411 REFERENCE · Wiktionary
Sprachverfall
Reference material by Wiktionary contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
German
Etymology
de :af Sprache<t:language> Verfall<t:decline>
de Sprache Verfall language decline
Pronunciation
de /ˈʃpʁaːxfɛɐ̯ˌfal/
de De-Sprachverfall.ogg <<Germany>> (<<Berlin>>)
Noun
m,(e)s,^e
de linguistics language attrition
de Sprachverlust
de informal language decline especially from a puristic/conservative perspective
Christine Stöckel Politiknachrichten zur Bundestagswahl: Deutsche Sprache, Leichte Sprache 2017-06-26 https://taz.de/Politiknachrichten-zur-Bundestagswahl/!5419883/ So befürchten einige durch die sprachliche Reduzierung eine „Verflachung“ des Inhalts, Puristen warnen vor „Sprachverfall“. https://web.archive.org/web/20250915005311/https://taz.de/Politiknachrichten-zur-Bundestagswahl/!5419883/ 15 September 2025
Usage notes
Because of the negative connotations of de Verfall (and the informal usage meaning “decline”), linguists often prefer more neutral terms.
Declension
m,(e)s,^e
Further reading