Kanake
Encyclopedia : K : KA : KAN : Kanake
Kanake is a derogatory word used in Germany about immigrants and foreigners. Originally used against Italian, Greek, and Spanish immigrants, it now is more commonly used against immigrants of Turkish or Arab descent.
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 Zaimoglu was asked if the word Kanake still appeared in contemporary language. Zaimoglu answered "That is over. Also pleasant!" In his first book "Kanak Sprak" 1995, Zaimoglu attempted 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.
The word originally derived from the New Caledonia or Kanaky word for human: "Kanaka." Kanak Sprak is a term used for the German dialect and manner of speech used among Turks in modern Germany.
Much like the terms nigger or queer in English, Kanake has been co-opted by some Turks and used proudly as a term of self-identification.
See also
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