In her essay collection Voyages Outside the Mother Tongue, Yoko Tawada poses exactly this question on page 103. Everyone knows the phenomenon: English verbs are “Germanized” simply by adding the suffix -en — downloaden, emailen, managen. Just a few everyday examples.
What really caught my attention, however, was a quote on page 106:
“At a certain point in time, people in Germany started using the phrase ‘Das macht Sinn.’”
This is a direct translation of the English expression It makes sense. I find this especially striking because I just received the edited manuscript of my book. And I had used exactly that phrase. In traditionally “correct” German, the proper form is „Das ergibt Sinn“.
Language changes over time. It always has, and that’s a good thing. Every generation shapes its own way of speaking, adopts foreign elements, adapts them, and lets others fade away.
The phrase „Das macht Sinn“ is now so widespread that many no longer even recognize it as a loan translation. To many ears, it sounds more natural than „Das ergibt Sinn“. Perhaps because it feels more direct and conversational. And yet, it shows how subtly English influences can shape the way we think and speak in German.
I am accepting my editor’s suggestion, not out of linguistic purism, but because in the context of my text it simply works better stylistically. At the same time, I see it as a perfect example of how alive language is: it evolves, it absorbs, it blends, it surprises.
Perhaps that’s the essence: language change is not a loss, but a mirror of our time. And sometimes a window into other cultures.
Language change is not a deficiency, but a sign of vitality. How do you see it?
I am Bernd Scharbert, and I support leaders with the Guiding Principles for Intercultural Leadership. This also involves language behavior and how to navigate it in globally diverse teams. As for the book I am currently writing, I will share more about that later.
