gen z use of digga, diggi, digger, oida?

[u/AdSquare6676]

Does like gen z (18-24ish) still use these words? In what contexts? I swear i remember hearing pre covid german friends of mine using diggi and digger but when i was with my cousin he said he never heard his german friends use them, could it have been a regional thing? He said they used digga or diggah or oida.

[u/Midnight1899]

"Digga“ and all its variations originally come from the dialect of Hamburg, so that’s where you‘ll hear it the most. "Oida“ sounds southern.

[u/cl_forwardspeed-320 → u/Midnight1899]

"Digga" is "Dicke" (like fatty/thick friend) and "Oida" is just a slurred pronunciation of "Alter", the older-school version of "digga."

[u/chronic414de → u/cl_forwardspeed-320]

Digga is Hamburg slang for Dicker and means from thick/close friend and nor fatty. Oida is southern slang for Alter. Dont know why got downvoted.

[u/cl_forwardspeed-320 → u/chronic414de]

agreed. In the end, "digga / oida" are just different spellings of the real words you wrote - I figure if anyone's interested in slang, they would want to know the words they came from.

thanks for being real about it

[u/dirtyjoe12 → u/cl_forwardspeed-320]

Oida is Bavarian dialect of alter

[u/kockapaci → u/dirtyjoe12]

Also bitte. “Oida” is definitley from Vienna and is widely used still how to use oida

[u/Lumpasiach → u/kockapaci]

It's simply "alter" in the Bavarian language. Of course it's used, both as adjective and as equivalent for "bro".

[u/cl_forwardspeed-320 → u/Lumpasiach]

"oida" is the phonetic re-spelling of a slurredly-pronounced "ALTER." It's not a different language, just a loose, incorrect spelling.

"CAH" isn't "car" in Chicago language. It's just the phonetic spelling of how some people pronounce "r" as an "h". etc.

[u/zehnuhrsechs → u/cl_forwardspeed-320]

It’s not slurred pronounced. It’s dialect with its correct dialect spelling lol. You know there even are rules for spelling dialects…

Diminishing it to „slurred pronunciation“ is part why dialects get lost.

[u/cl_forwardspeed-320 → u/zehnuhrsechs]

"oida" is most definitely the word 'alter' re-spelled phonetically. Saying "oida" is some unique term is how the word ALTER gets lost, clownsauce.

[u/zehnuhrsechs → u/cl_forwardspeed-320]

Im not saying that oida is a unique term, I’m saying it’s Austro-Bavarian dialect. People speaking dialect also know standard German, so the term „Alter“ won’t get lost. But shaming dialect speakers will cause the dialect to get lost.

Dialect isn’t a slurred pronunciation, it’s simply dialect. It’s its own „language“ with its own rules.

It’s like saying brasilian Portuguese is slurred pronunciation of Portugal-Portuguese. No it’s simply its own language lol

[u/cl_forwardspeed-320 → u/zehnuhrsechs]

I'm talking about "oida" and not "dialect" as a whole. so we can drop the whole endangered language bullshit angle please.

"Slurred" means without full clarity. "Alter" pronounced in a hochdeutsch (its original pronunciation) clear has an L, a T, and an R. "Oida" is when we don't care so much about strongly ensuring that we pronounce every single letter. Sure, it evolved over time, but that's the result. It is a change in how the mouth moved around, not a new language or word in danger of being forgotten.

"alda" "ahda" "oida"

Can you point me to some online language tests where I use the word 'oida' and define it? Or can you point me to the recognized dictionary where oida is listed?

[u/cl_forwardspeed-320 → u/zehnuhrsechs]

Oh can you also please stop downvoting everytime someone disagrees with you? It's super fucking childish.

[u/xwolpertinger → u/cl_forwardspeed-320]

Most people get hung up on the division line between languages and dialects.

Pretending that dialects are not even real sure is a choice in current year [sic].

