Back “Lieblingswörter (Favourite Words)” as part of “Viele Sprachen, ein Erlangen (Many languages, one Erlangen)”

Purpose: To showcase the diversity of languages in Erlangen, the Office for Equality and Diversity of the city administration established the "Erlangen’s Favourite Words" campaign in the autumn of 2022. The project "Many Languages, One Erlangen" aims to show how multilingualism is both a common and enriching part of everyday life. Numerous events have been taking place since September 2022.

Stimulus/Rationale: In a public survey, we learned that people in Erlangen experience that their languages are not as recognised and valued as others. While languages such as English or French are highly valued, this is not always the case for languages from the Middle East and Africa. About a third of the respondents from this linguistic region reported feeling uncomfortable speaking their mother tongue in public.

Process: In autumn 2022 the administration asked the people of Erlangen to send in their favourite words weather the words are in slang or words that are not official but personal creations. The submissions were just as multilingual as the city: Over 100 words from more than 35 languages were received. A jury selected favourites that were visible around the city area in January 2022.

Impact: Seven favourite words received their own motif, and an additional 32 words were featured on large posters. (Files are attached below)

Key reference documents:

  • Posters that were created
2022/2023
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