disasters?

Illustration: Two people looking at each other; each has an empty speech bubble

Word! The Language Column
Small Talk – Better than its Reputation

What’s wrong with a light-hearted chat? Nothing, says Christiane Rösinger. In her opinion: Good small talk is entertaining and inspiring. A plea to get over our reluctance to talk.

Image: A person with an “Ok Boomer” sign

Word! The Language Column
Forever a Child

Why do grown-ups like semolina porridge so much? Why do so few people have “parents”, only “mum” and “dad”? Our new columnist, the musician, author and journalist Christiane Rösinger, traces this trend towards infantilisation. Where will it lead?

19th Season: Klaus Siewert

Illustration: A person, from his eyes leads a winding line towards a sign (jagged line – a “Zinken”) on a wall

Word! The Language Column
The linguistic world of the outcast

What does Rotwelsch actually mean? How long has this particular vocabulary existed? Who speaks it and why? Klaus Siewert enlightens us. He looks back to the time of Martin Luther and draws a line to contemporary literature.

Illustration: Two people (the face of one person is attached with a rod below the roborter-like head); speech bubble with the content “mxchfrk”

Word! The Language Column
On the Trail of Secret Languages

Not everyone needs to know everything. And just to be on the safe side, secret languages are invented. They existed in ancient times and they still exist today. Klaus Siewert, a Germanist, linguist and cultural scientist, has been documenting and researching secret and special languages since the 1990s. As a new columnist, he tells us the story of secret language communication.

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Illustration: Two heads with a surveillance camera above them and pointing at them

Word! The Language Column
Speaking Rotwelsch under dictatorship

In his last article, Klaus Siewert describes how oppressed and persecuted people in dictatorial systems were able to convey bitter truths with the help of their knowledge of Rotwelsch. He concludes with a short summary – and an appeal.

Illustration: An upset-looking person with a jagged speech bubble that says “WILLST PUTZ HABEN?!” (Do you want trouble?!)

Word! The Language Column
Coal English and rocker language

Hamburg has a lot to offer when it comes to special and secret languages. Klaus Siewert uncovers the latest sources and provides insights into the communication styles of sailors, showmen, and other nocturnal figures.

Illustration: Wide open square mouth with a jagged speech bubble containing the word “Edelkiopperkli”

Word! The Language Column
Hamburg Specialities

Today, Klaus Siewert invites us to join him on a journey to the Hamburg of yesteryear. On this journey back in time, we learn the nocturnal jargon of Hamburg’s docklands. And we learn how the kettle-beaters in the dockyards conversed – despite the infernal noise they made.

Illustration: red speech bubble with the content “kochem schmusen”

Word! The Language Column
Once a poor people’s dialect, now a cultural heritage

In the early 1990s, budding and established linguists flocked to the corner pubs and slums of some cities. There they interviewed the last surviving speakers of the Rotwelsche dialects. Today, everything is well documented - to the delight of UNESCO.

18th Season: Elias Hirschl

Illustration: A person with a raised hand, looking at two signs. Inscriptions on the signs: “applause order” and “Filling trough”

Word! The Language Column
Words waiting on walls

Elias Hirschl is fascinated by language in public spaces. For him, used texts are the most beautiful reading and writing material – to be found everywhere. And so the applause order might turn into a play and the building plan into a novel.

Illustration: Two heads with speech bubbles, in the left speech bubble a record from which a piece has been broken out, in the right speech bubble a pie chart

Word! The Language Column
Constantly inventing new words: Private languages

Whether in a relationship, at the theatre or in gaming communities, social groups sometimes develop their own languages. Elias Hirschl has written about what fascinates him about this.

Illustration: A person pointing to a board with several diagrams; speech bubble with the content: “Performance, performance, performance”

Word! The Language Column
Obsessed with performance

Why are some political parties in Germany and Austria so obsessed with the concept of performance? What is the thinking behind their platitudes? Elias Hirschl takes a close look at passages from the parties’ manifestos. And he rounds it all off with the idea of a better world.

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Illustration: A tablet computer on which a list can be seen

Word! The Language Column
The Top 5 Words surprisingly Named after People

Elias Hirschl likes to play with the listicle format. They are often about everything and nothing - or about words that have a person behind them. We find out what boycott has to do with an Irish earl. And Bluetooth with an Austrian film diva.

Illustration: A screen on which a wide open mouth can be seen, speech bubble with several smileys

Word! The Language Column
Twitter and the long chicken

When he thinks about Twitter in the past, Elias Hirschl gets sad. It used to be the platform for absurd nonsense, for incomprehensible jokes, for new words that ended up in everyday life. An obituary – and an appeal to continue making stupid jokes on other platforms.

