Kulinarischer Sprachkontakt im Deutschen: lexikalische Anpassungsphänomene italienischer Gastronomiebegriffe

Italian culinary terms are ubiquitous in German-speaking regions and undergo characteristic processes of adaptation. This study examines these phenomena using a qualitative- descriptive approach. The analysis is based on a manually compiled corpus of authentic examples from supermarkets, menus, advertising, social media, and everyday conversations. The focus is on the various forms of phonetic-phonological, graphematic or orthographic, morphological, syntactic, and semantic-pragmatic integration, illustrated through typical examples. The analysis shows that the observed modifications, often perceived as “errors,” actually follow systematic patterns of the German language. They are motivated by linguistic economy and cultural pragmatics, serving to simplify, adapt, and enhance comprehensibility for a broad audience. This study therefore argues that culinary borrowings should be considered exemplary phenomena of language change in contemporary German, reflecting intercultural dynamics. Whether these processes are primarily seen as evidence of the German language’s multifaceted adaptability or criticized as problematic deviations from the original, potentially causing misunderstandings, depends on scholarly debate and, ultimately, perspective.