German C2 · Language Varieties & Dialects
Soziolekte und Jugendsprache – C2 German Grammar
Sociolects and youth language
Sociolects are forms of language used by particular social groups – e.g. professions, age groups or scenes. The best known is youth language, which changes especially quickly.
Features of youth language
| feature | examples |
|---|---|
| anglicisms | cringe (embarrassing), flexen (show off), chillen (relax), lost (clueless), random (random, weird), sus (suspicious) |
| intensifiers | voll, mega, krass, übelst, hart (totally, mega, crazy, seriously, hard) |
| abbreviations | LOL, OMG, digga, ka (keine Ahnung – no idea), vllt (vielleicht – maybe) |
| new meanings | Ehrenmann/Ehrenfrau (someone who behaves admirably – a legend), Lauch ("leek" = weak, unathletic guy) |
| shortened sentences | Gehen wir Kino? (= Gehen wir ins Kino? – Shall we go cinema?) |
| influences from migrant languages | Digga / Diggi (mate), Wallah (I swear), yalla (come on, quick) |
Youth words at a glance
| word | meaning |
|---|---|
| cringe | embarrassing, second-hand embarrassment |
| flexen | to show off, brag |
| lost | clueless, confused |
| sheesh | expression of amazement |
| Digga | mate, buddy |
| chillen | to chill, relax |
| wild | crazy, unbelievable |
| Ehrenmann | a great, helpful person |
| gönn dir! | treat yourself! / go for it! |
Other sociolects
- professional jargon: doctors („Der Patient ist stabil" – the patient is stable), IT („den Server neu aufsetzen" – set the server up again, „deployen" – deploy)
- scene languages: gamers („noob", „leveln", „GG"), athletes, music scenes
- officialese (see specialist languages)
Functions of sociolects
- showing group membership ("we belong together")
- setting oneself apart from others (e.g. from adults)
- efficiency (professional jargon)
Caution when using
Youth language from the mouths of adults often sounds unintentionally comic ("cringe"!). For learners, understanding matters more than active use.
Examples:
- „Das Video ist voll cringe." = Das Video ist sehr peinlich. (That video is so cringe.)
- „Er flext mit seinem neuen Handy." = Er gibt mit seinem neuen Handy an. (He's flexing his new phone.)
- „Ich bin total lost in Mathe." = Ich verstehe in Mathe gar nichts. (I'm totally lost in maths.)
- „Digga, was geht?" = Hallo, Kumpel, wie geht's? (Hey mate, what's up?)