Illustration: A man with his mouth wide open holds a sign saying “Untergang” (Demise)

Word! The Language Column
The demise of the German language

Elias Hirschl, author, spoken word artist, musician – and our new columnist – is very surprised by the battle cries of the self-appointed guardians of the German language. After all, it changes in one way or another over time – genderisation here, Anglicisms there.

17th Season: Ulrike Almut Sandig

Illustration: A woman with a speech bubble containing a book, next to it another, somewhat faded speech bubble with the same book, then just the book without the speech bubble

Word! The Language Column
I Am Made Entirely of Language

In her final column, Ulrike Almut Sandig, who has translated many poems herself, pays tribute to two colleagues who have translated her poetry. The following is an excursion into English- and Georgian-speaking realms – and different ways of reading literature.

Illustration: A book with French flag and a tablet computer with German flag

Word! The Language Column
Rilke for Ravers

Rainer Maria Rilke and our columnist, Ulrike Almut Sandig, have both translated poetry from various languages into German. Sandig now takes it to the next level by “transadapting” two of Rilke’s French poems into present-day German with a focus on the rhymes – and an invitation to dance.

Illustration: Two people with speech bubbles containing eyes

Word! The Language Column
The Limits of our Ethics

Ulrike Almut Sandig finds herself grappling with unfamiliar ethical issues every time she goes about another translation – or rather “adaptation” – into German. Which opens her eyes to different, non-German takes on social conditions – and social ills.

Illustration: Two people with speech bubbles containing notes – the notes for each person in different colours

Word! The Language Column
How to Translate a National Anthem

Not exactly an everyday task: Ulrike Almut Sandig has translated the Ukrainian national anthem into German in tandem with Claudia Dathe. Not only is it a fine literary rendering, but it’s singable – and it rhymes! She envisions its performance at a concert, free of charge and accessible to one and all, at the border crossing between Poland and Ukraine.

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Illustration: Person with speech bubble on an opened laptop; hearts and a sound symbol above the laptop

Word! The Language Column
Sparkling in the Dark

Since they first met in 2015, Ulrike Almut Sandig and Ukrainian poet and musician Grigory Semenchuk have formed a close artistic bond. So what happens to a poem when it gets translated into another language – and turned into a film? Our columnist shows us – and explains why it stars a rabbit.

their hand and points to a poster with a typographically different A

Word! The Language Column
Speeding Down the Endless Red Slipway

Ulrike Almut Sandig, a prize-winning poet in her own right, also translates poetry into German. What makes this such a challenging endeavour? What’s the story behind “free adaptation”? Our new columnist opens the doors to her workshop – and takes us all over the world from there. First stop: New Zealand!

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16TH Season: Jagoda Marinić

Illustration: A person seen from the side, holding a microphone in one hand, the other raised with an index finger, angry facial expression, jagged speech bubble.

Word! The Language Column
The Art of the Insult

Who still knows how to insult with style in our day and age? asks Jagoda Marinić. Forced harmony is no more constructive than aggressive invective. She recommends cultivating the complexity of German syntax – which make it easier to argue incisively and formulate dissent.

Illustration: A person with mouth wide open, next to it a speech bubble with the content "Blah"

Word! The Language Column
I, personally

Hollow and, above all, pompous verbiage rubs Jagoda Marinić the wrong way. Specifically, she deplores the ubiquitous use of impersonal, objective language drained of all vitality. Why not tell an anecdote instead? she suggests. Get personal, get emotional, take a verbal risk!

Illustration: A person with cubistically superimposed eyes and an elongated speech bubble containing four hearts

Word! The Language Column
Fragments and Love

In her final column, Jagoda Marinić delves into the special language of love and lovers, a language of expectation and uncertainty, of fragments and loose ends rather than gapless linear narratives. The language of love leaves room to find things that aren’t even there yet.

Illustration: A person with a speech bubble containing ellipsis points

Word! The Language Column
At a Loss for Words

Amid the ubiquitous chatter, Jagoda Marinić considers the power of silence. Can’t pauses and wordless gestures be significant and expressive too?

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Illustration: A man with a poster that says “yeah cool”

Word! The Language Column
Does That Trigger You, Too?

Jagoda Marinić has had her fill of psychobabble. We’re overdiagnosing mental disorders, putting too much pressure on ourselves to self-optimize. How are we to find happiness by quantifying and tracking our every move? Marinić calls for more freedom to be ourselves and lead a simple, unquantified inner life.