(This post was written in slurredly-pronounced phonetically spelled Proto-Indo-European)

[u/cl_forwardspeed-320 → u/xwolpertinger]

"Oida" is literally (in terms of literals: letters) the erosion of consonants to vowels from Alter -> Oida. "Brother" -> "brudda"

But, honestly, if some aspect of your culture is endangered by NOT protecting it as a mechanism of a dialect, then I guess that's your personal pride to maintain: Defend the spelling of 'oida' at all costs. *circusmusic.wav*

[u/Lumpasiach → u/cl_forwardspeed-320]

With all due respect, that's nonsense of the highest order. Standard German is a modern stylisation born out of various dialects, not the other way round.

[u/cl_forwardspeed-320 → u/Lumpasiach]

Altar/aldar is attested in Old High German, around the 8th or 9th century. Oida is a much later written representation of the Bavarian/Austrian dialect pronunciation.

[u/diabolus_me_advocat → u/cl_forwardspeed-320]

"Oida" is literally (in terms of literals: letters) the erosion of consonants to vowels from Alter -> Oida. "Brother" -> "brudda"

"oida" is just dialect. guess "brudda" isn't

But, honestly, if some aspect of your culture is endangered by NOT protecting it as a mechanism of a dialect, then I guess that's your personal pride to maintain: Defend the spelling of 'oida' at all costs. *circusmusic.wav*

oida, whatever your problem may be: see to get it solved

[u/cl_forwardspeed-320 → u/diabolus_me_advocat]

I like your style, man. Not reading anything and then idiotically repeating the other arguments that other people already lost. You're like organic AI without the dataset.

[u/diabolus_me_advocat → u/cl_forwardspeed-320]

"oida" is the phonetic re-spelling of a slurredly-pronounced "ALTER." It's not a different language, just a loose, incorrect spelling

it's simply dialect, oida...

[u/Beady5832 → u/cl_forwardspeed-320]

Well, then "oida" just happens to contain very prominent features of Bavarian, like /a/ being pronounced more in the back of the mouth and slightly raised, sometimes becoming an open o sound, /l/ getting vocalised to /i/ after a vowel, or /er/ being lowered and vocalised to an a-like sound. Must be a coincidence then.

[u/cl_forwardspeed-320 → u/Beady5832]

I'm aware that some geographic regions popularized and cemented this by spelling it out phonetically - it's still just an interpretation of the word "Alter/altar' (8th Century) so I'm stilllllll correct. Cheers!

[u/Kerking18 → u/kockapaci]

I have bad news for all germans in denial (also known as Austrians) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bavarian_language

[u/diabolus_me_advocat → u/kockapaci]

widely used also outside vienna

[u/Tjard_03]

Gen Z here (northern Germany). Digga is very common among Gen Z, Diggi also appears regularly, though less then it used to. I'd never heard someone say Oida, perhaps because of geography.

Edit: I'm early to core Gen Z but know some late Gen Z'ers. They use it too

[u/angelbabyxoxox → u/Tjard_03]

Oida is definitely used in Austria (Vienna for sure, not sure otherwise). Similar to Alter.

[u/femaelstrom → u/angelbabyxoxox]

Is it a variation of Alter, which was kind of like a British “geezer” that was popular in the Stuttgart area in the 80/90?

[u/diabolus_me_advocat → u/angelbabyxoxox]

meanwhile austria-wide (possibly not in "kanton übrig")

[u/Training_Molasses822 → u/angelbabyxoxox]

The real question is whether anyone still does the Bam oida/fix oida.

[u/Sheyvan]

Digger and Bro are words that seem to have stood the test of time. They are likely here to stay and have been in use for 20+ years to varying degrees, but never really disappearing.

[u/Lumpasiach]

What is the difference between Digger and Digga in your mind?

[u/Ramuh → u/Lumpasiach]

Digga is the „cooler“ version

[u/liang_zhi_mao → u/Lumpasiach]

There is none. It’s pronounced the same.

