The Usage of English Loanwords in German-Language Rap from 1990 to 2020

The book makes use of a methodology based on sociolinguistics, corpora, and critical discourse analysis to look into language use in German-language rap. First, it examines how the use of English loanwords has changed from 1990 to 2020 in rap made in Germany. This is done by observing and analysing language use of fifteen rappers/rap groups throughout the course of their discographies. Normative use of English loanwords has been observed in the corpus. The analysis of rap made in Germany is followed by a smaller-sample analysis of rappers from Austria and Switzerland. The analysed timeframe was the same as for Germany so that normative loanword use by specific rappers can be observed and compared with the results based on German rappers’ language use. Finally, results from all three countries are compared with the existing studies of English loanword use in different media and the research with which they share sociolinguistic variables.