Illustration: A mobile device with a rectangular wide-open mouth, jagged speech bubble

Word! The Language Column
Craving for Language

Social media is “pared-down reality in pared-down language”, says writer, journalist, podcaster and now Word! columnist Jagoda Marinić. Why does X, formerly known as Twitter, cause both satiety and hunger these days? And how can we get the old playfulness back on social media?

15th season: Manon Hopf

Illustration: A person with a speech bubble in the shape of a book, the letters “TIERE” (i.e., animals) on the book cover

Word! The Language Column
Writing for and with other animals

In her final column, Manon Hopf takes this opportunity to remind us how we can – and should – write about other animals without using violent language. And the potential offered by poetry to enter into dialogue with them. For example through scent-walk sonnets.

Illustration: A robot-like figure, human face, facing the figure and connected to it via a linkage; the figure says "Monster!", the face: "Beast!"

Word! The Lannguage Column
Monsters

Should monsters really be viewed solely in a negative light? Manon Hopf thinks not – here, she takes a look at the productive aspect of the monster concept.

Illustration: a head with an open rectangular mouth, speech bubble containing insects and a microbe

Word! The Language Column
Parasites

Language can dehumanise, but language can also be firmly positioned alongside the supposedly unnatural. Manon Hopf looks at perpetrator expressions and the deconstructive counter-forces of poetry.

Illustration: A speech bubble with different arms and hands showing different gestures

Word! The Language Column
Body, Language

Dialect, dance, sign language, gesture – other animals communicate in surprisingly diverse ways. Manon Hopf gives us the lowdown.

Illustration: A mask with speech bubble containing music notes

Word! The Language Column
Other Musical Animals

What is the language of music? – That question isn’t easy to answer, even in relation to humans. Manon Hopf asks: what’s the music of other animals about?

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Illustration: A person points to diagrams, speech bubble with the words NUTZ and TIER

Word! The Language Column
The Poetry of Other Animals

We humans exploit other animals. But can we see them from a different perspective? Our new columnist Manon Hopf is exploring the poetry of other animals.

14th season: Jan Snela

Illustration: A reclining person, stars above

Word! The Language Column
Issa, Fuji-san and I

In his last Word! instalment, our columnist Jan Snela is transported back to Japan by the sight of starry skies in the south of France. Over in Japan he had hiked up a hill to get a picture-perfect view of Mount Fuji floating in the sky across the bay. And has felt close to the stars ever since.

Illustration: Two people, on the left a somewhat shy-looking man with a moustache, on the right an angry-looking woman with a raised index finger

Word! The Language Column
Amaeruing Washing Machines and the Friendly Face of Shame

On his recent trip to Japan, Jan Snela learned about the concept of “amae”: A concept that gives kids – and even washing machines – licence to occasionally run amok.

Illustration: screen that is also an open mouth, next to it a person with microphone in hand and speech bubble

Word! The Language Column
In the Empty Orchestra: “wabi sabi” and the Essence of Pop

Jan Snela pays a visit to a karaoke box in Kyoto, where he continues his quest for the essence of Japan – a mix of silence and noise.

Illustration: abstract shapes – a jagged line, a jagged speech bubble and a simple speech bubble

Word! The Language Column
Ma, Mu and the Silence of Noise

Jan Snela’s memories of his trip to Japan take him back to the ambient noise in Tokyo…. and the shrill cries of Japanese cicadas, as captured in a Bashō haiku. Tokyo is overwhelming, but he comes across a Japanese word that encapsulates the paradoxical emptiness and absence he feels in the teeming city.

Illustration: A person with wide open mouth, from there a sinuous line at the end of which is a hand with stretched index finger

Word! The Language Column
A Haibun or the Heartbreak of Things

During his trip to Japan, Jan Snela gets to know not only some fascinating spots, but also some special literary forms. This instalment of his language column is about the appeal of “haiku pillows” and “fluffy” haibun.

Illustration: A person with a speech bubble in the form of a book on which the letters B, U, C, H (German for “book“) can be read.

Word! The Language Column
Haibun, or How I Learnt to Limp from Book Learning about Japan

Our new columnist Jan Snela thinks back on his trip to Japan a few months ago, interweaving recollections with reflections on the books he lugged around – or didn’t.

13th season: ChatGPT

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Illustration: An open laptop computer with a speech bubble containing different coloured smileys

Word! The Language Column
The Ethical Lingua Franca

AI, globalization, and social media: how do they reshape language use? – Some reflections by ChatGPT.

Illustration: A person with a book in hand points to a picture

Word! The Language Column
The Heart’s Language: Art and Literature

Join ChatGPT in uncovering how the language of art and literature bridges cultures, sparking creativity and connecting hearts worldwide.

