Offered by letter-writer Martin Hanisch in the Hamburger Abendblatt (2007-09-11) as an example of a particularly stupid Anglicism. He said he saw Playplace on a McDonald's hamburger restaurant in south Hamburg (where else?) and wondered if it was a calque for der Spielplatz. Probably not. A look at the McDonald's Canada website shows an indoor play area called a "Play Place" at restaurants in that country, apparently equivalent to a Playland at a US McDonald's.
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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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