Getting started on German pronunciation: long and short vowels (part I - "a")
You've always wanted to learn German but aren't quite sure what it sounds like? Or you already have some knowledge of German, but want to work on your pronunciation?
Well, here we go.
Let's first get started with the vowel "a".
As in many other languages, the standard vowels in German are a, e, i, o and u. All of them can be pronounced either short or long, depending on their location in a word.
Long and short a
The spelling for the long a can either be "aa", "ah" or "a".
It sounds pretty much like the "a" sound in the English word "spa". You need to watch out that your mouth is wide open and that the sound doesn't glide off to the English "uh" sound.
Examples are:
Bahn (train)
kam (came)
Staat (state)
Schlaf (sleep)
lahm (lame)
Saat (crop, seed)
For the audio file please click below.
Now let's take a look at the short a
The spelling for the short a is always "a".
The short a is pronounced really short and clipped. Its pronunciation is between the English vowels in the words "hut" and "hot".
Examples are:
Bann (ban, spell)
Kamm (comb)
Stadt (city)
schlaff (slack)
Lamm (lamb)
satt (full, having eaten enough)
Again, please click below to listen to the words:
Now, compare the pronunciation of the long and short a:
Bahn - Bann
kam - Kamm
Staat - Stadt
Schlaf - schlaff
lahm - Lamm
Saat - satt
Now try to indentify the short and long a in the following short text:
Ich war gestern Abend seit langem mal wieder auf einer Party. Dort traf ich Annika, die lange Haare hat. Wir tanzten und tranken Cola und Limonade - Alkohol gab es keinen mehr.
You'll find the solution below the audio file.
[Solution:
short a: langem, traf, Annika, lange, hat, tanzten, tranken, Alkohol
long a: war, Abend, mal, Party, Annika, Haare, Cola, Limonade, gablangem, traf, Annika, lange, hat, tanzten, tranken, Alkohol
Please note: The "a" in "auf" belongs to a different category, the diphtongs (in this case "au") which I will be talking about some other time.
German Christmas Markets
Of course, Advent time is the time for German Christmas markets.
Almost every town/city in Germany has a Weihnachtsmarkt which usually starts in mid-end of November and lasts until Christmas.
Every day, it is open from late morning until nighttime and, depending on the town or city size, this street market can be larger or smaller. Christmas markets originated in the Late Middle Ages in Germany, Austria and Alsace but are now held in many other countries as well. In bigger American cities such as New York or Chicago you will be able to find German Christmas markets and I have to say that the one on Chicago is really authentic. They sell German handicrafts and German food and in fact, many if not even most of the sellers actually come from Germany in order to sell their goods at the Christmas market.
The Christmas market is generally held in the town square and adjacent pedestrian zones and food, drinks, and seasonal items are sold from open-air stalls, accompanied by life-music.
Popular attractions are displays of the Nativity Scene (a crèche or crib), Nussknacker (carved nutcrackers), many other handmade items, (Christmas tree) decorations and ornaments, self-made articles of clothing, toys and much more. Of course traditional food like gebrannte Mandeln (candied, toasted almonds) can't be missing, as well as Christstollen (a loaf-shaped cake containing dried fruit, and covered with powdered sugar), Lebkuchen (a kind of soft gingerbread) and the German Bratwurst. Very popular drinks include Glühwein (hot spiced red whine, if, mit Schuss, containing a shot of Brandy) and Eierpunsch (an egg-based hot alcoholic drink). Christmas markets now also feature Glühbier, a hot flavored beer. It's up to you if you'd like to try it or rather stay with the traditional Glühwein, but if you are in Germany around Christmas time, visiting a Christmas Market is an absolute must.

[pictures in this post are displaying the Weihnachtsmarkt in Bonn, Germany]
Time of Advent in Germany

Today is the 4th to last Sunday before Christmas which means that the time of Advent is just starting.
