Kanake
Encyclopedia
Kanake is a derogatory word used in German
-speaking countries for immigrants and foreigners. Originally common as "Kanakermann" among 19th century mariners to refer to comrades from the South Pacific (and later all of Southeast Asia), and carrying a connotation of praise for their seafaring abilities, it was in the 1960s transferred with more ambiguous connotations to Southern European immigrants, and is now usually used with an exclusively derogatory connotation against immigrants of Turkish
descent, and African or dark-skinned people who reside in the country.
The word is originally derived from the Hawaiian
word for human, kanaka. Until 2009, several rough translations of the word "Kanak" were admitted : "man", " animal man ", " wild man " being the most used. In its resolution n°5195, the Academy of the Polynesian languages Pa ' umotu specified a definition more faithful to the primal Polynesian language Mamaka Kaïo of origin, that of " free man ".
Much like as is the case with the terms nigger
or queer
in English, Kanake has been co-opted by some Turks and used proudly as a term of self-identification. In that context, Kanak Sprak
is a term used for the German dialect and manner of speech used among Turks in modern Germany. However, it is not comparable with words such as "nigger" or "queer/fag" in a semantic sense, as these are referring to race and sexual identity respectively, while "Kanake" refers to "foreignness" and in this sense it is therefore a nationalistic derogatory term, not a racist term unless co-opted as such.
Despite this, the word is often used in Hip-Hop, films (eg. Kanack Attack) or in common language as a modified synonym to "Nigger". Similar to the use of "Nigger" in the United States, this is often done to emphasize a flamboyant manner, violent tendencies, an affinity to crime and a status as an outcast from society, both used as a derogatory term and by young turks and other minorities themselves.
Some claim that the vernacular use of the word may be on the decline. In an interview on 26 February 2006 with the German weekly Die Welt
, German-Turkish author Feridun Zaimoğlu
was asked if the word Kanake still appeared in contemporary language. Zaimoğlu answered, "That is over. Also pleasant!" In his first book Kanak Sprak 1995, Zaimoğlu attempts to express the authentic, tough, and subversive power of slang language spoken by young Turkish male youth in Germany and calls for a new self-confidence.
An example of this self-confident use of the term is "Kanak Attack", an anti-intolerance political group in Germany. In its own publications, the group describes itself as an organization of those who are "kanakisiert" (could be translated as "kanakified") by German main-stream society.
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
-speaking countries for immigrants and foreigners. Originally common as "Kanakermann" among 19th century mariners to refer to comrades from the South Pacific (and later all of Southeast Asia), and carrying a connotation of praise for their seafaring abilities, it was in the 1960s transferred with more ambiguous connotations to Southern European immigrants, and is now usually used with an exclusively derogatory connotation against immigrants of Turkish
Turkic peoples
The Turkic peoples are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds...
descent, and African or dark-skinned people who reside in the country.
The word is originally derived from the Hawaiian
Hawaiian language
The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
word for human, kanaka. Until 2009, several rough translations of the word "Kanak" were admitted : "man", " animal man ", " wild man " being the most used. In its resolution n°5195, the Academy of the Polynesian languages Pa ' umotu specified a definition more faithful to the primal Polynesian language Mamaka Kaïo of origin, that of " free man ".
Much like as is the case with the terms nigger
Nigger
Nigger is a noun in the English language, most notable for its usage in a pejorative context to refer to black people , and also as an informal slang term, among other contexts. It is a common ethnic slur...
or queer
Queer
Queer is an umbrella term for sexual minorities that are not heterosexual, heteronormative, or gender-binary. In the context of Western identity politics the term also acts as a label setting queer-identifying people apart from discourse, ideologies, and lifestyles that typify mainstream LGBT ...
in English, Kanake has been co-opted by some Turks and used proudly as a term of self-identification. In that context, Kanak Sprak
Kanak Sprak
Kanak Sprak is a German sociolect created by Turkish male youth in Germany in late 1980s. The sociolect is named almost uniformally this way after the book Kanak Sprak by German Turkish author Feridun Zaimoğlu. Its name means roughly "Kanake-talk", referring to the word Kanake, which is used...
is a term used for the German dialect and manner of speech used among Turks in modern Germany. However, it is not comparable with words such as "nigger" or "queer/fag" in a semantic sense, as these are referring to race and sexual identity respectively, while "Kanake" refers to "foreignness" and in this sense it is therefore a nationalistic derogatory term, not a racist term unless co-opted as such.
Despite this, the word is often used in Hip-Hop, films (eg. Kanack Attack) or in common language as a modified synonym to "Nigger". Similar to the use of "Nigger" in the United States, this is often done to emphasize a flamboyant manner, violent tendencies, an affinity to crime and a status as an outcast from society, both used as a derogatory term and by young turks and other minorities themselves.
Some claim that the vernacular use of the word may be on the decline. In an interview on 26 February 2006 with the German weekly Die Welt
Die Welt
Die Welt is a German national daily newspaper published by the Axel Springer AG company.It was founded in Hamburg in 1946 by the British occupying forces, aiming to provide a "quality newspaper" modelled on The Times...
, German-Turkish author Feridun Zaimoğlu
Feridun Zaimoglu
Feridun Zaimoğlu is a German author and visual artist of Turkish origin.Zaimoğlu has developed since 1995 to have become one of the important poets of contemporary German language...
was asked if the word Kanake still appeared in contemporary language. Zaimoğlu answered, "That is over. Also pleasant!" In his first book Kanak Sprak 1995, Zaimoğlu attempts to express the authentic, tough, and subversive power of slang language spoken by young Turkish male youth in Germany and calls for a new self-confidence.
An example of this self-confident use of the term is "Kanak Attack", an anti-intolerance political group in Germany. In its own publications, the group describes itself as an organization of those who are "kanakisiert" (could be translated as "kanakified") by German main-stream society.