Illustration: A person with a speech bubble that is also the flag of the United Nations

Word! The Language Columne
Diplomacy, the Global Art of Language

In the world of diplomacy, language plays a central role. Globalisation and geopolitical changes are shaping multilingual exchanges. ChatGPT looks at the art of diplomatic communication.

Illustration: Mobile device and a person, various speech bubbles with the inscriptions “Prost”, “Salud”, “Santé” and “Cin Cin”

Word! The Language Column
Digital Polyglots

ChatGPT ventures a personal look at language learning in cyberspace. Join us on this journey of discovery and learn how technology makes us true language artists!

Illustration: Rear view of an open laptop partly surrounded by a jagged line; to the right a male person with a speech bubble

Word! The Language Column
AI translations: Multilingualism wins

Multilingualism enriches our everyday lives despite machine translation. Columnist ChatGPT shows why language learning is still of great importance.

Illustration: Upper body of a robot-like figure. On a mechanical arm a human face turned to the right with an empty speech bubble.

Word! The Language Column
AI: Shattering Language Barriers

Revolutionizing communication, one word at a time! Join our new columnist ChatGPT as it thinks of the AI-driven transformation of language translation.

12th season: Dirk von Gehlen

Illustration: A screen that is also an open mouth, two speech bubbles with asterisk, colon, hyphen and hashtag sign

Word! The Language Column
Thinking outside the box to tesolve the debate about gender-inclusive language

Digital tools are only helpful if we learn to think digitally. In his final column, Dirk von Gehlen explains why we’d do well to follow the example of two champion high jumpers.

Illustration: A male person who seems to be explaining something; speech bubble with the inscription "Cringe".

Word! The Language Column
Meta-Cringe! On Boomers and Memes, Shibboleths and Youth Culture

Languages are accessible to everyone online nowadays, even novelties like “Vong speak”. So it is usage that helps us tell cohorts apart.

Illustration: A person with a speech bubble, the speech bubble contains several emojis

Word! The Language Column
A picture kills more than a thousand words

The mutability of language is no real cause for concern. Dirk von Gehlen on our misguided tendency to glorify the past and the endless adaptability of language.

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Illustration: Two people with speech bubbles

Word! The Language Column
Dialectics of Correct Pronunciation

Generations Y and Z may not do much talking over the phone, but they do still attach importance to the spoken word on the Internet. Here’s Dirk von Gehlen on avocados and deliberate mispronunciations.

The Diary of Thomas Mann on Twitter

Sprechstunde – Die Sprachkolumne
The Oversharing Nobel Laureate

“Grosse Abneigung, nachmittags noch irgend etwas zu tun” – “Loath to undertake anything else this afternoon.” 4,400 people like what Thomas Mann wrote in his diary on 10 August – at least that’s how many likes this tweet got. Dirk von Gehlen on valuations and value not only in the sphere of the digital.

Illustration: A person on a mobile device, speech bubble with the inscription “Excuse me”

Word! The Language Column
Excuse me, but this is 2023

“Word!” is going digital – or rather, digilectal: In the next batch of articles, our new language columnist Dirk von Gehlen will be exploring changes wrought by Internet culture in the way we write and speak. How does new slang come about? What roles do abbreviations and emojis play? How might all this help resolve some serious social issues?

11TH Season: Stephan Reich

Illustration: A smartphone, next to it a jagged speech bubble containing the word “Bro”

Word! The Language Column
Instagrammar

The internet isn’t just “new territory” – it also changes the way we speak and write. Footballers in particular are fond of putting their foot in it.

Illustration: A football player with raised arms, next to him a male person with a speech bubble containing the text "The Butcher"

Word! The Language Column
National bombomastics

Hardly any footballers get away without a nickname, and fantasy knows no bounds here. These pet names demonstrate an affectionate approach to language, the pun involved and their own passion.

Illustration: A person points to a presentation with diagrams; the background of the presentation looks like a football field

Word! The Language Column
Asymmetric technical jargon

The development of football is progressing rapidly, and its language is changing at the same rate. Not everyone likes that. But there’s no stopping it now.

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Illustration: A television camera pointed at a head with its mouth open, starting from the head a speech bubble that looks like a football field.

Word! The Language Column
Thinking from one column to the next

Footballese has produced an amazing array of hackneyed phrases that come in handy for football players and officials alike because they can mean everything and nothing. But what if we were to use these stock phrases in everyday life, too?

Illustration: A goalkeeper is diving for a ball; speech bubble with the inscription: “Playing equipment“

Word! The Language Column
The Freckly is Round

No language is as ornate as that of sports, as you can tell from the panoply of colourful football phrases used in different countries around the world.

