German (Deutsch) (TV: The Underwater Menace (episode 1) [+]Loading...{"ep":"1","1":"The Underwater Menace (TV story)"}) was a language that originated in Germany. Nyssa found it to be highly logical, expressing that, "I rather like it." (AUDIO: 1963: Fanfare for the Common Men [+]Loading...["1963: Fanfare for the Common Men (audio story)"]) It made widespread use of agglutination. (PROSE: Sonnenblumen [+]Loading...["Sonnenblumen (short story)"])
Polly Wright could speak German. (TV: The Underwater Menace (episode 1) [+]Loading...{"ep":"1","1":"The Underwater Menace (TV story)"})
Germany fought in the wars that the War Lords had arranged, thinking they were fighting their own war. Lots of them spoke German. (TV: The War Games [+]Loading...["The War Games (TV story)"])
Through the TARDIS' telepathic circuits, Elizabeth Klein heard the Seventh Doctor speaking German in "a stuffy Prussian accent". (AUDIO: Survival of the Fittest [+]Loading...["Survival of the Fittest (audio story)"])
During World War I, the fact that the TARDIS was continuing to translate German following its apparent destruction alerted the Tenth Doctor and Gabby Gonzalez to its survival. (COMIC: The Weeping Angels of Mons [+]Loading...["The Weeping Angels of Mons (comic story)"])
At Ypres on 25 December 1914, during World War I, Archibald Hamish Lethbridge-Stewart faced off against a German soldier at Ypres who he found did not understand English whilst he himself could not speak German. Though neither of them wanted to do so, their mutual lack of understanding would have led to them shooting each other dead were it not for the intervention of the Twelfth Doctor, who brought them forward to the Christmas truce later that day. (TV: Twice Upon a Time [+]Loading...["Twice Upon a Time (TV story)"])
Group Captain Ian Gilmore had what he described as a "smattering" of German. However, Professor Rachel Jensen had no knowledge of the language other than a few select words. (AUDIO: Unto the Breach [+]Loading...["Unto the Breach (audio story)"])
Ace took German lessons at school, but skived off most of them and never took the exam. (PROSE: Timewyrm: Exodus [+]Loading...["Timewyrm: Exodus (novel)"])
During the Dalek invasion of Earth in 2009, when Martha Jones made her way to Osterhagen Station 1 in Germany, she witnessed a squad of Daleks patrolling the forests speaking in German, threatening whomever might be listening. The German woman at the station also threatened Martha in German. (TV: Journey's End [+]Loading...["Journey's End (TV story)"])
As noted in the Eleventh Doctor's Doctionary, doppelgänger meant "double" in German. (PROSE: The Official Doctionary [+]Loading...["The Official Doctionary (novel)"])
By the 26th century, German was a nearly-lost language. (PROSE: The Dimension Riders [+]Loading...["The Dimension Riders (novel)"])
Behind the scenes[[edit] | [edit source]]
The word "exterminieren", which the German-speaking Daleks used, is not commonly used. In classic dubs of Doctor Who, Daleks shout "vernichten" (meaning "to kill off"), whereas in modern dubbing, the verb "eliminieren" is used, meaning "to eliminate".
The full dialogue for the German Daleks is as follows: "Exterminieren! Exterminieren! Halt! Sonst werden wir Sie exterminieren! Sie sind jetzt ein Gefangener der Daleks! Exterminieren! Exterminieren!" This translates as: "Exterminate! Exterminate! Stop! Or we will exterminate you. You are now a prisoner of the Daleks. Exterminate! Exterminate!"