Danglish


Danglish is a form of speech or writing that combines elements of Danish and English. The word Danglish is a portmanteau of Danish and English and has been in use since 1990. A variant form is Denglish, recorded since 2006. The term is used in Denmark to refer to the use of English or pseudo-English vocabulary in Danish. While it has been argued that the influx of English words, similar to the import of Latin and French words in the past, makes the language more expressive, it remains controversial in many sectors of society, notably with older people, who are often less accustomed to English terms.
"Danglish" is also used as a pejorative referring to the use of poor and/or clumsy English by Danes.

Danification of English words

Danglish words often receive standard Danish endings and prefixes; in other words, they are conjugated or declined in the same manner as Danish words. The following are examples of sentences featuring Danified English words; the correct terms in Danish are also included as well:
  • "Jeg blev nødt til at genstarte/reboote computeren, fordi programmet crashede.
  • "Har du allerede hentet/downloadet den nyeste version?"

    Twisting of Danish idioms and grammar rules

The adaptation also takes the other route, where literal translations of popular English expressions slowly but insistently replace the correct Danish words and idioms. Widespread examples of this evolution include but are not limited to:
  • at handle på noget
  • tager ikke nej for et svar
  • at få alting frem i det åbne
  • at svare telefonen
  • at spørge et spørgsmål
These phrasings may have originated from English-language films and television shows translated into Danish, but are also used in everyday language.

Anglicisation of Danish sentences

Although large majority of Danes are familiar with English as a second language, non-idiomatic sentences can still result from overly literal translations:
  • "I am at the beginning of my period."
  • "Screw down a little bit the expectations"
  • "The prick over the I"
  • "Can I borrow the toilet?"

    Examples of common mistakes made by native Danish speakers when speaking English

Grammar mistakes such as:
  • Omitting the article "the", because its Danish equivalents are used less often than in English. For example, "Train is delayed" or "Restaurant is booked".
Words with multiple meanings in one of the languages:
  • Confusing "fun" with "funny." This is due to the Danish word "sjov" meaning having both meanings.
  • Mixing up "lose" and "drop". This is due to the Danish word "tabe" meaning having both meanings.
  • Confusing "prize" and "price"
False friend mistakes such as:
  • Mistranslating "eventuelt" as "eventually" and "aktuelt" as "actually."
  • Writing "consumer" instead of "customer."

    Non-translation

Several schools have lately changed their names to become more internationally recognized. "Handelshøjskolen i København" is now known as "Copenhagen Business School" or "CBS". Of the three music conservatories offering classical music programs, the English names of Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus/Aalborg and Danish National Academy of Music deviate from their original Danish names that show strong geographical emphasis, "Det Jyske Musikkonservatorium " and "Syddansk Musikkonservatorium ", which are translated as "The Jutlandic Music Conservatory" and "Southern Denmark Music Conservatory" respectively. Their English acronyms "RAMA" and "DNA of Music" are also employed in such informal settings as social media, for instance, the former's annual "RAMA Festival" and the latter's Facebook page URL.
Many English-language films such as Armageddon, Toy Story or Ice Age, do not translate their titles into Danish, even if the films themselves are otherwise fully translated. Menus of many global fast food chains also usually go partly or completely untranslated, such as "Double Whopper,"