Illustration: A mobile device with a speech bubble containing a ball and statistics

Word! The Language Column
The (Failed) Ticker Bot Takeover

First the bad news: the robots are taking over – at least in sportscasting. Then the good news: they’re still just dumb machines spitting out nonsense.

10th season: Taiga Trece

Illustration: A computer screen showing an open mouth with a speech bubble that says "True".

Word! The Language Column
The Voice, the Word and the Air in Between

In her final column, rapper Taiga Trece riffs on the voice, spoken language and air – and wraps them all together.

Illustration: A laptop from which sounds come, hearts

Word! The Language Column
Make Way for Latin Hip Hop

Hispanic hip hop hasn’t caught on in Germany. That’s because of our ingrained preconceptions about Latin culture and the Spanish language, explains Taiga Trece.

Illustration: A person with a speech bubble containing a broken vinyl record.

Word! The Language Column
Women’s Rap: Setting the Record Straight

Do we want separate rap for women and men? That’s a rhetorical question, says Taiga Trece: No way! She takes this opportunity to set a few things straight and makes the case for more women in the rap game.

© Goethe-Institut e. V./Illustration: Tobias Schrank

Word! The Language Column
I’ve had rap for longer than my period

So many interviews and so many wrong questions. Taiga Trece isn’t into speculating about whether women have a hard time of it in the rap business. What’s more captivating is a question she’s never asked in interviews, which is why she takes this opportunity to answer it here: how rap has affected her.

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Illustration: two faces looking at each other, in between a jagged speech bubble with the word “Bitch”

Word! The Language Column
“Bitch” is Back – and Women Now Own It

A misogynistic slur or a means to self-empowerment? “Bitch” is big in hip hop, but now it cuts both ways. Taiga Trece riffs and reflects on “bitch”.

Illustration: Female person with open mouth and jagged speech bubble, a microphone in her right hand, the right hand is raised

Word! The Language Column
Rap Speaks to Us

Hip hop is now both a big business and a subculture, at once acclaimed and taboo. Our new columnist Taiga Trece looks at these contrasts and rap’s rebellious and creative potential.

9th season: Hasnain Kazim

Illustration: Person with wide open rectangular mouth, speech bubble with laughing emojis of different skin colours

Word! The Language Column
Gotta Go, Buffalo!

Hasnain Kazim used to be allergic to bad puns and similar forms of cringeworthy wordplay. But he eventually succumbed, at least somewhat, to their (asinine) charm. After all, aren't many things easier to bear if you can laugh at a lame witticism at the same time?

Illustration: Person in front of presentation with different diagrams

Word! The Language Column
Watch Out for Jargon!

Verbal communication should be used for the purpose of making oneself understood, argues Hasnain Kazim, who lambastes various forms of jargon. Sometimes only one thing helps: to translate it into plain, readily intelligible language.

Illustration: Two speech bubbles with differently shaped question marks

Word! The Language Column
I don’t get a word of it!

The German-speaking world is rich in dialects. They make for differences and diversity, in which Hasnain Kazim revels – even though he’s from the north of Germany and doesn't always get what southerners are saying to him.

Illustration: Person holding a sign saying "Du? Sie?"

Word! The Language Column
May I Say “Du” to You?

To say “Sie” or to say “du” – sometimes, that’s the question. Hasnain Kazim thinks so too and looks around the world: How do formal and informal forms of address work in Scandinavia and Asia, at government agencies, editorial offices and in political parties? And how do they sometimes not work? In any case, they do mirror real life.

Illustration: Person in side view with angry expression and jagged empty speech bubble

Word! The Language Column
Save the old invective!

You’re sometimes better off venting your spleen than keeping it all bottled up inside, says Hasnain Kazim, who declares that invective is an art. For which you need good tools: namely, choice put-downs with a regional or historical touch.

Illustration: Person, hand raised in greeting

Word! The Language Column
“Servus” and “Salam”

The more we greet one another the better, exhorts our new columnist Hasnain Kazim. Different greetings are used in various parts of Germany, but they always signal respect and kindness – which we can never get enough of.

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8th season: Hauke Hückstädt

Illustration: Jagged speech bubble containing an open mouth from which another jagged speech bubble emanates

Word! The Language Column
Bringing together instead of seperating

How outmoded is it to seal ourselves off? In the final instalment of his column, Hauke Hückstädt makes the case for a kind of literature that overcomes barriers.

