A German synonym for das Notebook. The dict.cc forum suggests that der Klapprechner is still too slangy, though Hermann Schreiber (Hamburger Abendblatt 2007-09-24) recommends the latter for standard German. Bastian Sick of Zwiebelfisch has jokingly suggested Klapprechner was the best word to avoid a grammatical pitfall with Laptop: the possibility that it might be das Laptop. Der Laptop is slightly changed in pronunciation, since our dipthong -a- is unknown in German, and the stress in der Laptop shifts ever so slightly to the first syllable. Capitalized and gendered masculine, the German word matches its English source semantically.
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A glossary of some of the most peculiar English-derived words in today's German language, with discussion of the subtle differences that make them dangerous for translators.
Topics
An Anglicism ...
- alters to German orthography (caps, hyphens, inflection)
- is pronounced with German vowels and consonants
- may become narrower or wider in semantic range than the English source ... Read More
A pseudo-Anglicism ...
- comprises English-style syllables
- has a folk etymology claiming an English source
- is unintelligible in meaning to a monolingual English speaker ... Read More
Anglicism Resources
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About the Author
Mare Frisicum is a news correspondent writing in English about events in Germany. He says the German language is like a biotope where he happily spends his days. The Anglicisms are more than just a fascinating word variety growing there. They are also a potentially toxic species: every so often, a false friend or pseudo-Anglicism enters our English writing unawares and makes us look foolish. The original Mare Frisicum, by the way, was that great sheet of water bounded by Hull, Harwich, Harlingen and Husum where words knew no boundaries: the North Sea.
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