How do the older generations cope? Do they just accept the fact that the language they grew up with is rapidly disappearing? Or do they rant and rail?
Most of German society doesn't seem to mind in the least. In München you only have to glance at the adverts around you in the stations, to see that English is altogether trendy:
Das Jobportal für die Metropole. Täglich neue Jobs. Jobs in der Region. Keine Registrierung nötig. Passende Jobs per E-Mail.
Personal Training.
Cross-Media. Bachelor und Masterabschlüsse [not even Meisterabschlüsse!]. SAE Institute München.
Mit der DB-Monatskarte im Abo clever am Stau vorbeipendeln! [clever used here in the German way, as an adverb, not an adjective]
Railteam Infopoint.
DB Lounge. Exklusiver Aufenthaltsbereich für bahn.bonus comfort-Kunden.
Kunden mit City-Ticket erhalten ...
Alle wollen Tech-nick [sic] smarter!
Smarter Tech-nick involves words like logged in, eingelogged [note the English -ed ending for the past participle instead of a -t!], and geliked, as on Facebook.
and in the newspapers:
Bitte Code scannen und Ihre Meinung abgeben.
Doppelseite –– Highlights der Woche.
Nobody would say einkaufengehen nowadays. Man geht shoppen. One German speaking (?) company was called Clean Up. In the coffee shops you ask for einen Kaffee to go.
Not that they get their English completely right, always. In the hotel we stayed at there was a notice in English by the lifts: Do not use lift in case of fire.
Wanting to take home some real German culture with me, I bought a copy of the most recent film by Edgar Reitz, Die Andere Heimat. Even that ultra-German creation came in a packet of 2 DVDs mit 40-seitigem Booklet. It's wonderful, by the way, and das Booklet, written by Mr. Reitz, makes for an absorbing read ... in real German.
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