Saturday, August 20, 2011

Jugendslang

How do these top recent contenders in the Youth Word of the Year (Jugendliche Wort des Jahres) competition reflect German culture?

Source: This Week in German
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BONUS: N1 = Nice one

10. gechillt "Wir haben nur gechillt." (We just chilled out.)
9. die Gammelfleischparty ("old/rotten meat party" = a type of party for old codgers)
8. Bildschirmbräune ("Computer screen tan" - the tan-less skin color of geeks)
7. unterhopft sein ("to be overdue for some hops)
6. hartzen (Hartz IV are entitlement programs for unemployed; used as verb: laze around)
5. bam ("cool")
4. der Bankster (banking; investment speculator-type)
3. der Pisaopfer (PISA study from 2000 indicated German schools have gaps; here, to one of those educationally left behind)
2. egosurfen (to check how you are represented -- or representing yourself -- on social media)
1. der Spießer (mediocre Fred; average Joe; boring -- the way youth generally characterizes parents, who set boundaries; it originally refered to the "reliable" way garden dwarves "pitch in" where needed.)

--> How does English slang compare?

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