Ick vs. Ich: Unpacking Berlin’s Linguistic Identity

<p>In the heart of Berlin, you&rsquo;ll hear a distinct dialectal word that sets it apart from the rest of Germany. &ldquo;Ick,&rdquo; a term that replaces the more common &ldquo;Ich&rdquo; in high German, is a staple of Berliner Schnauze &mdash; the city&rsquo;s rough-and-tumble dialect. But where did this word come from, and what does it mean today in Berlinerisch culture?</p> <p><img alt="Brandenburg Gate, Berlin" src="https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:700/0*_Ajh5dH95bWdRtKc" style="height:467px; width:700px" /></p> <p>Photo by&nbsp;<a href="https://unsplash.com/@florianwehde?utm_source=medium&amp;utm_medium=referral" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Florian Wehde</a>&nbsp;on&nbsp;<a href="https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=medium&amp;utm_medium=referral" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Unsplash</a></p> <p>To understand the origins of &ldquo;Ick,&rdquo; we need to look back at the history of Berlin. The city has always been a cultural melting pot, with influences from Slavic, Yiddish, and French languages. This linguistic diversity led to the development of a unique dialect, which became known as Berliner Schnauze.</p> <p><a href="https://medium.com/@roland.porter360/ick-vs-ich-unpacking-berlins-linguistic-identity-343533f0a7c0"><strong>Website</strong></a></p>