{"id":11266,"date":"2019-11-28T13:50:47","date_gmt":"2019-11-28T13:50:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=11266"},"modified":"2019-11-28T13:50:47","modified_gmt":"2019-11-28T13:50:47","slug":"the-curiosity-of-the-german-word-orange","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/the-curiosity-of-the-german-word-orange\/","title":{"rendered":"The Curiosity of the German Word &#8220;Orange&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>German has some quirky words, and that&#8217;s what we explore in this series. Today, we&#8217;ll have a look at the word\u00a0<em>Orange<\/em>. Nothing curious, it seems, right? Wait until you hear how it is pronounced&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/tag\/curious-words\/\"><strong>Click here for previous entries in the series on curious words in German<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><strong><em>Orange<\/em> or <em>Orange<\/em>?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_11271\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter post-item__attachment\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11271\" class=\"size-large wp-image-11271\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/InkedOrange-or-Orange-1024x814.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"814\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/InkedOrange-or-Orange-1024x814.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/InkedOrange-or-Orange-350x278.jpg 350w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/InkedOrange-or-Orange-768x611.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/InkedOrange-or-Orange-1536x1222.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/InkedOrange-or-Orange-2048x1629.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-11271\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image modified by author, original by Noah Buscher at Unsplash.com<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-playlist wp-audio-playlist wp-playlist-light\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-playlist-current-item\"><\/div>\n\t\t<audio controls=\"controls\" preload=\"none\" width=\"640\"\n\t\t\t><\/audio>\n\t<div class=\"wp-playlist-next\"><\/div>\n\t<div class=\"wp-playlist-prev\"><\/div>\n\t<noscript>\n\t<ol>\n\t\t<li><a href='https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/Orange-Fruit.mp3'>Orange<\/a><\/li><li><a href='https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/Orange-Color.mp3'>Orange - Color<\/a><\/li><li><a href='https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/Orange-Color-examples-1.mp3'>die orangenefarbene Mauer<\/a><\/li><li><a href='https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/Orange-Color-examples-2.mp3'>die orangene Mauer<\/a><\/li><li><a href='https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/Die-orange-Mauer.mp3'>die orange Mauer<\/a><\/li>\t<\/ol>\n\t<\/noscript>\n\t<script type=\"application\/json\" class=\"wp-playlist-script\">{\"type\":\"audio\",\"tracklist\":true,\"tracknumbers\":true,\"images\":false,\"artists\":true,\"tracks\":[{\"src\":\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/Orange-Fruit.mp3\",\"type\":\"audio\/mpeg\",\"title\":\"Orange\",\"caption\":\"\",\"description\":\"\\\"Orange - Fruit\\\". Released: 2019.\",\"meta\":{\"year\":\"2019\",\"length_formatted\":\"0:05\"},\"image\":{\"src\":\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/audio.svg\",\"width\":48,\"height\":64},\"thumb\":{\"src\":\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/audio.svg\",\"width\":48,\"height\":64}},{\"src\":\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/Orange-Color.mp3\",\"type\":\"audio\/mpeg\",\"title\":\"Orange - Color\",\"caption\":\"\",\"description\":\"\\\"Orange - Color\\\". Released: 2019.\",\"meta\":{\"year\":\"2019\",\"length_formatted\":\"0:04\"},\"image\":{\"src\":\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/audio.svg\",\"width\":48,\"height\":64},\"thumb\":{\"src\":\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/audio.svg\",\"width\":48,\"height\":64}},{\"src\":\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/Orange-Color-examples-1.mp3\",\"type\":\"audio\/mpeg\",\"title\":\"die orangenefarbene Mauer\",\"caption\":\"\",\"description\":\"\\\"Orange - Color examples-1\\\". Released: 2019.\",\"meta\":{\"year\":\"2019\",\"length_formatted\":\"0:03\"},\"image\":{\"src\":\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/audio.svg\",\"width\":48,\"height\":64},\"thumb\":{\"src\":\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/audio.svg\",\"width\":48,\"height\":64}},{\"src\":\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/Orange-Color-examples-2.mp3\",\"type\":\"audio\/mpeg\",\"title\":\"die orangene Mauer\",\"caption\":\"\",\"description\":\"\\\"Orange - Color examples-2\\\". Released: 2019.\",\"meta\":{\"year\":\"2019\",\"length_formatted\":\"0:03\"},\"image\":{\"src\":\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/audio.svg\",\"width\":48,\"height\":64},\"thumb\":{\"src\":\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/audio.svg\",\"width\":48,\"height\":64}},{\"src\":\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/Die-orange-Mauer.mp3\",\"type\":\"audio\/mpeg\",\"title\":\"die orange Mauer\",\"caption\":\"\",\"description\":\"\\\"Die orange Mauer\\\". Released: 0.\",\"meta\":{\"year\":\"0000\",\"length_formatted\":\"0:03\"},\"image\":{\"src\":\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/Die-orange-Mauer-mp3-image.jpg\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512},\"thumb\":{\"src\":\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/Die-orange-Mauer-mp3-image-150x150.jpg\",\"width\":150,\"height\":150}}]}<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\t\n<p>Listen to the clips above, and notice how the word\u00a0<em>Orange\u00a0<\/em>sounds different when it refers to a\u00a0<em>Frucht<\/em> (fruit) or when it refers to a <em>Farbe <\/em>(color)! The\u00a0<em>Frucht\u00a0<\/em>retains the -e ending, whereas the\u00a0<em>Farbe\u00a0<\/em>cuts it off.<\/p>\n<p>Curious. Why is that?