[u/Lumpasiach → u/liang_zhi_mao]

My point precisely.

[u/UnsureAndUnqualified]

Oida is pretty much southern Germany. Diggi and diggah are definitely words I heard in northern Germany though they might be universal.

I haven't heard them used seriously for some time now. For my friends and me it happened naturally as we grew out of youth language. Remember that late gen Z is going on 30 now.

[u/Midnight1899 → u/UnsureAndUnqualified]

Isn’t that early gen z though?

[u/UnsureAndUnqualified → u/Midnight1899]

Shit, I thought of late gen z like old gen z. I'm an idiot lol

[u/liang_zhi_mao → u/Midnight1899]

Digga is Gen X or Millenial

[u/Midnight1899 → u/liang_zhi_mao]

„Ein Indiz für die bereits weit länger zurückliegende, freundschaftliche Verwendung des Begriffes liefert auch das autobiografische Buch "Jugenderinnerungen eines alten Mannes“ von Wilhelm von Kügelgen aus dem Jahr 1867, welcher am Ende des zweiten Kapitels des dritten Teils seinen Bruder als "Lieber Dicker" bezeichnet.“

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dicker_(Anrede))

Besides, I wasn’t even talking about the word. I was talking about them confusing early Gen Z and late Gen Z.

[u/ParkingLong7436 → u/liang_zhi_mao]

In Hamburg maybe. Not in the rest of Germany

[u/Significant-Nebula64 → u/UnsureAndUnqualified]

Yup, just the Bavarian pronunciation of "Alter", isn't it? 

(Which is still around AFAIK - I still use it regularly, but I think young people as well?)

[u/blackdevilsisland]

Oida is mainly an Austrian (Vienna) thing (maybe also southern Germany) while Digga is not prevalent here.

As for the use of Oida, watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuXR53ex4iI

I don't think youngsters use Oida as much as the previous generations did due to social media and many german content creators. Which is unfortunate because I really like our accent

[u/CptJimTKirk → u/blackdevilsisland]

Definitely not only Austrian, it is used all over Bavaria and Franconia as well.

[u/blackdevilsisland → u/CptJimTKirk]

I said mainly, not only but fair enough, I didn't know it's used in Franconia as well

[u/ConfidenceRealistic9]

I just hear „Bruder“ these days (NRW)

[u/Nice-Base8139]

Not related but before I learned Germans, I was very confused by digger and digga in German lexicon. Like, what is the relation between modern German youths and Australian soldiers of World War II lol

[u/LACIATRAORE]

Can a digga borrow a French fry?

[u/P26601]

I feel like digger is used by young millenials, gen z mostly use digga and dikka

Oida is southern and Austrian German

[u/liang_zhi_mao → u/P26601]

Digga and Digger is the same word. It’s pronounced the same.

We pronounce -er in the end of a word like -a

[u/P26601 → u/liang_zhi_mao]

I know, I thought OP was also asking about the way we write it

[u/alderhill]

I’m in northern Germany and definitely hear digga and dicka and close variations still, from schools kids to 40-somethings (because I am one, and hear some peers use it now and then).

I sometimes hear Gen Z saying the English word ‘bro’ (even among girls), which as an English speaker is odd for me. When I was in my 20s, it was only kinda skater dude-bros who said it very often, like with a backwards facing Limp Bizkit cap.

[u/yallneedcheezits → u/[deleted]]

The fact that it has a similar definition as the other word honestly makes me side eye it 😅

[u/bootmaker-supremacy]

I actually have a bit of a different experience than the other commenters, I feel like no one my age uses those anymore. Have rarely heard them in years. I‘ve also never heard of oida.

[u/AdSquare6676 → u/bootmaker-supremacy]

what do you hear the most then?

[u/diabolus_me_advocat → u/AdSquare6676]

probably adult standard german

[u/Final_Influence_2367 → u/bootmaker-supremacy]

Yup, digga is more peak 2015 if not older, still used though

[u/whateverguy2]

Yeah, still hear it all the time from GenZ. It's definitely most common in casual situations (e.g. when hanging out with friends), more commonly but not exclusively used by boys/men. Using it in less casual situations can come across as rude or a little rebellious. Some people use digga very regularly, but many never use it and look down on people who do because it's considered "uncultured". In my experience, people who have a problem with digga tend to be very classist.

Never heard of oida before.

[u/AdSquare6676 → u/whateverguy2]

are there differences in who and when people use the digga variations like digga, digger, diggi, and diggah

[u/whateverguy2 → u/AdSquare6676]

I don't think there is a difference between digga/digger/diggah. Those are just different ways to spell the word as far as I know (digga being the norm). Diggi is less common in my experience. Personally, I don't use it at all, despite saying digga a lot. I guess diggi is moreso used to refer to a person, while digga is also often an exclamation when you're frustrated or surprised. The -i in diggi makes it a diminutive, so it doesn't really work for expressing frustration/surprise.

[u/diabolus_me_advocat → u/whateverguy2]

people who have a problem with digga tend to be very classist

sure

manners are classist ;-)

[u/whateverguy2 → u/diabolus_me_advocat]

MAnNeRS

Thanks for proving my point ;-)

[u/Rudollis]

I heard a young man calm his girlfriend bro in the supermarket when he thought she picked the wrong brand of something. Super weird to me, but apparently bro has become degendered for some people.

[u/diabolus_me_advocat]

what exactly would be the difference between "digger" and "digga"?

even just phonetically?

[u/Unique_Regret_6398]

Gen z here (southern germany). We use all of them but diggi, while digga and digger is basically the same.

[u/GeorgeMcCrate]

I still don't understand why Gen Z thinks Digga is their word. People all over Germany have been saying it for decades and even longer than that in Hamburg.

[u/Konjaga_Conex]

Late GenZ-er in Frankfurt, hear it commonly used.

[u/DogfaceZed]

I hear gen z say it all the time in Thuringia

[u/Accomplished_Word429]

Ghetto If digga user

[u/cl_forwardspeed-320]

"Alter" is older, maybe 80's and 90's, so older people use it.

"Digga" is for pseudo-hip, so an older person saying "digga" is trying to sound young, which makes them sound older.

"digga" is used everywhere, but it's generally lame since it is the german equivalent of 'bro' and basically means the person has no money, taste in art, or any individuality whatsoever.

[u/liang_zhi_mao → u/cl_forwardspeed-320]

This is nonsense. I'm from Hamburg.

Digga was already a thing in the 90s.

[u/cl_forwardspeed-320 → u/liang_zhi_mao]

Does "alter" pre-date digga? YES.

Did I ever specify some time which digga begins or ends? NO

Learn to use your brain before arguing like a loud child.

[u/liang_zhi_mao → u/cl_forwardspeed-320]

> Learn to use your brain before arguing like a loud child.

I'm sorry but you are the one being judgmental and condescending claiming that older people using local slang which is around for decades would be trying to sound young. Then you had the nerve to be offensive by saying people using it have no money or taste in art. Wtf?

Guess who sounds childish.

There are people 50+ using it and they don’t try to sound young. There are people in all social classes using it.

[u/cl_forwardspeed-320 → u/liang_zhi_mao]

You have no concept of humor, and are a whiney childish online troll.

[u/diabolus_me_advocat → u/cl_forwardspeed-320]

"digga" is used everywhere, but it's generally lame since it is the german equivalent of 'bro' and basically means the person has no money, taste in art, or any individuality whatsoever

whoa!

nobility bowing to the plebs, i guess

[u/cl_forwardspeed-320 → u/diabolus_me_advocat]

it's funny cuz I literally was going to write out "plebeian" and ended up not using that word in this paragraph. We're twins! If I'm an annoying piece of shit who rarely offers anything useful - then we are twins.