New Issue
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“Klimakleber” is now in the Duden
After a four-year break, the new Duden will be released on Tuesday. 3,000 new words are included. According to the editor-in-chief of Duden, the language changes of recent years focus on three areas: crisis, war, and cooking.
The Duden has been expanded by 3,000 words. The new edition includes terms such as “Klimakleber”, “ChatGPT”, “Deutschlandticket”, “Balkonkraftwerk”, and “Ukrainekrieg”.
“Klimakleber” has become known for activists of the group “Last Generation,” who have been gluing themselves to the streets in climate protests for years, with a focus on Berlin.
On Tuesday, the 29th edition of the most well-known reference work for German spelling will be released after a four-year break. “The Duden reflects its time. These words say something about what has happened in the last three to four years,” said editor-in-chief Kathrin Kunkel-Razum to the German Press Agency (DPA).
Crisis, War, and Cooking
With 151,000 entries, the printed edition is as extensive as never before. The most significant language changes in recent years can be sharply reduced to three areas: crisis, war, and cooking, according to Kunkel-Razum.
For example, “Coronapandemie” (corona pandemic) has become a new term—alongside “Antigenschnelltest” (antigen rapid test) and “Coronaleugner/-in” (corona denier). Terms such as “Extremwetterereignis” (extreme weather event), “Flugabwehrsystem” (air defense system), “Gasmangellage” (gas shortage situation), and “Entlastungspaket” (relief package) reflect crises in other areas. Changing dietary habits are reflected in terms like “Fleischersatz” (meat substitute), “Gemüsekiste” (vegetable box), “Tahini,” and “Kontaktgrill” (electric, very compact grill).
300 Words Removed, “Hackenporsche” Makes a Comeback
In addition to new entries, the Duden editorial team also regularly removes words that are rarely used. In the current edition, 300 words have been removed, according to Kunkel-Razum. Terms such as “Frigidär” (refrigerator), “UMTS-Handy” (UMTS mobile phone), and the term “Rationalisator” used in the GDR for an employee with rationalization tasks are no longer included. Variations of words that are no longer permissible, such as “Tunfisch” (tuna) and “Spagetti” (spaghetti), have also been removed.
“Removing words is much harder than adding new ones,” said the linguist. It is more challenging to prove that a word is rarely used than the opposite. Sometimes, removals are also reversed. The word “Hackenporsche” (jokingly for a shopping cart) was missing in the last Duden and is now making a comeback. “We received complaints that the word was removed,” Kunkel-Razum says.
The reference book named after its namesake Konrad Duden has long been considered authoritative. The spelling reform of 1996 broke this monopoly. The decisive authority is the Council for German Spelling, which publishes the “official rules.” It consists of a rules section and a word list. Reference works such as the Duden make these regulations practical for everyday use.
According to Kunkel-Razum, the new edition also contains the spelling changes that the Council for German Spelling adopted at its last meeting of the third legislative period at the end of 2023. This includes the rule that a comma before an expanded infinitive is again mandatory.
Broadcast: Fritz, 19.08.2024, 6 AM