Officialese

The administrative language is understood two things:

One is the official language (eg German, Hungarian, Czech), which is legally or customarily used in offices and administrations of a country or territory. Sometimes one can be used by several languages ​​also optional, as in a multi-ethnic state.

On the other designated administrative language ( colloquially German officials or official German ) a very formal language, as it is often used in correspondence from authorities and administrations, but also in many private companies. The compact and gave to the perceived accuracy style serves to make it appear a text as objective and unassailable. Terms of laws and regulations for this purpose often unchanged, although they do not occur in everyday language. The Duden used to identify administrative language the term paper German.

The general public considered the language of administration as a cumbersome and typical form for authorities to use the German language. It is a sociolect and parts of a technical language. Similar to the legal language it contains hardly own foreign words, but above all by their grammatical constructions often incomprehensible and makes the text authorities for average readers transparent. You may not correspond to the demand for a customer-oriented communication between authorities and citizens.

In 2000, the Municipality of Bochum decided in future to write letters authorities in a citizen-friendly language. A group of German studies at the Ruhr- University Bochum helps all German local governments to make official texts so that they are easily understood by citizens and are better accepted. Also the German Research Institute for Public Administration Speyer research and consulting understandable language of administration.

Features

It is characteristic of the administrative language that nouns are preferred over active verbs ( nominal style ). To this end, activities are a substantive ( "to display bring " instead of " Show " ) or adjektiviert, ie expressed in adjectives. Frequently passive will take active use. This can often be seen only from the context, who is the acting person. Furthermore noun chains ( " request for waiver of the notice of the public affairs office on the Elimination of ...") and multi-unit nouns ( "Evidence of achievement provision obligation" ) are often used to compress the text further.

Next fall into the administrative language formulaic fact descriptions ( " the purpose of estate granted ," ", setting aside my concerns " ), complex adjective formations ( " child support legal consideration " ) and frequent passive formations on ( " It is recognized here ", " To reply is requested "). The former practice of swollen phrase use ( " respectfully ", " respectfully yours " ), however, decreased significantly in the last decades of the 20th century.

Official letter from 1809 page 2

In official letters ( for example, legal texts ) is omitted in many compound words, a common in everyday language and orthographically correct joint -s. Thus, for instance:

• Income Tax
• Corporate Income Tax Act (instead of corporate law ) as an example of the name of a tax law without joint -s
• Officer candidates instead of officer candidates
• But not for damages, but damages ( the Civil Code); in Austria damages without joint -s ( Austrian Civil Code )
• First aid kit instead of aid kit

This writing and speech is used in particular in the insurance industry. Thus, the claim is for damage case.

Examples of German officials

• Apprentice: Apprentice ( The term was introduced in the 1970s with the Education Assistance Act. )
• Beelterung: placement with a foster family for a child
• Accompanying Green: Green area, Green stripes or urban greening in road
• Schooling: schooling or compulsory education
• Direction indicator: indicator ( The technical term but also includes the previously permitted fiddler. )
• Hand closing, locking pliers: Handcuffs ( The locking pliers is a different form factor and serves to guide of prisoners. )
• Traffic signal, modulated light sign, light sign system: traffic lights ( The technical term " traffic light system ", however, is more comprehensive and also includes traffic signs. )
• Traffic separation system: an umbrella term for turnstiles, revolving doors, locks, which are passed through by people just behind and not next to each other can
• Postage stamps: Stamp
• Spontaneous vegetation: non- cultivated green ( eg weeds, lawns, etc.)
• Students: Student ( The term was already in use by 1825 and taken up in the 1970s with the then German Federal Higher Education Act; useful because not plural of the masculine "student". )
• Spend: hinbringen or bring (also colloquially used as )
• At the present time: now, at the time
• Fated turned down: rejected