<\/p>\n<p>Both words come from the French word <em>orange<\/em>,which, in turn perhaps comes from the word <em>or\u00a0<\/em>(&#8220;gold&#8221;), referring to the gold-yellow colour of oranges. And yet, they developed a different pronunciation. The differing pronunciations for each word are each widespread in Germany and you can use whatever you feel most comfortable with.<\/p>\n<p>But that ending -e: that makes a world of a difference.\u00a0<em>Das Orange\u00a0<\/em>refers to the color, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.duden.de\/rechtschreibung\/Orange_Farbe\">its own page<\/a> in the <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/der-duden-the-cornerstone-of-german-spelling\/\"><em>Duden<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0<em>Die Orange<\/em>, the <em>Zitrusfrucht <\/em>(citrus fruit) has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.duden.de\/rechtschreibung\/Orange_Frucht_Zitrusfrucht\">its own page<\/a>, too. And while the <em>Zitrusf<\/em><em>rucht\u00a0<\/em>only has the pronunciation\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">with<\/span> -e, the page for the\u00a0<em>Farbe\u00a0<\/em>allows both!<\/p>\n<p>But why is there a difference? I could not find a conclusive answer. So I have some theories!<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Theory 1: Time discrepancy<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>In German, the\u00a0<em>Farbe\u00a0<\/em>seems to have come after the\u00a0<em>Frucht<\/em> and the term\u00a0<em>Orange\u00a0<\/em>were imported into the language. Before the color was called <em>Orange<\/em>, it was referred to as\u00a0<em>rotgelb\u00a0<\/em>(red-yellow) and the like. Only later, the fruit&#8217;s color became the normal way to refer to\u00a0<em>rotgelb<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>This difference in time of introduction may be why there is a different pronunciation. But I think it may be much simpler, actually.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Theory 2: emulating the French<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>French pronunciation is a bit between\u00a0<em>orange\u00a0<\/em>with the -e and without it. It becomes clear from the nasal and non-nasal pronunciation of <em>Orange<\/em> that Germans make an effort to sound more like the &#8220;original&#8221; French. Though maybe it&#8217;s also just born out of convenience.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Theory 3: Linguistic convenience<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Perhaps it simply comes from what&#8217;s easiest for Germans. Since\u00a0the\u00a0<em>Frucht\u00a0<\/em>is used as a <em>Substantiv\u00a0<\/em>(noun) with endings that change in German (e.g. in plural: <em>die Orange, die Orangen <\/em>(pl.)), the\u00a0<em>Farbe\u00a0<\/em>does not change in plural (<em>die Orange, die Orange\u00a0<\/em>(pl.)), and is not used as much (how often do you say the plural of a color?). With <em>die Orangen<\/em>, you definitely pronounce the\u00a0<em>e\u00a0<\/em>to bridge to the\u00a0<em>-n.<\/em> This is not really needed for the <em>Farbe<\/em>. So perhaps because people are more used to pronounce the\u00a0<em>-e\u00a0<\/em>with the\u00a0<em>Frucht<\/em>, it exists there, and not with the\u00a0<em>Farbe<\/em>, where sounding more true to the original French is emphasised.<\/p>\n<p>Also, I am used to use the color as an adjective with <em>orangene\u00a0<\/em>with the <em>-ne\u00a0<\/em>at the end. If you want to be very strict, you cannot change it, and it should be\u00a0<em>die orange Mauer<\/em>. If that sounds weird, you should say <em>die orangefarbene Mauer<\/em>. Though\u00a0<em>umgangssprachlich\u00a0<\/em>(colloquially),\u00a0<em>orangene Mauer\u00a0<\/em>is totally fine and more widespread (at least in my experience).<\/p>\n<p>Whatever theory holds, it is a curious little word!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Have you heard different variations or had other experiences than me with the word\u00a0<em>Orange\u00a0<\/em>and its pronunciation? Which theory is most plausible you think? Or do you have a better one? Do you have such curious words in your language? Let me know in the comments below!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<img width=\"350\" height=\"278\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/InkedOrange-or-Orange-350x278.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/InkedOrange-or-Orange-350x278.jpg 350w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/InkedOrange-or-Orange-1024x814.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/InkedOrange-or-Orange-768x611.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/InkedOrange-or-Orange-1536x1222.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/InkedOrange-or-Orange-2048x1629.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><p>German has some quirky words, and that&#8217;s what we explore in this series. Today, we&#8217;ll have a look at the word\u00a0Orange. Nothing curious, it seems, right? Wait until you hear how it is pronounced&#8230; Click here for previous entries in the series on curious words in German Orange or Orange? Listen to the clips above&hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"post-item__readmore\"><a class=\"btn btn--md\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/the-curiosity-of-the-german-word-orange\/\">Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":110,"featured_media":11271,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[70,8],"tags":[2887,503854],"class_list":["post-11266","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food","category-language","tag-colors","tag-curious-words"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11266","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/110"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11266"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11266\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11275,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11266\/revisions\/11275"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11266"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11266"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11266"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}