Globalization and the Anglicising of German Culture and Language

Table of Contents

Table of Contents 2

Research Paper 3

Preface 3

Businesses – The American Lifestyle in Germany 4

The English Influence in Politics 5

The “Germarican” Media 6

“Denglish” – The German Youth Language 7

Conclusion 8

Works Cited 9

Rough Draft 11

Peer Editing Sheets 17

Topic 19

Working Title 20

Thesis Statement 21

Outline 22

Abstract 24

Working Bibliography 25

Preface

To begin with, I would like to introduce the term anglicism. An anglicism is a word from British or American English used in a non-English language (Yang 7). Today, our world is closer connected than ever before, and therefore the cultural identities of the countries around the globe blend more and more from individual identities into one overall identity. This is due to a process called globalization. This term signifies “a social change, an increased connectivity among societies and their elements due to transculturation“ (Wikipedia: “Globalization”). While the process of globalization steps further, it became obvious that the one culture having the most influence on other cultures is the American way of life.

The use of English words in the German language has increased enormously during the last 50 years. This expansion started during the American occupation of Germany after World War Two. American soldiers and their families living in Germany brought the Hollywood flair, the Rock’n’Roll, and a great deal of American products to Germany. The German population seemed to develop a strong desire for this particular American lifestyle. In today’s time, however, Germany is not any longer occupied by the United States of America, France, Russia, or Great Britain. On the other hand, it is to be mentioned that the United States grew to a global power during the cold war, influencing other countries in their social, cultural, and political live. Due to the authority of the United States as a global power in politics and economy, the English language and culture remains prevalent in Germany. This ascendancy has a great effect on the German media, which tends to change from German into American. All this suggests that anglicisms have almost unnoticeable “snuck” into the German language und culture and are now encroaching upon them.

Businesses – The American Lifestyle in Germany

The pressure of the American economy on German companies has always been a great issue, but especially today, where the world’s countries are economically closer connected than ever before, the American influence has a great effect. The economic policy of the United States is controlling businesses throughout the entire world and therefore has a great impact on every country and company: the world’s business language is English for instance, and the company structures are changing into American structures (Wikipedia: “Types of companies”).