Since language is something very much alive, one can always be happy as soon as a new word appears somewhere. the New York Times for example just reported to its readers, in Germany the word “joy of joy” is common. The Italian magazine did that before her Graziathe Sydney Morning Herald and other leading international media claims. Only in Germany does one still not seem to have noticed anything about the joy of joy. This is a pity. But with better things, gender asterisks or angry citizens, it took a while before it finally got everywhere.
Delight describes aloud New York Times “the bliss we feel when someone else succeeds”. Isn’t that a lot more likeable than “umklapp” or “lubrication” – two German words that are said to have made a career for themselves in Portugal? “Better know” is said to hold its own in Sweden, and “bremzpakne” (brake shoes) in Slovenia. In Spain “leitmotiv”, in Bulgaria “bormashina”, in Russia “buterbrod” and “inbred” – and in French, after all, “loustic” and “witz”. Joy, however, could now herald a turning point. Everyone still tends to think of “tanks” or “Blitzkrieg” when we order a coffee.
Yes, joy should be our future. We would also have no objections to “Utepils” (Norwegian for “beer outside”), “ringxiety” (English for fear of the ringing mobile phone) or “Gpasslaberl” (Austrian for, oh, never mind). Such formidable further developments make the German vocabulary much more joyful.
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