Kiezdeutsch is a variety of German spoken primarily by youth in urban spaces in which a high percentage of the population is multilingual and has an immigration background. Since the 1990s, Kiezdeutsch has come into the public eye as a multiethnic language. Definition The term "Kiezdeutsch" originated among youth in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin who used it to describe their language use amongst themselves. In 2006, it was used in an essay by linguist Heike Wiese and subsequently became an established term within the academy as well as the public sphere. Previously used terms include "Gemischt-sprechen" (mixed-speaking), "Türkendeutsch" (Turkish German), "Ghettodeutsch" (ghetto German), and "Kanak Sprak" (Kanake language, a reappropriated pejorative). The term Kiezdeutsch avoided negative connotations and does not limit the language group to a particular ethnicity. Additionally, it makes clear that it is both a variety of German and an informal style of speech used in the "Kiez" (a term which in Berlin German refers to an urban neighborhood). Classification Linguist Norbert Dittmar classifies Kiezdeutsch as an ethnolect and claims only spoken ethnolectal use was documented up to 2007. Eva Wittenberg defines Kiezdeutsch more concretely as a multi-ethnolectal German youth language. Heike Wiese argues that Kiezdeutsch should be considered a "new dialect" due to its use amongst youth of various ethnic groups in urban areas with high proportions of immigrants. This has been critiqued by Germanist Helmut Glück, who argues that a dialect always refers to a historically rooted way of speaking characteristic of a particular region (rather than with a particular ethnic and age groups). He draws comparisons to Ruhrdeutsch, influenced by Polish immigration, and claims Kiezdeutsch is similarly most appropriately labelled a sociolect. Grammatic and lexical features Kiezdeutsch deviates in a variety of ways from Standard German and features a number of grammatical and lexical innovations. It is regularly subject to vehement criticism and described by some as broken or error-ridden German. A statement of the German Society for Linguistics disputes these criticisms, however. Linguists argue that like other variants of German, the use of Kiezdeutsch does not indicate poor language competencies. Instead, among its speakers, Kiezdeutsch is a single piece of a large spoken repertoire that also includes formal manners of speaking such as Standard German. The grammatic characteristics detailed below are used particularly in informal peer-group situations and signify affiliation with a particular community. Shortening of nominal phrases One of the most prominent