Usually, German families have so-called advent wreaths. They can either be hand-made or bought in a store and consist of an evergreen that is constructed to resemble a ring. Varying in decorations and colors, all of them have four candles. Every Sunday up to Christmas, one more candle is lighted on the advent wreath. So on the first of advent, you light one candle, on the second one more, etc. Usually, you don't change the candles, so you need to be careful not to let the first ones burn down before you can light the fourth one on Sunday before Christmas. Many German families take some time, once a day, for example when they are having breakfast or dinner together, to light the candles for that time, sometimes blowing out the ones that have burnt down more than the others in order to save them for the last Sunday of Advent.
There is a German rhyme going as follows: "Advent, Advent, ein Lichtlein brennt. Erst eins, dann zwei, dann drei, dann vier, dann steht das Christkind vor der Tür" translating to "Advent, Advent, a little light is burning. First one, then two, then three, then four (lights), and then the Christkind will be standing in front of the door."
Christkind? Well, traditionally, in Germany, as in many other countries, it didn't use to be Santa Claus who brings presents on Christmas, but the so-called Christkind, translating to Christ Child (Baby Jesus). With globalization (especially since the 1990s), nowadays there are families telling their children that on Christmas Eve the Weihnachtsmann (Santa Claus) is coming, but traditionally it has always been the Christkind.
In Germany, the future is bilingual
According to new data, taken from the Statistisches Bundesamt, one out of five people in Germany has a migration background.
Most of Germany's immigrants or German citizens with a migration background, come from Turkey, Poland and Russia, but there are a lot of people from other Eastern European countries, as well as Italians, Spanish, South Americans... and you'll find Asians and North Americans, too.
Especially if you live in a city, you'll encounter people who are or whose family once came from a different country, every day. On the bus, there'll be people speaking in foreign languages, often (but not always) the parents speaking in their mother tongue and the children replying in German.
One big problem for migrants is not only getting used to living in Germany, learning how to speak German, being accepted by the German society... no, another problem which a lot of people forgot about in the past is that a lot of children born to migrant families already living in Germany, lose their mother tongue. They might be able to speak German perfectly, but have difficulty with their mother tongue, especially in written language. It is also important for them to hear their mother tongue outside of their homes as well. Otherwise it might happen, that, especially young children who enter kindergarden, might stop speaking their mother tongue if they notice all of the other kids are only speaking German and feel "different".
Nowadays, there are over 600 bilingual schools in Germany, 150 of them being primary schools, teaching children from non-German backgrounds their mother tongue while also making German children benefit from a bilingual education.
Starting back the in 1970s, there were a German-French few bilingual schools after Germany and France signed the treaty on Franco-German cooperation. Now there is a wider variety of bilingual schools and classes are not only offered in German and French, but also in German and, for example, English, Spanish and Turkish.
As I mentioned before, not only children from migrant families attend bilingual schools. Many German parents think it is a good investion for their children's future if they attend a bilingual school and get fluent in another language, apart from their mother tongue, as well. It is easier for them to the learn the foreign language if they are surrounded by children whose mother tongue is English, Spanish, French, etc. Children from both backgrounds (migrant and non-migrant) can benefit from each other by not only learning together, but also learning from each other.
"Klangwelle" in Bonn - still running until Sun September 25th

"There's always something going on in Bonn", some exchange students, who arrived in Bonn at the beginning of this month, told me excitedly.
Yes, Bonn is awesome. Being smaller (and therefore nicer) than Cologne, it still has to offer a great variety of cultural events for everybody.
So, what exactly is "Klangwelle"?
Klangwelle is taking place from Sep 16th - Sept 25th on Münsterplatz in Bonn.
It is a "music-laser-water-show", starting every day around 20.15 and ending at 22.15. It's free for everybody, but if you want to get seats (allowing you to sit down and enjoy a really nice view) you can get tickets for 29,50€. It's still worth going there without a ticket though.
