Cunning Linguist Archives - Page 2 of 2

The Knave Abideth

January 8, 2010
by cat

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.

“Two Gentlemen of Lebowski” (via BoingBoing)

Crossing Cultures

Adventures in German: Have a Good Slide!

December 31, 2009
by cat

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!

Crossing Cultures

Adventures in German Part 2: The Beauty of Expression

November 12, 2009
by cat

“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. Read more “Adventures in German Part 2: The Beauty of Expression” →

Crossing Cultures

Adventures in German Part 1: “Floppysheep”

September 1, 2009
by cat

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. Read more “Adventures in German Part 1: “Floppysheep”” →

Category: <span>Cunning Linguist</span>

The Knave Abideth

Adventures in German: Have a Good Slide!

Adventures in German Part 2: The Beauty of Expression

Adventures in German Part 1: “Floppysheep”