It was the ‘Kiss&Ride’ that did it. The vacuous English-language sign that broke the camel’s back. Clearly, it means a short term carpark. But who could have known that the locals (in Bavaria) would think it has seedier connotations? A flurry of letters to the local politician ensued.
A brief wander through a German train station will see you directed to “Service points” (help desks) and “Counters” (ticket desks) after which you could “call a bike” or opt for “car-sharing” but perhaps not before having called some “hotlines” or being handed some “fliers.” Fine (just about) if you speak English but too much for those who do not.
Now Germany’s railway company (Deutsche Bahn) is taking a stand against the plethora of English-language signs in its stations that confuse and irritate ordinary Germans. The policy is to be dropped. Much to joy of the German Language Association whose website dolefully notes that there are over 7000 English words in the German lexicon
Many of these must surely be in business German which is littered with Anglicisms either adopted as is or partially Germanified. Something can be ‘gemanaged’ or ‘upgedated’, for instance, while you are in ‘einem Meeting’ or take ‘ein Conference call.’ Ordinary German too is full of English words such as ‘second hand’ or ‘outfit’ or the ubiquitous ‘cool.’
So is a German language academy in the offing? An institute that like its French counterpart would defend the home language against the English creep? Probably not, Berlin has stayed out of it so far.
But it is interesting (and good obviously) that Germans are taking more public pride in their language. When the country held the EU presidency in 2007, it made it a policy to speak German (and not English) wherever possible. An offshoot of the generally more political and mentally confident nation perhaps. (This is a country where to speak of being proud of being German, or display the national flag was until very recently considered a taboo.)
The language issue has become more politicized now. German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle made headlines last year when he refused to answer a question in English at a press conference shortly after he took up the post.
Meanwhile, transport minister Peter Raumsauer has banned unnecessary English words such as “taskforce”, “Knowhow” and “Travel Management” from his ministry.
Still whatever about giving priority to German in train stations and being more assertive generally about the language, Germans are merciless with their political representatives who they feel should speak English well. Germany’s EU commissioner Guenter Oettinger, who speaks both heavily accented German and English, has been subjected to a ladleful of scorn in the media.
#1 by Norbert Tóth on February 19, 2010 - 12:50 pm
Oh, I so much do agree. And I also really don’t understand why the owners of restaurants/clubs/companies/etc feel the necessity to pick english names to their businesses.
As a small kid I remember walking down the highstreet with my mum trying to read out the names of businesses. Now it’s hardly possible any more with “Fruit stations” and “Beauty saloons” at every corner.
#2 by Ronald Grünebaum on February 19, 2010 - 4:40 pm
Hmm. Maybe the article should have been written in German, one of the three working languages in the Commission, one of the three official languages in Belgium and one of the three languages used in Luxembourg.
Signs are there to communicate, not peddle ethnic ideology. If anglicisms are used, it’s because they are understood. Ranting against such developments is always risky as it could imply the bloody old nationalism. Germany has clearly turned inwards and a bit anti-European, hasn’t it? Is this to be welcomed and underpinned by teutonic signalling?
And no, it’s still not ok to be proud to be German. You cannot be proud of something that is not your own achievement. Or to put it with G B Shaw: “Patriotism is your conviction that your country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it. “
#3 by Iftikhar on February 19, 2010 - 5:58 pm
The miracle of human variety is in danger of disappearing, if all of us speak alike, dress alike, eat the same food, read the same fiction and enjoy the same music. It would be a great loss to our colourful planet. Public sector needs a multilingual work force. Teachers and police officers can help with race relations in the classroom and in the community. Public sector is seeking multilingual recruits to serve multicultural Britain. The ability to speak languages from Arabic to Urdu is considered to be an asset. Linguistic skills, in addition to the usual entry criteria, will boost the number of recruits in teaching, police, medicine, nursing and the civil service. Bilingual teachers, police officers, doctors and nurses are in a better position to serve the bilingual Muslim community. The language system has been used successfully in the United States. Mary Doherty at TTA, points out those bilingual teachers can be particularly welcome in state schools for bilingual pupils. Various studies show that bilingualism increases overall intelligence. Monolingualism leads to isolationist and inward thinking.
Exposure to different languages and cultures can increase tolerance. Language learning in childhood lays the foundations for developing real fluency in that language. Every child should have the opportunity to study a foreign language and develop their interest in the culture of other nations. Languages can be seen as an important way of putting more fun into primary learning and of broadening the children experience. Learning a second language boosts your intellectual powers by physically increasing the number of nerve cells in the language centres of the brain. A study at University College London shows that the brains of bilingual people are structurally enhanced compared to the brains of people who can only speak one language. The effect is even more marked in people who learnt a second language before they were five. Speaking a second language is like having access to another world. No other subject expands mental horizons in the same way. In an ordinary inner city school in England, nearly 100 languages are spoken, yet still essentially this is still a monolingual nation. London is the most multicultural city in the world with over 300 languages spoken everyday.
Bilingual Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with bilingual teachers as role models during their developmental periods. All state schools where Muslim pupils are the majority should be designated as Muslim community schools. They are in a better position to provide balanced education by teaching the National Curriculum along with Arabic, Islamic studies, Urdu and other community languages. An Islamic atmosphere will help to develop Islamic Identity crucial for mental, emotional and personality development.
Iftikhar Ahmad
#4 by Female bodybuilders on April 24, 2010 - 7:31 pm
I also really don’t understand why the owners of restaurants/clubs/companies/etc feel the necessity to pick english names to their businesses.