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Zoom Meetings In German Posted by Constanze on Feb 3, 2021
Guten Tag! I hope you are all well, and have had a great start to 2021. We are nearing March, which will, unbelievably, mark one year since the start of the Coronavirus Pandemie (pandemic) lockdown here in the UK. We have discussed the more serious matters regarding the pandemic throughout the year on this blog…
More German ‘Non-Words’ of 2020 Posted by Constanze on Jan 27, 2021
Guten Tag! Today’s post is a follow-up to the Unwort des Jahres 2020 – the German ‘non-word’ of the year 2020. To fall into the category of an ‘Unwort’, the word must do one or more of the following: violate the principles of human dignity; violate the principles of democracy; discriminate against social groups; or…
Vowels With Umlaut Next To Ordinary Vowels Posted by Constanze on Jan 20, 2021
Guten Tag! Today we’re going to talk about the Umlaut (ä ö ü) in German. More specifically, we are going to talk about how vowels with an Umlaut sound and look next to ordinary vowels. Read on to find out more! What is an Umlaut? First off, if you’re not yet familiar with the German…
Germany’s Unwort des Jahres – ‘Non-Word’ of the Year 2020 Posted by Constanze on Jan 13, 2021
Linguists from the Technische Universität Darmstadt have decided on Germany’s Unwort des Jahres (the ‘non-word of the year’) 2020. This year, and for the first year since the Unwort des Jahres started in 1991, there are two of them: Corona-Diktatur and Rückführungspatenschaften. Germany’s Unwort des Jahres – ‘Non-word’ of the year. At the end of…
Germany’s Youth Word 2020 Posted by Constanze on Jan 6, 2021
Guten Tag! Every year, the Langenscheidt dictionary selects a word it calls the Jugendwort des Jahres – Germany’s Youth Word of the Year. This is separate from the Wort des Jahres (Word of the Year), also picked by Langenscheidt. For the Jugendwort des Jahres, people have the opportunity to vote from a selection of shortlisted…
Chalking The Doors: A German New Year’s Tradition Posted by Constanze on Dec 30, 2020
Guten Tag und FROHES NEUES JAHR (HAPPY NEW YEAR)! Today’s post is all about a German New Year’s tradition that takes place on January 6th. January 6th in Germany is known as das Dreikönigsfest (‘the three kings festival’), otherwise known as Epiphany, and is celebrated primarily in southern Germany, Austria, and parts of Switzerland. There…
German Christmas Decor: Der Schwibbogen Posted by Constanze on Dec 23, 2020
Guten Tag and Frohe Weihnachten (Merry Christmas)! Today we’re continuing with our festive theme and some of Germany’s December/Christmas traditions. Today’s post is all about the Schwibbogen. Der Schwibbogen A Schwibbogen is a decorative German candle arch, often seen in the windows of German homes around Christmas time. History & meaning of the Schwibbogen The…