German Youth Language
What are the features of German youth language, Jugendsprache, today? Why do people use
it? What are the main influences on youth language?
A good way to structure your description of German Youth Language would be to look at:
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its features: what are the topics talked about in slang and which linguistic features can be
identified in this version of German ?
its functions: are there any specific tasks performed through the use of Youth slang?
its speakers’ motivation: why do young people use a variant
of German and not the standard one?
its influences: what effect does youth language have on standard German, if any?
Features
Most studies of the slang spoken by youths focus on the actual words used. There are quite a
few books claiming to be dictionaries of youth language, as if all it took to understand teenagers
and to be accepted by them was to learn a list of vocabulary!
Of course, it is a very good starting point to explore lists of words as the main source of material.
However, it should be remembered that a proper linguistic study should also look at:
pronunciation, sentence structure, omissions, and sound words like ey and yeah , for example.
On the YouTube video you may have noticed particles such as ne?’(a short version of nicht
wahr?, prompting the listener to confirm, maybe best transposed into English with ‘innit?’) or
weißt du? (used very much like the English ‘you know’), and attention getters like Alter/Alta
(used like the English ‘man’). These are all typical features of spoken language, and as such
they are not typical of youth language alone but of any spoken language. However, the
selection and use of some of these, like Alter, is typical of youth slang. Studying any compilation
of youth slang will reveal some of the following frequently discussed topics (I have listed a few
examples):
• free time activities:
popular culture: abdancen, Elektroschuppen
drinking: sich zukloppen, sich zudröhnen
IT: ownen, scannen, geek
fashion: look, outfit
sports: indoor, half pipe, maulen
leisure: chillen, rumgammeln
• relationships:
friends: homies
quarrels: beef
partners, girls/boys: bitch, Stino, Warmduscher
• work
to work: Geld machen
money: cash, cash am Start
• states of mind:
emotions: low, gut drauf
thought processes: keinen Plan
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Functions
Just as other specialist languages (for example, the jargon of surgeons) will reflect their area of
expertise, then youth language topics deal with issues relevant to young people. When talking
about a subject, new words are often introduced. This can have different causes. For topics
such as fashion, music and technology, innovations need to be described and new things need
to be given new names. This is one reason why German youth language is so rich in English
and American expressions as many of these developments originate in the Anglo-American
culture. New trends in music, for example, often start in the US and come with accompanying
American expressions to discuss them.
Apart from talking about topics which are relevant to adolescents, another function of youth
language is to evaluate and judge people, things, and situations. It is important to like the right
kind of music, fashion, drink, etc, to be accepted. It is equally important to express rejection of
things no longer accepted by one’s peer group. Words which can do this job are adjectives and
adverbs. Youth language therefore is often very rich in these. Examples are: fett, voll fresh,
cool and topstens.
German youth language is not much different from standard German in that it accumulates
words. Just as new meanings can be created by adding words to create compounds
(Sofakissenbezug = sofa pillow cover), evaluatives can be enhanced by accumulation. Thus,
super-mega-cool, is presumably more cool than just cool or even mega-cool. But not only
adjectives can be used to intensify the effect, nouns such as Hammer, Bombe or Knaller also
boost the meaning of any words with which they are joined, for example, Hammermusik,
Bombenfilm, etc.
As part of the process of adopting a new word into slang, the word often loses its original
meaning. For example, the German word stark (meaning ‘strong’) was used in the 80s to mean
‘good’. Geil, originally meaning ‘randy’, has lost this meaning almost completely. Just as ‘cool’
has no longer anything to do with temperature.
Another purpose of any slang or jargon is efficiency: codes and short formulae help to
communicate quickly and with precision. Surgeons, for example, will need to be precise in their
communication to ensure smooth, speedy and proper procedures. Linguistically, this can mean
abbreviations. For example, in youth slang, the German for identity card, der Personalausweis,
becomes Perso. Whole phrases can be shortened as well, instead of saying : Wen interessiert
das? you can just say Wen? Or instead of saying Das kannst du deiner Großmutter erzählen! (I
don’t believe you, pull the other one), you can just say: Mutter! In context, the meaning of this
one word will be clear.
New words are introduced and old words get new meanings, this is how linguistic innovation
through youth language might be described. Grammatical structures are mostly kept intact.
To summarise: The features of youth language include features of any spoken language. A look
at the vocabulary reveals that, as with any jargon, the topic areas reflect the world of the
speakers. The functions comprise evaluation, efficiency and precision.
Motivation
After considering some features and functions of youth language, you could look at the
motivation to use this language. Here it may be good to distinguish between youths as speakers
and non-youths as speakers of youth language.
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The main reasons why young people use a distinct slang are:
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Identity/ solidarity with a group
Using the right words and expressions will help to signal that the speaker is one of the group.
By the same token, exclusivity is an important function here. Youths from other regions or age
groups or with other interests are outsiders and speak a different language. Grown-ups using
youth language - often a dated version of it - are very much perceived as outsiders. The cringefactor is high.
Shocking others, especially adults, is perhaps just one way to draw a clear line between in and
out. Linguistically, this often means a high frequency of vulgar expressions.
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Entertainment/ fun
Many expressions testify to their speakers’ sense of humour. Examples:
Was guckst du? Bin ich Kino?
Gehirnprothese (for pocket calculator)
Vokuhila (hairstyle which is vorne kurz hinten lang)
Fleischmütze (bald head)
Often, young people use catch phrases from TV series, comedians or films.
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Marketing/ promotion
When used by non-youths, the motivation is usually the attempt to sell a product, or to produce a
statement specifically attractive to young people.
Example:
Votet das coolste Oktoberevent und gewinnt mit der Tiroler Tageszeitung eines von 3
Raiffeisen Club-Sparbüchern im Wert von € 100,- oder 5 x 2 Kinotickets für die Cineplexx
(advert in a newspaper, taken from: http://www.mahnert-online.de/Jugendsprache.html)
Influences
Some of the functions of youth language are determined by external factors: for example,
changes in popular culture, are often reflected. The high frequency of Anglo-American words
has already been mentioned and could be researched in its own right. However, English in all
its forms is not the only language with an input from which words are taken. More recently,
Turkish has become a very trendy language too. A creole used by Turkish speakers, called
Kanaksprak, has become quite popular even with non-Turkish speakers. Expressions like lan (a
form of addressing someone) and çus (an expression of astonishment, surprise) have become
part of the standard repertoire. An even bigger influence of Turkish can be detected in
pronunciation. A soft ‘r’, pronounced in words such as krass and korrekt, is an example. Also,
the pronunciation of ‘ch’ sounds as ‘sch’, turning ich to isch is typical of this variation. However,
some speakers also show a tendency to drop articles, or use the wrong article deliberately to
imitate alleged Turkish syntax.
Effects
What does this mean for standard German? Expressions from youth language are sometimes
adopted by the mainstream. Words like cool and intensifiers like mega are used by many
speakers, not all under 18. From this point of view, youth language is a very good subject if you
want to explore language change. Some of the driving forces of language change, such as
fashion, contact with other cultures, aspiration and search for identity are reflected by youth
language.
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