Denglish, Hip-Hop phrases, and internet slang – the key features of German youth language

When older people listen to a group of German teenagers today, they often only understand fragments of a sentence. A lot has changed since the 1960s, when the generation that wanted to distance itself from the ruling class used words like “cool”. In the following, we will take a look at the increasingly popular mix of English, German, Hip-Hop slang, and internet language.

Using English terms in German

Ever since computers became part of everyday life, many English terms have crept into German vocabulary. We all use terms such as “E-Mail”, “Chat” and “Laptop” without thinking twice. There are many examples trying to give German a casual feel: adjectives such as “stylisch” (stylish), verbs such as “pushen” (to push), and nouns such as “Sommerlook” (summer look), a so-called hybrid word.

In advertising, Anglicisms (English words adopted into German) have been a trend for years. There are tons of word creations because the industry is under pressure to be “trend-bewusst” (trend-conscious). Messages aimed at young people should appear “cool” and “trendy”. For example, “jemanden igorieren” (to ignore someone) simply becomes “jemanden ghosten” (derived from the English word “ghost”).

Adopting English words to German

It is particularly interesting to see how English verbs and adjectives are adapted to German grammar. Here are a few typical examples from everyday language:

What does the word “Digga” mean?

One word that appears particularly frequently in youth language is “Digga” (also “Dicker”). It is originally from the Hamburg area and is a colloquial term of address among friends, similar to “Alter” or “Kumpel”. Despite its origin in the word “dick” (thick), it has nothing to do with body weight. The term “Dicker” became popular by Hamburg hip-hop acts of the 1990s, such as “Absolute Beginner”, “Ferris MC”, “Eins Zwo”, “Dendemann”, “Fünf Sterne Deluxe” and “Das Bo”.

Examples: 

• „Ey Digga, was geht?“ → „Hey Buddy, how are you doing? “
• „Digga, das war krass!“ → „Buddy, that was really crazy! “

The word is often used regardless of gender and is common throughout Germany, especially in urban youth cultures.

Internet slang

Internet slang developed due to the increasing use of instant messaging services and social networks. A unique language has evolved enabling fast and effective communication through use of abbreviations, emoticons, memes and other expressions.

Internet slang is characterized by Anglicisms, given that English is the predominant language here. In particular, abbreviations and acronyms have become part of everyday language – not only for young people.

Examples:

• lol (laughing out loud)
  German: laut auflachen
• brb (be right back)
  German: bin gleich zurück
• ASAP (as soon as possible)
  German: so schnell wie möglich
• FYI (for your information)
  German: zur Information 

Language is always changing, especially among young people. For many people, mixing German and English is a sign of modernity and of belonging to the digital world. Anyone using social media, playing computer games or watching English-language series automatically adopts many terms.

This linguistic mixture can be confusing when learning German. However, it is an exciting example of how flexible and creative language can be – and how strongly media and culture influence it.

For more articles on the German language, check out the category „Learn German“.