Abstract
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>The languages for specific purposes in German have undergone an enormous development in the history of modern times, which has shaped them to the present day. Against this background, this article presents the historical emergence of modern technical and scientific languages in German, their essential characteristics and some current development trends. The article begins with a periodization of specialized communication in German and the research carried out on it, and an outline of its historical conditions since the 17th century. It goes on to outline the development of the horizontal and vertical structure of technical and scientific languages in German and their characteristics on a lexical, grammatical, and textual level. Particular attention is paid to the displacement of Latin as a language of science in the 18th and 19th centuries and the increasing spread of and competition from English since the 20th century. The article concludes with a short section on tendencies in specialized communication within the present day German‐speaking world.</jats:p>