Umgangssprache

German

Examples
Eva nahm das Auto des Nachbarn und fuhr eine ganze Stunde damit herum. (Standard German proper) Die Eva hat das Auto vom Nachbar genommen und ist da ’ne ganze Stunde mit rumgefahrn. (Colloquial Standard German) Eva took the neighbour’s car and drove around in it for a whole hour. (English)

Etymology

Umgang +‎ Sprache

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʊmɡaŋsˌʃpʁaːxə/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

Umgangssprache f (genitive Umgangssprache, plural Umgangssprachen)

1. (linguistics) colloquial language, colloquialism
2. (linguistics) vernacular, non-standard language

Usage notes

• Though there are also relevant differences in pronunciation and vocabulary, German Umgangssprache is characterised especially by grammatical and syntactical features, such as:
  • the limited use of the preterite or even (in southern Germany, Austria, Switzerland) its virtual absence;
  • the absence of the subjunctive of the present (Konjunktiv I) and the rarity of the genitive case;
  • the splitting of pronominal adverbs (especially in northern and central Germany) and the frequent elision of sentence-initial pronouns (both subject and object);
  • the use of the definite article with personal names (except in the very north).

Declension

Declension of Umgangssprache [feminine]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	eine	die	Umgangssprache	die	Umgangssprachen
genitive	einer	der	Umgangssprache	der	Umgangssprachen
dative	einer	der	Umgangssprache	den	Umgangssprachen
accusative	eine	die	Umgangssprache	die	Umgangssprachen

Derived terms

• umgangssprachlich

See also

• Alltagssprache
• Gemeinsprache
• Hochsprache, Standardsprache
• Schriftsprache

Further reading

• “Umgangssprache” in Duden online
• “Umgangssprache” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache