Fremdform

Fremdform is a linguistic term used to describe a form that originates in a foreign language but is presented within another language. In lexicography and philology, Fremdformen are forms that have not been fully nativized; they may appear in texts with their original spelling, capitalization, or orthography, or in a recognizable non-native script. The concept helps distinguish forms that retain aspects of the source language from those that have been adapted to the host language.

In practice, Fremdformen can include proper names written in their original script, borrowed words kept close to their source orthography, or inflected forms that reflect the morphology of the source language rather than the host language. Editors and lexicographers may annotate Fremdformen to aid readers in recognizing the word’s origin and to preserve phonetic or morphological information that would be lost in full assimilation.

The notion is relevant in dictionaries, multilingual corpora, and language pedagogy, where learners must identify foreign forms and understand how they compare to native equivalents. The term Fremdform is primarily used in German-language linguistic literature and lexicography, and its precise scope can vary depending on the project or tradition. See also loanword, transliteration, and foreign-language usage.