The sociolect takes its name directly from the title of the book Kanak Sprak (1995) by German Turkish author Feridun Zaimoğlu.
In an interview on 26 February 2006 with the German weekly Die Welt, German-Turkish author Feridun Zaimoğlu was asked if the word Kanake still appeared in contemporary language.
In 2005, the Kunsthalle exhibited Feridun Zaimoğlu's work "Kanak Attack. The Turk's third siege?" (a "flag installation").