German
"Do you speak Swiss?"
Play videoIn my German class, we’ve been exploring Swiss German and the multilingual environment of Switzerland, which has four official languages: German, French, Romansh, and Italian. In the second half of the video, we see a cashier in a multilingual region easily shifting between these languages depending on the customer. Rather than style shifting in the traditional sense, this seems more like an alteration of language based on practicality and politeness. The cashier is fluent in all the languages spoken and navigates them effortlessly, suggesting a stable multilingual competence rather than conscious style-shifting. Still the language that the cashier speaks is dependent on the customer, so the shift is more of a situational language adaptation. I am fascinated by the Swiss and the flexibility that comes with being multilingual in this everyday sense without necessarily having a shift in the social identity.
Mock German in the Muppets
Play videoMock German language appearing in the 1996 film Muppet Treasure Island.
Council for German Orthography Enshrines "Idiot's Apostrophe", Move Decried as Another "Normalization of Anglicisms"
This article details some of the immediate reactions to the Council for German Orthography announcing that using an apostrophe to indicate possession will now be considered 'correct' German grammar. Some German grammar purists consider the move to be a result of excessive encroachment of English conventions into the German language, but others point out that this may not actually be the case. [Published on 10-08-2024]
Raw Politics: Angela Merkel's "sh**storm" moment
Play videoAngela Merkel uses the word "shitshow" in the middle of a German sentence.
German's can't say "rural"
This is just an instagram reel (off brand tiktok) in which a guy is making fun of germans trying to pronounce the English word "squirrel" [Published on 02-15-2023]
Culcha Candela- I like it
Play videoThis is a German band that sings in various codes, this song is an example of code switching between Spanish, German and English. [Published on 03-19-2015]
COVID has led to creation of 1200+ new words in German
This tweet explains how COVID has led to the creation of over a thousand new words in German. The author also provides a link below to a website where these words have been compiled. [Published on 02-21-2021]
The Anglish Moot
This fandom page is dedicated to the Anglish movement, a form of English linguistic purism. Followers of this movement speak English only using Germanic-based words, purposefully omitting words with Latin or Greek roots. They do this either because they think it's fun and historically interesting, because they think that's how the language was "meant" to be, or because they think it simplifies the language, therefore making it easier to speak. This is a really informative site, but can be kind of difficult to navigate due to the Anglish terms.
For a more concise but thorough explanation, I will also link the following YouTube video. Here he explains more of the linguistic aspects rather than the movement itself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIo-17SIkws
Additionally, here is a Reddit page devoted to Anglish and opinions about it (but not written in Anglish, so easier to read): https://www.reddit.com/r/anglish/
I found this fascinating because this is an idea that has allegedly been about since the 1100s. [Published on 03-10-2019]
Helga Feddersen & Didi Hallervorden - Du, die Wanne ist voll
Play videoDu, die Wanne ist voll is a very famous parody on the song "You're the one I want". It demonstrates code-switching between German and English.
Grief Bacon
Play videoIn this video, it depicts a German named Flula who teaches German colloquialisms. This illustrates the differences between cultures. The German culture has many words that cannot necessarily translate equivocally to English. The Germans combine words that are meaningless when translated directly to English. In this video, Flula talks about Kummerspeck, which directly translates to Grief Bacon, or the weight one gains during a period of grief.
Why Germans Can Say Things No One Else Can
Play videoThis video talks about language and it's ability to allow for thought, emotion, and the expression of feelings. It talks specifically about the German language and how they have a wide variety of words they can use to better describe a situation or feeling other languages might not be able to do as effectively. It explains many examples of this, along with the appropriate meaning in English. Having a different set of words to think with and use allows for a wide variety of unique knowledge one can obtain. This video just scratches the surface of the importance of language, and how language in our lives can change the way we think and interpret the world around us.
Why I love living in a multilingual town
This article is about a young woman who studied abroad in South Tyrol, a German speaking province in Northern Italy. She speaks about her experiences living in a town that speaks both German and Italian. She says that using both languages every day while she was there gave her confidence.
Code-Switching Baby
Play videoThis video shows a young child speaking in German with his father for most of the video until he looks up and sees his mother, with him immediately switching to Japanese upon seeing her. This shows how code-switching is prevalent even in younger multilingual speakers and is used as a way to communicate with different people. Although the child in this video is very young, he still is aware enough to know that his father understands German best and that his mother responds best to Japanese.
Language Learning and Transitions
Play videoTrevor Noah explains how his native language and his father's native language collide and how he tries to learn the tones, pitches and language of German and how each sound in each word can come across differently.
Kiezdeutsch
A brief description of Kiezdeutsch, a German dialect first classified as an ethno- or multiethnolect, with primarily Turkish and Arabic foundations. This article emphasizes the sociolect's primary usage among young speakers in larger cities. (Compare with Matsuda's reference to a "youth accent", pp 1361 in Voices of America. The Yale Law Journal.1991.) [Published on 02-11-2012]
Stephen Fry - The power of words in Nazi Germany
Play videoStephen Fry speaks about the power of language during the time of Nazi Germany and how using certain words to describe others can change everyone's perception of those people. This video significantly shows how language influences world-view.
SEEED - Dickes B (Code Switching and Jamaican Creole English)
Play videoA reggae/dancehall song from German band SEEED, with code switching from German to English and a verse in Jamaican Creole. Submitted for Contact Languages music assignment.
Rock Me Amadeus
Play videoThis is the song I chose for my music project--it shows a number of English borrowings and code-switches between German and English.