Illustration:Person in front of a book, speech bubbles with exclamation mark

Word! The Language Column
“Finding Common Ground in Differences”

Hauke Hückstädt has previously written about putting together an anthology of easy-to-read literature in plain language. Now it’s time he told us about the reactions, about the feedback from people finally coming out of hiding – with the help of literature.

Illustration: Mobile device with a person in front of a book

Word! The Language Column
Book Fair as a Bridge

Hauke Hückstädt considers the annual book fair in Leipzig the ultimate in accessibility. But the fair has been cancelled for this spring of 2022. In the following, our columnist sums up – in plain language – what’s so special and worth preserving about it.

Illustration: Several mouths and speech bubbles of different colours and shapes

Word! The Language Column
Report on a Work in Progress

Everything is miles better abridged – says the poet Arne Rautenberg. Which is an apt watchword for six writers who came together to lay down some rules for their own easy-to-read texts. Hauke Hückstädt reports on the tools used in this literary workshop.

Illustration: Open book, above figure with open mouth and tablet on tongue

Word! The Language Column
A New Chapter

Can modern literature be accessible to all? Hauke Hückstädt and his Literaturhaus team say yes, definitely. And they’ve found writers ready and willing to venture into uncharted literary territory.

Illustration: A person in front of an open book, from there speech bubbles with question marks

Word! The Language Column
Excluded

Our new columnist, Hauke Hückstädt, knows the book trade is forever exhorting everyone to read away. But how many books on the market are really accessible to the millions of people who have difficulty reading?

7th season: Nora Gomringer

Illustration: An open mouth, an arm pointing to a jagged speech bubble, in the speech bubble a frazzle sign

Word! The Language Column
On Inventing

In her final column with us, Nora Gomringer explores the notion that we humans are all inventors and that our inventing is always both salvation and escape. Some inventions cannot be revised – especially when it comes to giants and deer.

Illustration: Two figures, the speech bubble of one is shaped exactly like the head contents of the other

Word! The Language Column
On Imitation

Learning through imitation: This route, according to Nora Gomringer, also leads directly to language. She describes how we can fall madly in love and sings the praises of the act of imitatio.

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Illustration: Speech bubble with notes

Word! The Language Column
On listening

Until now, Nora Gomringer’s column has been devoted to translation. Now she is devoting it to the various pathways to language. She starts with listening. Her essay features a bathtub, porcelain cups and microphones.

Illustration: leere Gedankenblase über einem Buch

Word! The Language Column
What Defies Translation

Literary translation involves so much more than just translating words: it’s a matter of rendering a whole way of seeing the world. Nora Gomringer talks about authors and translators working together to thrash out the nuances of poetry in particular, including smells and sounds – and pain, for which it’s hard to find the words.

Illustration: Mouth in a tablet computer and eye in a TV set, each with a speech bubble

Word! The Language Column
The Translator’s Yoke

Translation is an art, explains poet, reciter and our new columnist Nora Gomringer. And it’s backbreaking work, like that of a water buffalo toiling in a rice paddy – though she means that far more appreciatively than it sounds.

Illustration: Speech bubble above a book containing a mouth with another speech bubble

Word! The Language Column
Roman-Tick,Tick,Tick – Boom!

It’s the translators who initiate us into the worldwide canon of literature, Nora Gomringer observes upon the announcement of the winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature, and carries us back to the age of German Romanticism.

6th season: Henning Lobin

Illustration: Several open mouths in different colours, partly with speech bubbles

Word! The Language Column
The European Language Question and the Use of German in the EU

In his final piece for our “Word” column, Henning Lobin looks into the use of German in EU institutions. What’s the difference between an official language and a working or “procedural” language? Which language has become established as Europe’s “lingua franca”? Our columnist has the answers.

Illustration: A mouth with tongue sticking out showing a star

Word! The Language Column
The Big Fray over the Little Star

The gender star has proved an enduring bone of contention. Henning Lobin now wades into the fray to offer his own two cents on the matter. We clearly need to sheathe our verbal swords, he says, and objectively debate the pros and cons of gender-neutral language.

Illustration: A person with glasses looks into an open book

Word! The Language Column
The German Language and the Constitution

Nothing in the German Constitution says that German is our official language. Henning Lobin makes the case for a constitutional amendment to enshrine its social function, though not as a symbol of the German nation-state like our national flag.

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Illustration: A mouth with a yellow four-sided speech bubble containing a jagged speech bubble

Word! The Language Column
Everything must go! The long war on foreign words

What is it that irks those who feel compelled to protect the German language against foreign words? Henning Lobin retraces the history of nationalistic linguistic crusades from the Baroque to the present day and age.