The show is divided into three parts: "classic", "rock-pop reloaded" and "Rheinisch-jeck", the latter referring to German carnival which is actually considered the "fifth season of the year" in the area around Bonn/Cologne.
If you get the chance to be in Bonn this week, go and bring your family and friends to this enchanting event!
Denglisch - Wise Guys
More and more anglicisms find their way into the German language - that's not really anything new. As English is the dominating world language and every German 5/6-year-old starts learning English in 1st grade, it's not surprising that more and more English words are entering the German language now.
Everybody has to decide for themselves if they think it's a good thing or not. For learners of German as a Foreign language, it might come as an advantage but also an a disadvantage. How so? Well, almost every learner of German can already speak English and of course it's easier to learn German if there is a great variety of words that is similar in English. However, if learners of German see that there are so many words similar or even equal to those in English, they might be disappointed. Or not focussing on learning German vocabulary anymore and instead use all anglicisms they can find. Why bother to learn German if you can get around by speaking English? Also you can't just take any English word and make it German. Well, it's a contradictory topic. And in addition to that, there are German words like "Handy" or "Projektor" that sound English but have a completely different meaning being used as a "German" word. I'll be talking about this issue in another blog post.
Let's now move on to the Wise Guys, a German a cappella group, who took the issue of having various anglicisms in German nowadays and came up with their song "Denglisch" (taken from deutsch-englisch). In their song, they criticize the huge amount of anglicisms in German.
Take a look at their video on youtube:
(You'll find the translated lyrics below)
English Translation of “Denglisch”
Wise Guys Lyrics
Oh, Lord, please give me my language back,
I long for Frieden [peace] and a little bit of Glück [happiness].
Let us understand a word in this difficult time,
open our hearts, expand the brain.
on my new Swatch it was already just before "after eight."
I looked for a toilet, but only found a "McClean,"
I still needed "Connection" and a "Ticket" to Berlin.
Outside sat "Kids" and had "Fun" with a "Joint."
I looked for information, but there was only a "Service Point."
My train was gone - "Traveln" I could do without.
Then I wanted to eat "Hähnchen" [chicken], but there was only "McChicken." Oh, Lord, please give me my language back,
I long for Frieden [peace] and a little bit of Glück [happiness].
Let us understand a word in this difficult time,
open our hearts, expand the brain. You try to "update" me, but my "Feedback turned" you off.
You say I really need a "Wellness-Weekend."
You say with "good Vibrations" I'd get back in the "Flow."
You say I need "Energy." And I think: "So you say..."
Instead of "Nachrichten" I get the "Infotainment-Flash."
I'm longing for Bargeld [cash], but they don't even give me "Cash."
When "Communicating," I feel insecure as never before –
a "Bodyguard" is no use. I need "Security"! Oh, "Lord," please give me my "Language" back,
I'm longing for "Peace" and a little bit of Glück [happiness].
Let us understand a word in this difficult time,
open our hearts, expand the brain. For "Coffee-Shop" I want to see "Kaffeehaus" written up there,
or that in an "Auto-Crash" the "Lufttasche" (airbag) goes off,
and it would be nice, if we called "Bodybuilder" "Muskel-Mäster"
and if only "Nordisch Geher" would run across the landscape... "Oh, Lord, please help," because my "Language" causes me "Stress,"
I long for "Peace" and "a bit of Happiness."
Help us, so we "understand" in this difficult time,
"open" our "hearts" and "make" the brain wide. "Oh, Lord, please" give me my "Language back,"
I soon here in "crisis, man, it has" no point.
"Let us" still "a word" understand, "it goes me on the" Geist,*
and let "Microsoft" soon be known as "Kleinweich" [small soft].
*From the German expression jdm auf den Geist gehen, "to get on one's nerves."
