Catherine Conner
Expat-iation
Germans and Colors
May 26th
This post via BoingBoing has everything I could want in one article — a discussion of linguistic and cultural differences between German and English, a sprinkling of medieval history, and beer:
Gus and Ollie Meet Craft Hope
May 7th
I recently participated in a wonderful craft night where we stitched educational bean bag toys for orphans in Liberia, as part of project Craft Hope. This was coordinated by Jessica Allen, a lovely Australian expat living in Hamburg, and the creative force of Gus and Ollie over on Etsy. Not only does she make the cutest plush toys you ever did see, but she’s just started a blog as well. Give her a visit!
Political Ash Wednesday
Feb 18th
All over the world, Ash Wednesday is a day of Christian self-reflection and repentance. Except in Germany, where it doubles as a political festival. With beer, of course. More >
There’s No Place Like…
Feb 9th
When I first moved to Germany I expected to encounter prejudices. The Germans would certainly have pre-formed opinions of me as an American, as I myself would have towards my new country of residence. I was prepared to challenge and be challenged over the validity of these preconceptions. But to my surprise I had also to contend with prejudice from an unexpected source: my fellow Americans.
The Bi-Lingual Brain Advantage
Jan 22nd
Maybe I’m just glad to justify all my efforts to learn another language. Or maybe I’m glad to have scientific backing for my own observations I’ve written about in the Adventures in German series. Either way, this article totally confirms my own experience.
The findings suggest that after learning a second language, people never look at words the same way again.
“The Neural Advantage of Speaking 2 Languages” (Scientific American)
The Knave Abideth
Jan 8th
Two great classics that taste great together. A screenwriter has rewritten “The Big Lebowski” in the style of Shakespeare. Publicity stunt? Probably. But with this level of talent and iambic pentameter, he deserves all the attention he gets.
In wayfarer’s worlds out west was once a man,
A man I come not to bury, but to praise.
His name was Geoffrey Lebowski called, yet
Not called, excepting by his kin.
That which we call a knave by any other name
Might bowl just as sweet.
Adventures in German: Have a Good Slide!
Dec 31st
Another holiday-related cultural oddity I’m experiencing this week…here in Hamburg everyone I meet, from good friends to shop clerks, is wishing me “Guten Rutsch”. It seems a bit cruel, because literally translated, this means “good slide”. Are they hoping that I will fall over comically for their amusement (among all the ice and snow this year you see many signs saying “Rutschgefahr”, or “danger of slipping”)? No, they are hoping that I have a “good slide into the New Year”.
Of course Germans don’t hear this literally, as I as a non-native speaker do. To them it means simply “Happy New Year”. But why “slide” instead of just wishing people a Happy New Year? It’s an example of the German superstition that it is bad luck to wish someone well for an event that has not yet happened. For example, Germans do not wish someone happy birthday before midnight of the actual date of birth. In fact, many people usher in their birthday with champagne at exactly midnight on the day. Wishing someone a “good slide into the New Year” is a way to wish them well for the new year before midnight on New Years’ Eve, without jinxing them. Once that moment in time is passed, it is then appropriate to wish everyone Happy New Year. Which I will hear from friends and shopkeepers starting tomorrow.
Thanks to my husband for the cultural edification, and I wish everyone a Good Slide!
Adventures in German Part 2: The Beauty of Expression
Nov 12th
“Boy, those Germans have a word for everything!” — Homer Simpson
I am continually astounded by the beauty of my second language. I do not mean the sounds made by the voice when speaking it, which often sound like gravel being crushed by angry chainsaws (and sometimes feel like it too!). I mean the elegance, poetry, and sometimes incredible efficiency of expression in the German language.
German words are often complete pictures in and of themselves. They can be poetically descriptive and at the same time observationally efficient. More >
Adventures in German Part 1: “Floppysheep”
Sep 1st
At the beginning of my relationship with my German husband, I was determined to learn his language. Not strictly necessary, of course, as he speaks perfect English. But the hard-working masochist in me said “hey, turnabout is fair play!”
One of my many failures in the language has to do with pronounciation of German vowel sounds. In addition to the problematic umlauted vowels (“ä”, “ö”, “ü”) — which every beginner in the German language knows are built only for mouths that have spoken German since birth — the German language includes subtler differences in long and short vowels. These are easy for English-speakers to pronounce, but dastardly hard to recognize and remember where and when they appear. More >