Illustration: Two people, pictured sideways, facing each other; both have their mouths open, the left person holds a megaphone with a jagged speech bubble, the right person a microphone

Word! The Language Column
Current controversies over language

What are the ideas and values that characterize a given society? And what do debates about the role and use of language have to do with that? Our new columnist, Henning Lobin takes on some controversial language issues.

Illustration: An open book, above it a speech bubble with exclamation mark

Word! The Language Column
Much ado about spelling: The tumultuous German spelling reform

The wrangling about the German spelling reform in the 1990s could hardly have been more acrimonious. What caused this heated row in the German press and public administration, in schools and even in barrooms? Our columnist Henning Lobin recaps the tumultuous history of this controversial reform.

5th season: Olga Grjasnowa

Illustration: TV set showing an eye; there is a speech bubble to the left of the set

Word! The Language Column
Overblown one-word concepts

In her final column, Olga Grjasnowa zeroes in on two words that hold a special place in the German language: „Heimat“, an elusive concept that can be hard to get your head around, and “Wurzeln”, which at least seems quite tangible. Both are heavily fraught with political and emotional connotations.

Illustration: Mobile device with a mouth and a speech bubble containing a star

Word! The Language Column
Learning German made easy

Not all politicians are big on gender-neutral language. Olga Grjasnowa pokes fun at these pockets of resistance by putting forth some truly radical proposals for reforming the German language..

Illustration: two mouths

Word! The Language Column
The Great Donut Divide

Culture wars are sometimes waged over language – as in the current debate over gender-neutral language. But even dialects are liable to cause some pitched battles.

Illustration: Illustration: Mouth with square speech bubble containing a round speech bubble

Word! The Language Column
It’s all in the mix: Language contact and change

Languages are alive. This is obvious from the fact that words and phrases from one language are repeatedly adopted in another – usually as a means of enriching the range of expression.

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Illustration: Megaphone with jagged speech bubble

Word! The Language Column
German officialese: riddled with incomprehensible jargon

Bureaucratic or even threatening: When German authorities formulate texts, they often seem intimidating to the people addressed.

Illustration: four differently shaped and colored speech bubbles

Word! The Language Column
Mother – or stepmother – tongue?

What does it mean when Germans talk about their “mother tongue”? – Olga Grjasnowa has had very different experiences and gives us hints for rethinking.

4th season: Sharon Dodua Otoo

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Illustration: Exclamation mark in a purple speech bubble

Word! The Language Column
Punctuation

In terms of their actual extent and distribution in the sentence structure, they are the very smallest units: the punctuation marks. But even a tiny comma can completely change the meaning of a sentence.

Illustration: A hand points to three dots

Word! The Language Column
Prepositions

“From”, “at”, “since” or “around” – prepositions like these help us to locate things. They point us in the right direction – in time or place, for example. But it is not always as simple as it seems.

Illustration: several small coloured elements - yellow note, red circle with black cross, purple bar horizontal, blue bar vertical, white-red tablet

Word! The Language Column
Pronouns

What is the relationship of German pronouns to gender-equal language? Sharon Dodua Otoo looks at the problem from the perspective of several languages – and has a suggestion.

Illustration: red jagged speech bubble containing three coloured circles

Word! The Language Column
Prefixes

They are inconspicuous and usually very short – but they can have a great effect: In the German language, prefixes sometimes succeed in completely changing the meaning of a word. If you read carefully, you can make surprising discoveries.

Illustration: two speech bubbles above a book

Word! The Language Column
Grammar

In her first contribution, our new columnist Sharon Dodua Otoo looks at verbs and their emancipatory effect.

Illustration: open mouth under a disc with a cross above it; to the right an arm with a finger pointing upwards

Word! The Language Column
Nouns

What is the special perfidy of nouns? They can deceive us by showing us a state of reality that is perhaps quite different. And in doing so, they can even cause great harm.

3rd season: Hernán D. Caro

Illustration: two mouths, each with a speech bubble

Word! The Language Column
On Walking and Talking

Hernán D. Caro isn’t really into strolling around the park or along tree-lined avenues. But he has taken a shine to walking these days as a remedy against lockdown torpor, as a way to rediscover his adopted city – and because he has the most inspiring peripatetic conversations.

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Illustration: Person with a speech bubble containing an exclamation mark

Word! The Language Column
Fruitful words

Our columnist often finds himself thinking of his late beloved grandmother and her folksy sayings. She was a woman who practised what she preached. Her wise words of advice often come to mind, especially in hard times.

Illustration: Person with megaphone and jagged speech bubble

Word! The Language Column
A Courtship Dance with Words

Language is, first and foremost, an exchange of information. But it can also be used for purposes of deception or disguise – or for showing off. The latter, writes Hernán D. Caro, calls to mind birds displaying their colourful plumage for effect.

