informant
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informant
A person who secretly passes information on to an organization such as the police, a newspaper, or an intelligence service.
Der Journalist weigerte sich, die Identität seines Informanten preiszugeben.
The journalist refused to reveal the identity of his informant.
informant
In linguistics, a person who, as a native speaker, provides information about their language and thus supplies data for research.
Für ihre Studie über den lokalen Dialekt befragte die Linguistin mehrere Informanten im Dorf.
For her study of the local dialect, the linguist interviewed several informants in the village.
The word is derived from the verb 'informieren' (to inform). The ending '-ant' denotes a person who performs an action, similar to 'Praktikant' (intern) or 'Demonstrant' (demonstrator).
Der Angeklagte war früher als Informant für die Polizei tätig.
The defendant had previously worked as an informant for the police.
In the context of secrets, people often talk about 'schützen' (protecting) an informant, 'preisgeben' (revealing) their identity, or the informant remaining 'anonym' (anonymous).
Die Zeitung muss ihre Informanten schützen, um weiterhin Informationen zu erhalten.
The newspaper has to protect its informants in order to continue receiving information.
This meaning is used almost exclusively in Sprachwissenschaft (linguistics). You can recognize it from words such as 'Studie' (study), 'Forschung' (research), 'Dialekt' (dialect), or 'Muttersprachler' (native speaker).
Die Forscherin interviewte mehrere Informanten, um die Grammatik des Dialekts zu dokumentieren.
The researcher interviewed several informants in order to document the grammar of the dialect.
source
Quelle is the broader term for the origin of information and can refer to a person as well as a text. Informant specifically refers to a person who secretly gives information to a newspaper, the police, or a similar organization. For such a person, both terms are possible, but they emphasize different aspects.
Die Zeitung schützt den Informanten, der ihr heimlich vertrauliche Informationen gab.
The newspaper protects the informant who secretly gave it confidential information.
Die Zeitung schützt die Quelle ihrer vertraulichen Informationen.
The newspaper protects the source of its confidential information.
