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LEARNING GERMAN

This is the ‘German word of the year’ for 2019

The Society for the German Language has just announced their annual word of the year, which ties in with one of Germany's largest political debates.

Published: 29 November 2019 13:02 CET
This is the 'German word of the year' for 2019
A Scrabble set spells out "Wort des Jahres" (Word of the Year). Photo: DPA

The term “Respektrente” has been chosen as the German Word of the Year, the jury of the Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache (Society for the German Language, or GfdS) announced in Wiesbaden. 

The word – combining the terms Respekt and Rente (pension) – characterizes one of the largest social and political discussions of 2019, said the GfdS.

“Respektrente” came about amid the planned introduction of a basic pension for men and women who receive only a small pension despite many years of employment.

READ ALSO: Grundrente: Merkel's coalition reaches deal on Germany's pension reform

It refers to pensioners being able to enjoy their retirement with dignity after many years of hard work. 

In addition to representing an important topic, the term demonstrates the special ability of the German language to form almost unlimited new words by assembling existing words, said GfdS.

In particular, the term is associated with Federal Labour Minister Hubertus Heil of the Social Democrats (SPD). In the Grand Coalition’s debate about the planned basic pension, Heil has emphasized that “life's work deserves respect” since the beginning of the year. 

Heil has also said: “Call it a respect pension or a justice pension”.  

Second place in the annual competition goes to the word “Rollerchaos”. It refers to the numerous e-scooters found throughout Germany since June, when they’re usage officially came into law. 

READ ALSO: Revealed: What you think of the rise of electric scooters in Germany

The increasingly popular scooters become a problem in many German cities because they are often used aggressively and parked in places where they shouldn’t be, the GfdS said.

Third place went to the Anglicism “Fridays for Future”. More than any other expression of this era, it stands for a young generation ready to take to the streets in the fight to take action on the climate crisis, said GfdS,

A new word every year

The German 'word of the year', dating back to 2006. Graph prepared for The Local by Statista.

Every year a new word is declared as the German Word of the Year, with Heißzeit taking the top spot last year.

The word refers to both the unusually hot and dry summer that stretched on between April and October in Germany, but also climate change in general.

With the phonetic resemblance to ice age (Eiszeit), the expression takes on an epochal dimension beyond the mere meaning of “period in which it is hot”, and possibly refers to a changing climate period, according to the jury in its reasoning.

Since 1977, the GfdS has selected a word annually in order to describe terms that have determined political, economic and social life in a special way.

The chosen words have often been created in the year of their selection to represent this.

“Jamaika-Aus” in 2017, for example, stood for the difficulty that Germany had in forming a coalition government following federal elections.

But other words have been long-standing terms that came into popularity following an event. 

Flüchtlinge (refugee) was chosen in 2015 following the German government's acceptance of over a million asylum seekers into the country amid the war in Syria.

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LEARNING GERMAN

‘Forget about bilingual Kitas’: Key tips for raising bilingual kids in Germany

With greater numbers of international workers choosing to settle in Germany and raise a family, the question of how to best raise bilingual children is often considered. 

Published: 25 April 2024 15:01 CEST
Updated: 28 April 2024 08:35 CEST
'Forget about bilingual Kitas': Key tips for raising bilingual kids in Germany

The Local asked its readers who have raised bilingual children in Germany to tell us how they managed to raise children who speak German in addition to their parent’s mother tongue. 

Trust the (school) system. 

One piece of advice was echoed by several readers: Trust the German education system to take care of teaching German through immersion. 

Siniša, 44, from Hesse, who speaks Croatian and English at home, told The Local: “Speak your native language at home. The school will ‘cover’ German and other languages.”

Steve, 55, who lives in Munich and speaks English and Spanish with his daughter agrees.

“Be consistent and raise your child in your native tongue. At a local school, they will learn German quickly,” he said.

Chris, 44, from Hamburg, who speaks English with his children, backed the idea of leaving kids’ schools to take charge of teaching them German.

“Get the kids into the German education system as early as possible and let them learn themselves from native speakers. As a bonus, they’ll pick it up quickly and not pick up a ‘non-German’ accent either,” he said.

Read more: ‘Multilingualism is an enrichment’ – The challenges of raisin bilingual kids in Germany

Readers also noted that even in the preschool stage, children can handle multiple languages. 

Julie, 41, who lives in Hamburg and speaks English and Italian at home, said: “Relax and go with the flow. Don’t get hung up on finding bilingual Kitas for toddlers if they already get significant exposure to the non-German language at home. Languages seem to develop in different spurts at different speeds.”

However, liaising with schools in Germany was noted as an essential skill. 

Kim, 46, based in Sindelfingen, with a family speaking both English and German, said: “It’s essential for at least one parent to understand German when children attend a German school. They can help explain language and cultural differences. They can also help with administrative matters and even homework.”

Maintain the mother tongue.

While readers were keen to encourage parents to trust the immersion process that German schools provide, they were also quick to advise a concerted effort to maintain speaking the mother tongue in and around the home. 

“For international parents, I think it’s very important that their children do not lose touch with their mother tongue, as it is a very special part of their identity,” said Prashanth, 42, who lives in Munich.

Anne-Marie, 52, from Frankfurt, who speaks ‘Singlish’ (Singaporean English) with her children, stated that it’s essential to be firm.

“Speak in your mother tongue to your kids from the day they are born. Be consequent about it, even in front of other people who do not speak your mother tongue,” she said.

Karl, 44, who lives in Celle and who speaks English and the indigenous American Ute language with his children, said getting family on board is important. 

“Communicate with all family members your decision, intentionally speak all of the languages, when possible provide translations so family members present are not excluded from conversations,” he said.

Charles, 40, from Berlin, even stated that speaking German at home may prove detrimental: “Don’t speak your own mediocre German with them. It may be hard to see them speaking another language as their more comfortable primary language than your own.”

Charles, who speaks English at home, added: “Find books and shows to share with them in your native language to continue the shared experience.”

Read More: What foreign parents should know about German schools

Just let it happen with the kids…

Sometimes, it seems, becoming bilingual takes care of itself. 

Paul, 40, from Munich, married to a German, said: “Our oldest just started speaking English one day around age 3. She had heard so much she could understand and just started talking. 

“The twins are starting to speak more and more English. It wasn’t a problem since she was fluent in both by age 4. I advise patience and not expecting perfection at a young age.

Crystal, 38, who lives in Nuremberg and speaks English at home, responded: “At first, my main concern was getting as much German into our lives as possible so my son would be ready for Grundschule. 

“Now I’m swinging the other way. My advice is to try to relax. There are always other things to worry about, and kids learn so much really quickly.”

…but also challenge yourself

Finally, respondents to The Locals’ survey repeated that raising bilingual children is something that requires a degree of effort – on the parent’s behalf. 

J.K, 40, who lives in Hanau and speaks English and Telugu at home, told The Local: “Language is very important for the kids to grow in a culture. 

“Parents should facilitate situations around the kid to better integrate locally. Parents (at least one) should be able to speak German at a level better than B1. 

“If not, supporting kids in their education is difficult, and this will hamper their chances of reaching a higher education level.”

Read More: Six surprising facts about Germany’s school system

Moreno, 40, who lives in Munich and speaks Portuguese with his children, was firm in his advice: “Don’t choose the easy way for you, parents. Don’t hide in your language community bubble. 

“If you intend to live in Germany for a long time, put your kids in German schools and get them in touch with the German community.

“If you don’t speak German like me, deal with it. But don’t transfer your problem to your kids.”

Have we missed any crucial advice for raising bilingual children in Germany? Tell us in the comments section below.

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