Illustration: A person calls into a microphone and has a thought bubble on his head, which is filled by a star

Word! The Language Column
Weighing your Words

When Hernán D. Caro talks with friends of his in Germany, he tends to exaggerate every now and then. His friends then usually look perplexed. This is reason enough for the author to think about the different ways people communicate in different languages, which sometimes call for a pinch of salt.

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Word! The Language Column
Masks with Benefits

Learning how to write in a new language can prove a long and rocky road – and ultimately a liberating experience. Hernán D. Caro, who has chosen to write in German, agrees on both counts. And he treasures his second language like a second skin.

A hand points into a speech bubble

Word! The Language Column
On “Wirklichkeit”: Words that breathe life into reality

How much passion and sensuality lie in the German language? Not much, you’re thinking? Hernán D. Caro, our new columnist, passionately disagrees!

2nd season: Thomas Böhm

A mouth with a speech bubble containing an exclamation mark

Word! The language column
Closing Act

How come we speak German the way we do today? In this final piece for his column on the German language, Thomas Böhm has some surprising news for us about modern-day “Hochdeutsch”.

A mouth with one round and one jagged speech bubble

Word! The Language Column
Old Relatives

Some words in other languages sound just like German words but don’t mean the same thing. Thomas Böhm takes a close look at these “false friends” … and finds that they’re actually part of the family.

Purple thought bubble with coloured dots

Word! The Language Column
English is German in Spanish

The language of children is often poetic and philosophical. What can we learn from it as adults?

Noten in verschiedenen Farben

Word! The Language Column
Singing along without knowing the words

What are they actually singing about? Thomas Böhm admits that he doesn’t always get the words to pop songs. When looks them up on the Internet, he’s sometimes unpleasantly surprised. But sometimes he’s delighted to discover the poetry of pop songs.

Illustration: Magisches Auge

Word! The Language Column
The Magic of Language

Magic moments in fairy tales: our new columnist Thomas Böhm is still enchanted when he hears the words “Es war einmal…” (“Once upon a time...”). He knows why we love the same stock phrases in every language. And he explains why learning the language of doves can be very worthwhile.

Illustration: Illustration: Mobile device with mouth and speech bubble

Word! The Language Column
Invitation to a World Talk

How do you strike up a mutually stimulating conversation with a stranger? Thomas Böhm is sometimes at a loss on that one. But he has an idea: just tell each other your favourite words. That’s liable to open up whole worlds – and even some scrumptious cake recipes!

1st season: Kathrin Kunkel-Razum

Illustration: Dictionary

Word! The Language Column
Duden: Germany’s pre-eminent dictionary

Duden was the authority on German spelling till the 1996 spelling reform. The dictionary’s monopoly is a thing of the past, but the media, the authorities and most producers of text continue to follow Duden’s recommended spellings. Duden editor-in-chief Kathrin Kunkel-Razum talks about a time-honoured dictionary that’s still going strong today.

Illustration: An open mouth with a pill on the tongue

Word! The Language Column
How do Foreign Words make it into the “Duden”?

English has a considerable influence on German vocabulary, confirms Kathrin Kunkel-Razum. But she still finds questions like "Are we all going to be speaking Denglish anytime soon?" exaggerated. Kathrin Kunkel-Razum on the inclusion of loanwords in the “Duden”, the premier reference work on German spelling.

Word! The Language Column

Word! The Language Column
How many Words does the German Language have?

Coining new words is a cinch in German. But not every neologism belongs in a dictionary. Kathrin Kunkel-Razum talks about sifting through long word lists for the next edition of the “Rechtschreibduden”, the standard German spelling dictionary.

Illustration: Cross over a circle

Word! The Language Column
Ringing in new words and ringing out some old ones

Our language is constantly expanding, so how come the “Duden” still fits into a single printed volume? Because obsolete entries are regularly deleted. In her final contribution to our column on the German language, Kathrin Kunkel-Razum discusses words that have gone by the board and why we shouldn’t completely forget them.

Illustration: A jagged red speech bubble without content

Word! The Language Column
Words That Make Waves

Why do certain words stir up powerful emotions? Needless to say, Duden dictionary editor Kathrin Kunkel-Razum has other worries right now, in the throes of the coronavirus crisis. But the word in question is about hope for the future.

Illustration: Speech bubble with underline

Word! The Language Column
Gender-Neutral German: Asterisk or Underscore?

What’s the best way to include all gender identities when writing in German? This question has caused quite a stir in the German-speaking world.

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