Kegeln - the German "bowling" game
In Germany people go bowling just as they do in other countries, but we've also got our own kind of bowling which is called "Kegeln" (comes from the noun Kegel which we call the bowling pins used for the kegelsport) and which is a sport that has been well-known for centuries. Up to the 18th century, it used to be played outside, but then they started to build Kegel alleys inside, too. You can often find them in the basement of roadhouses and restaurants.
What is special about Kegeln? First of all, it is played with nine pins instead of ten. They are arranged like this, in the shape of a rhombus:

The sport Kegeln actually used to be a predominant game in the US, but then the American way of bowling took over and it seems to have only survived in rural Texas. The ball doesn't have any holes and you hold it like this:

There are a lot of Kegel clubs in Germany and it's the favorite sport of many middle-aged/old people, but it's popular for people of any age.
It's not rare that children have birthday parties at a Kegelbahn (Kegel alley), playing games with their friends.
You can play for example that everybody has to hit one pin, two pins, three pins, etc. (up to nine) and who gets everything first wins. Another game is "17+4": Goal is to get 21 points but no more than that. If you get two "Neune" (roll nine pins twice), you get 3 extra points and win. There are hundreds of different games.
If you're interested, check out: http://www.deutscher-keglerbund.de/freizeit_kegelspiele.pdf (it's in German though).
Going to the movies in Germany - 5 things you should know

[in the picture it says "Still seats available!"]
After spending 9 months in the US and 1 1/2 months in Ecuador right after, I returned to Germany 11 days ago.
I still notice a lot of things that are different here, in Germany.
Regarding "going to the movies" I can tell you the following:
1)
When you buy a ticket, you get assigned seats. So when you tell them which movie you want to see, they will ask you where you want to sit (as long as the seats aren't assigned yet). Tonight, my friend and I got asked "Last row in the middle. Is that alright?"
2)
Germans prefer to sit in the back. The tickets that get sold first are usually always for the back rows.
3)
Prices for movie tickets vary, depending on the day and time.
For the movie theatre we always go, it ranges from 4€ (Happy Hour on Thursday afternoon or Sneak Preview) to 8€ on Friday through Sunday starting at 19.00 and on holidays.
By the way, Sneak Preview is once a week and they always show a movie that will soon be starting in the theatre, but before going there, you don't know what it will be.
The most expensive is 3D movies which costs 12€ Friday through Sunday. And you have to pay even more, if it's a movie with overlength, ranging from 0.50-2.00€.
4)
Whispering in the movie theater is alright, but you shouldn't talk in a louder voice. The volume of the movie is not as loud as for example in the States and people might get angry at you.
5)
If you bring backpacks or large bags, you are going to be searched and/or have to leave your stuff behind the counter. You can't bring any outside food or drinks.
German Driver's License - 5 things you should know

[prototype of a German "Führerschein" = driver's license]
Germany is well-known as an "automobile" country - be it because there are a lot of carmakers or because of the German autobahn on parts of which you can go as fast as you want... (yes, on parts of it, there ARE speed limits, sorry to disappoint you)
1)
If you want to get a driver's license you can choose one out of more than 14 000 driving schools germanwide. Driving schools are private businesses.
2)
Before you can practice driving, you first have to take a lot of theoretical lessons.
After a while, you can take driving lessons as well - on average Germans need 23 driving lessons in total. You learn everything: driving during the day and at night, driving on the highway, all kinds of ways how to park your car, starting a car uphill, etc.
And of course usually you have a car with stick-shift. If you take the driving test in an automatic car, you are only certified to drive automatic cars after getting your driver's license.
There is a theoretical test and a driving test that you need to pass in order to get your license.
3)
Getting a driver's license in Germany is really expensive. A driving lesson costs around 30€. You have to pay for the theoretical lessons, the tests and some other fees as well. In total, you usually pay between 1500 and 1800€.
4)
A driving student fails every fourth driving test - especially in large cities- and almost every third thereotical test. If you fail, you have to pay in order to take the test again.
