Keep your language pure!
Once again in the Danish media, the issue of the purity of the Danish language has been brought up.
Brian Mikkelsen, Denmark’s Minister of Culture, commented in yesterday’s Børsen that he wanted to protect the Danish language from being invaded by English words. In many ways, I agree.
If we want to make ourselves understood properly, we need clear, accurate language. Using a foreign word is often confusing. You can’t assume that other people know what you mean by it, and, besides, it’s not ‘cool’ to use a word just because it seems trendy.
In many business situations, I hear English buzzwords thrown into Danish discussions – and sometimes people even switch from one language to another. This often confuses me, as the meaning behind the English buzzword doesn’t often work in a Danish context.
Wouldn’t it be better to use a Danish word that had just the right meaning? Buzzwords are mostly empty and, by the time they’ve reached Denmark, they’re probably outdated in English-speaking countries anyway!
You also have to be extremely proficient, actually near perfect, in both Danish and English to really pull this off. Through Danish in all its purity, you can express some extremely lucid ideas in a way that is quite special. This can’t simply be recreated in English without an intimate knowledge of the language. And maybe it can’t be recreated at all.
So, I say, wise words, Mr. Mikkelsen. Whether you speak Danish or English, keep it pure and perfect!
