Archive for 'Language'
Communication difficulties: Der Tatortreiniger Posted by Sandra Rösner on Mar 25, 2015
Communication difficulties can arise whenever two people are engaged in a conversation. This also applies to the episode “Nicht über mein Sofa” (Not over my sofa) of the German comedy TV series Der Tatortreiniger (The Crime Scene Cleaner). Fortunately, the two interlocutors overcome their communication problems and Frau Hellenkamp finally opens the door for Schotty to let…
Der Duden – the cornerstone of German spelling Posted by Sten on Mar 25, 2015
Was ist richtig, was ist falsch? Schlag im Duden nach! Like the Oxford Dictionary, the Dikke van Dale, or Mirriam-Webster, Germany has the Duden. Just like all the above-mentioned famous dictionaries, the Duden has its own history. In the 19th century, Konrad Duden, a High School teacher at the Gymnasium created his own dictionary, which was named after him. It influenced the creation…
Denglish Pseudo-Anglicisms Posted by Constanze on Mar 23, 2015
Last time I posted about the ever-growing use of Denglish (or Denglisch, depending on whether you’re speaking German or English) on social media & websites. Since that post, by the way, I’ve been keeping an eye out for more Denglish on social media. Here’s an interesting one I saw recently: Danke für’s featuren! – Thanks…
Denglisch On Social Media and Websites Posted by Constanze on Mar 15, 2015
Denglisch (German spelling) or Denglish (English spelling) is probably a term you’ve heard before. It is used to describe the mish-mash of German and English that is becoming more and more prominent in Germany. Using English words instead of German ones, or anglicising the German language in one way or another is now fashionable…
Top 10 German Words of 2014 Posted by Constanze on Mar 12, 2015
When you learn a language, you are not just learning the words and phrases that make up that language; you learn about the culture of the country it’s spoken in, too. In fact, you can learn a lot about a country’s culture and politics from its words alone. There’s no better example of this than…
Die Überfremdung and PEGIDA Posted by Constanze on Mar 4, 2015
Guten Tag! Often when I write posts about ‘untranslatable’ German words I try to include references to German culture (where applicable) or add in extra information relating to those words. Today I’ve chosen a word that is relevant to the current political situation in Germany. Die Überfremdung. What does Überfremdung mean? Überfremdung describes excessive…
Expressing Feelings and Emotions Posted by Larissa on Feb 24, 2015
Ever wanted to say “I am bored” in German and ended up saying Ich bin langweilig (I am boring) by accident? This post will help you express yourself clearly without ending up telling people you’re boring! In English it’s pretty easy if we want to express ourselves, we just say “I am …” for everything…