{"id":8366,"date":"2017-05-04T09:21:41","date_gmt":"2017-05-04T09:21:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=8366"},"modified":"2017-05-04T09:33:34","modified_gmt":"2017-05-04T09:33:34","slug":"the-curiosity-of-the-german-word-weg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/the-curiosity-of-the-german-word-weg\/","title":{"rendered":"The Curiosity of the German Word &#8220;Weg&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Wegisweg<\/em>. That is the Dutch word for Harry Potter&#8217;s Diagon Alley.\u00a0<em>Weg\u00a0<\/em>means &#8220;lane&#8221;, but also &#8220;away&#8221;. They sound exactly identical, though.\u00a0The same word, <em>weg<\/em>,\u00a0means the same both things in German. But they are pronounced differently. Why?<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/x3-gSSJxRBs\" aria-label=\"Photo 1492086393392 4d7fc603473a\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter \"  width=\"533\" height=\"355\" \/ alt=\"Photo 1492086393392 4d7fc603473a\" src=\"https:\/\/images.unsplash.com\/photo-1492086393392-4d7fc603473a?ixlib=rb-0.3.5&amp;q=100&amp;fm=jpg&amp;crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;s=80a64a835ed1eb0173e5bdd41d7f0592\"><\/a>This is what\u00a0<em>weg\u00a0<\/em>sounds like:<\/p>\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\/2017\/05\/weg.mp3'>weg<\/a><\/li>\t<\/ol>\n\t<\/noscript>\n\t<script type=\"application\/json\" class=\"wp-playlist-script\">{\"type\":\"audio\",\"tracklist\":true,\"tracknumbers\":true,\"images\":true,\"artists\":true,\"tracks\":[{\"src\":\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2017\/05\/weg.mp3\",\"type\":\"audio\/mpeg\",\"title\":\"weg\",\"caption\":\"\",\"description\":\"\\\"weg\\\". Released: 2017.\",\"meta\":{\"year\":\"2017\",\"length_formatted\":\"0:01\"},\"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}}]}<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\t\n<p>This is what <em>der\u00a0<\/em><em>Weg\u00a0<\/em>sounds like:<\/p>\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\/2017\/05\/der-Weg.mp3'>Weg<\/a><\/li>\t<\/ol>\n\t<\/noscript>\n\t<script type=\"application\/json\" class=\"wp-playlist-script\">{\"type\":\"audio\",\"tracklist\":true,\"tracknumbers\":true,\"images\":true,\"artists\":true,\"tracks\":[{\"src\":\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2017\/05\/der-Weg.mp3\",\"type\":\"audio\/mpeg\",\"title\":\"Weg\",\"caption\":\"\",\"description\":\"\\\"der Weg\\\". Released: 2017.\",\"meta\":{\"year\":\"2017\",\"length_formatted\":\"0:01\"},\"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}}]}<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\t\n<p>Ok, I already hear you say: But Sten, there is a difference here! Granted,\u00a0the difference is that the <em>Substantiv\u00a0<\/em>(noun)\u00a0<em>der Weg\u00a0<\/em>(&#8220;the lane&#8221;) starts with a capital <em>W\u00a0<\/em>and the <em>Adverb\u00a0<\/em>(adverb)\u00a0<em>weg\u00a0<\/em>(away) does not. But a capital\u00a0<em>W\u00a0<\/em>should not change pronunciation! And normally in a conversation, context reveals which meaning applies.<\/p>\n<p>So why this different pronunciation?<\/p>\n<h2>History<\/h2>\n<p>As with many curiosities in the German language, this different pronunciation is rooted in history. Both\u00a0<em>Weg\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0<em>weg\u00a0<\/em>come from the same Indo-Germanic root. In the 8th century already, the form\u00a0<em>wec<\/em> meant &#8220;trace&#8221;. Only in the 12th century, the word\u00a0<em>enwec\u00a0<\/em>appeared, which meant\u00a0<em>auf dem Weg\u00a0<\/em>(on the way), branched off of the noun\u00a0<em>wec<\/em>. Later, branched off of\u00a0<em>enwec\u00a0<\/em>again came\u00a0<em>wec<\/em>.\u00a0Over the years, the word <em>wec<\/em>\u00a0would also be spelled\u00a0<em>weck<\/em>,\u00a0<em>wegk<\/em> or simply\u00a0<em>wek<\/em>. However, around the 15th century, the\u00a0<em>Substantiv\u00a0<\/em>(<em>der Weg<\/em>), was overwhelmingly spelled as it is today &#8211;\u00a0<em>der Weg<\/em>. Because of the long\u00a0<em>e<\/em>, this spelling made most sense for the noun.<\/p>\n<p>For the adverb, the forms\u00a0<em>wegck, wegk, weck\u00a0<\/em>were also used. This also made sense for its pronunciation: multiple consonants at the end of the word suggested a short\u00a0<em>e<\/em>. So everything was alright! We had\u00a0<em>Weg\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0<em>wegk<\/em>. Done.<\/p>\n<p>But&#8230; No. It is German after all, so\u00a0we cannot make things too simple!<\/p>\n<p>In the following centuries, things changed again. By the 17th century, the writing was yet again the same: <em>weg\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0<em>Weg<\/em>.\u00a0Especially Luther, who used\u00a0<em>weg\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0<em>Weg\u00a0<\/em>in his Bible translation, gave this writing a lot of weight.<\/p>\n<p>The pronunciation was different early on already. This is probably due to the difference in meaning and the kind of word (<em>Adverb\u00a0<\/em>vs.\u00a0<em>Substantiv<\/em>). Personally, I find that a weak explanation, because the Dutch pronounce both <em>weg<\/em> exactly the same, even though they also have a difference in meaning and it is also an adverb and noun. Pronouncing it the same makes sense. So really, why the Germans do such a curious thing cannot really be explained!<\/p>\n<h2>Problematic?