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The German Language Column
 Word!

Word! The language column © Goethe-Institut e. V./Illustration: Tobias Schrank

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

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11th season: Stephan Reich

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.
Illustration: Two people in half-profile. They speak to each other © 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.
Illustration: two faces looking at each other, in between a jagged speech bubble with the word “Bitch” © Goethe-Institut e. V./Illustration: Tobias Schrank

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

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.
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9th season: Hasnain Kazim

Illustration: Person with wide open rectangular mouth, speech bubble with laughing emojis of different skin colours © Goethe-Institut e. V./Illustration: Tobias Schrank

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 the hiding – with the help of literature.
Illustration: Mobile device with a person in front of a book © Goethe-Institut e. V./Illustration: Tobias Schrank

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

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

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

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?

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7th season: Nora Gomringer

Illustration: An open mouth, an arm pointing to a jagged speech bubble, in the speech bubble a frazzle sign © Goethe-Institut e. V./Illustration: Tobias Schrank

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

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.
Illustration: Speech bubble with notes © Goethe-Institut e. V./Illustration: Tobias Schrank

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

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

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

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.
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6th season: Henning Lobin

Illustration: Several open mouths in different colours, partly with speech bubbles © Goethe-Institut e. V./Illustration: Tobias Schrank

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

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

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.
Illustration: A mouth with a yellow four-sided speech bubble containing a jagged speech bubble © Goethe-Institut e. V./Illustration: Tobias Schrank

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

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

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.
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5th season: Olga Grjasnowa

Illustration: TV set showing an eye; there is a speech bubble to the left of the set © Goethe-Institut e. V./Illustration: Tobias Schrank

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

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

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

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.
Illustration: Megaphone with jagged speech bubble © Goethe-Institut e. V./Illustration: Tobias Schrank

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

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.
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4th season: Sharon Dodua Otoo

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

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

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

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

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

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. 
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3rd season: Hernán D. Caro

Illustration: two mouths, each with a speech bubble © Goethe-Institut e. V./Illustration: Tobias Schrank

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.
Illustration: Person with a speech bubble containing an exclamation mark © Goethe-Institut e. V./Illustration: Tobias Schrank

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

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

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

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.
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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!
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2nd season: Thomas Böhm

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

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.

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

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

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!
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1st season: Kathrin Kunkel-Razum

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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