This article explores the discourse on anglicisms in German. The first part is dedicated to the
assumptions of language specialists and non specialists regarding foreign words and especially
anglicisms, language change and language deterioration. These aspects are analysed with regard
to different moments in the recent history of German. The second, empirical part of the article
presents the results of an extensive questionnaire study among German university students
regarding their attitudes towards the current language situation and the use of anglicisms in
German. The results of this study are compared to the results of other, similar studies on
attitudes towards language change, language deterioration and anglicisms in German.