<\/h2>\n<div style=\"width: 625px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/pKeF6Tt3c08\" aria-label=\"Photo 1483213097419 365e22f0f258\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  alt=\"\" width=\"615\" height=\"410\" \/ src=\"https:\/\/images.unsplash.com\/photo-1483213097419-365e22f0f258?ixlib=rb-0.3.5&amp;q=100&amp;fm=jpg&amp;crop=entropy&amp;cs=tinysrgb&amp;s=f2528df5e62121982355f21a48e0db52\"><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Wegweiser (signpost). How would you pronounce that word?<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Is it problematic that there are two pronunciations for a word that is written the same? Well, usually, this same writing but different pronunciation poses few problems, because the <em>Weg\u00a0<\/em>is written with a capital, where the adverb is written with a lowercase\u00a0<em>w<\/em> (<em>weg<\/em>). So then you know how to pronounce it when you read something.<\/p>\n<p>But what about cases where the adverb is combined with another\u00a0<em>Substantiv<\/em>? For example,\u00a0<em>Weggang\u00a0<\/em>(departure) or\u00a0<em>Wegfall\u00a0<\/em>(discontinuation) are pronounced with a short\u00a0<em>e<\/em>, yet\u00a0<em>weg\u00a0<\/em>is written with a capital here. Listen to <em>Wegfall<\/em> below.\u00a0You would find the same problem if\u00a0<em>weg\u00a0<\/em>is at the beginning of a sentence:\u00a0<em>Weg ist der Mann<\/em>! (Away is the man!)<\/p>\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\/2017\/05\/Wegfall.mp3'>Wegfall<\/a><\/li>\t<\/ol>\n\t<\/noscript>\n\t<script type=\"application\/json\" class=\"wp-playlist-script\">{\"type\":\"audio\",\"tracklist\":true,\"tracknumbers\":true,\"images\":true,\"artists\":true,\"tracks\":[{\"src\":\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2017\/05\/Wegfall.mp3\",\"type\":\"audio\/mpeg\",\"title\":\"Wegfall\",\"caption\":\"\",\"description\":\"\\\"Wegfall\\\". Released: 2017.\",\"meta\":{\"year\":\"2017\",\"length_formatted\":\"0:01\"},\"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}}]}<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\t\n<p>The same kind of problems arrive when\u00a0<em>der Weg\u00a0<\/em>becomes part of an adjective, for example:\u00a0<em>weglos<\/em>\u00a0(pathless),\u00a0<em>wegkundig\u00a0<\/em>(knowledgeable about the way).<\/p>\n<p>And here is a tricky one:\u00a0<em>wegweisen<\/em>. Pronounce it!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>This is what it actually sounds like:<\/p>\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\/2017\/05\/wegweisen.mp3'>wegweisen<\/a><\/li>\t<\/ol>\n\t<\/noscript>\n\t<script type=\"application\/json\" class=\"wp-playlist-script\">{\"type\":\"audio\",\"tracklist\":true,\"tracknumbers\":true,\"images\":true,\"artists\":true,\"tracks\":[{\"src\":\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2017\/05\/wegweisen.mp3\",\"type\":\"audio\/mpeg\",\"title\":\"wegweisen\",\"caption\":\"\",\"description\":\"\\\"wegweisen\\\". Released: 2017.\",\"meta\":{\"year\":\"2017\",\"length_formatted\":\"0:01\"},\"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}}]}<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\t\n<p>Why is it short here? Because you &#8220;send somebody away&#8221; &#8211;\u00a0<em>wegschicken<\/em>. If you want to\u00a0show somebody the way, you have to\u00a0<em>jemanden den\u00a0<\/em><em>Weg weisen<\/em>. Did you get it right?<\/p>\n<p>By the way: The signpost in the picture, that is a\u00a0<em>Wegweiser\u00a0<\/em>&#8211; a &#8220;way shower&#8221;, and therefore pronounced with a long\u00a0<em>e<\/em>:<\/p>\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\/2017\/05\/Wegweiser.mp3'>Wegweiser<\/a><\/li>\t<\/ol>\n\t<\/noscript>\n\t<script type=\"application\/json\" class=\"wp-playlist-script\">{\"type\":\"audio\",\"tracklist\":true,\"tracknumbers\":true,\"images\":true,\"artists\":true,\"tracks\":[{\"src\":\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2017\/05\/Wegweiser.mp3\",\"type\":\"audio\/mpeg\",\"title\":\"Wegweiser\",\"caption\":\"\",\"description\":\"\\\"Wegweiser\\\". Released: 2017.\",\"meta\":{\"year\":\"2017\",\"length_formatted\":\"0:01\"},\"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}}]}<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\t\n<p><strong>I hope this post was helpful for you to improve your German! Is there a German word that you find curious? Let me know in the comments, and I can make a post about it!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wegisweg. That is the Dutch word for Harry Potter&#8217;s Diagon Alley.\u00a0Weg\u00a0means &#8220;lane&#8221;, but also &#8220;away&#8221;. They sound exactly identical, though.\u00a0The same word, weg,\u00a0means the same both things in German. But they are pronounced differently. Why? This is what\u00a0weg\u00a0sounds like: This is what der\u00a0Weg\u00a0sounds like: Ok, I already hear you say: But Sten, there is a&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-weg\/\">Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":110,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3,8],"tags":[503854,935,95131,95066,473457,551768],"class_list":["post-8366","post","type-post","status-publish","hentry","category-culture","category-language","tag-curious-words","tag-german","tag-german-language","tag-history-2","tag-language-history","tag-pronunciation"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8366","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=8366"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8366\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8375,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8366\/revisions\/8375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8366"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8366"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}