German teens pick up on Turkish slang

ISTANBUL

A scene from the documentary film "It ain't California" by German director Marten Persiel representing GDR youth rolling on skate-boards on the Alexanderplatz square in East-Berlin. AFP Photo

German youth are now frequently using common Turkish slang words, according to a study conducted by Potsdamm University in Germany, daily Milliyet reported.
 
University officials listened to non-stop conversations of German teenagers (aged 14 to 17) for 48 hours and noted the integration of Turkish words into daily German language.
 
The words most commonly used were "valla" (honestly) and "lan" (mate or man), which is used as an extremely informal form of address among males, the study revealed.
 
The integration of the two languages was most apparent in regions with the largest Turkish populations, including districts of the country's capital, Berlin.
 
Professor Heiser Wieker, the academic in charge of the study, said the linguistic usage was not symptomatic of a new dialect, but a simple sign of successful integration between different parts of society.