People whose mother tongue isn't German can take the theoretical test in one of 11 other languages.
5)
In Germany, you can drive a car from the age of 17, but only accompanied by a person who is at least 30 years old and who got their driver's license at least 5 years ago.
From the age of 18, you are allowed to drive by yourself.
Struwwelpeter & Co. - Morals or simply Horror Stories for ages 3+ ?

The Struwwelpeter book was written by the German doctor Heinrich Hoffmann in the year 1845. It is supposed to teach children what happens to them if they don't behave well, but in a very drastic and exaggerated way. There are stories, all of them written in merry rhymes, where children starve to death because they don't eat their soup, get their thumb chopped off because they suck it, burn to ashes because they played with fire, etc.
There have been endless discussions about whether this book is good for children because it teaches them rules and morals or bad because it scares them to death. It says on the outside that this book is appropriate for children at the age of 3 and up, on some books it even says from 3-6. At home, we have a paperboard(!) version of "Der Struwwelpeter oder lustige Geschichten und drollige Bilder". I almost don't dare translating this for you and you will soon see, why. It says "The Struwwelpeter or merry stories and funny pictures". "Merry" stories? "Funny" pictures? Oh, sure.
I guess the book can't be too harmful as my mother read it to me when I was a child (same thing with the "scary German fairy tales"), but looking at the stories now, 20 years later, does make me think about the educational value of this book.
Let us take a look at the book which starts with the Struwwelpeter story. By the way, there is the German expression of "looking like a Struwwelpeter" which means that your hair looks messy.
The book starts with a little introduction stating that only well-behaved children who eat their soup and bread, who aren't noisy and who stay with their mother when going for a walk get rewarded.
The next page looks like this:
In rhymes the author talks about the bad boy Struwwelpeter, who didn't let his nails get cut for almost a year and didn't get a haircut either. Consequently, he is unpopular. "Pfui!"
Here you can see the story "Die gar traurige Geschichte mit dem Feuerzeug" (The very sad story of the matches).
The story is about a girl named Paulinchen who is alone at home with her two cats, Minz and Maunz. She looks for something to do and finds matches. Both cats tell her to leave the matches alone and tell her that her father has forbidden her to play with them and that otherwise she will burn to death. Paulinchen doesn't listen and lights one of the matches. She jumps joyfully around the room. Once again, the cats tell her to stop and that also her mother has forbidden her to play with the matches. But, too late, her dress already catches fire and she burns to death. The cats cry out for help, but it is too late. All that can be found is a heap of ashes and her two shoes.
Another story, "Die Geschichte von den schwarzen Buben" (The story of the Black Boys) deals with racism.
In this story, there is a black boy, going for a walk. Three boys names Ludwig, Kaspar and Wilhelm make fun of the black boy, because they think he looks as black as ink. Then Nikolaus comes with a big ink pot. He tells the boys to leave the black boy alone and that it's not his fault he isn't as white as they are. The boys don't stop and make even more fun of the boy than before which leads Nikolaus to get really mad and put all three of them in his big ink pot. On the last page it says that now they are even darker than the black boy and that this wouldn't have happened to them if they had behaved and not made fun of the black boy.
One last story I want to show you is "Die Geschichte vom Suppen-Kaspar" (The Story of the Soup-Kaspar).
It deals with Kaspar, who had always been a healthy boy with fresh, blushed cheeks and a big belly, but who, one day, didn't want to eat his soup anymore. He says: "Ich esse keine Suppe! Nein! Ich esse meine Suppe nicht! Nein, meine Suppe ess' ich nicht!" which means "I'm not eating any soup! No! I'm not eating my soup! No, my soup I won't be eating!" The next day, he is thinner, but he still repeats what he said on the first day. On the third day, when he is even thinner and weaker, he still repeats that he won't be eating his soup. On the fourth day, he is thin as a piece of string and on the fifth day he dies. There is a picture of his grave with a soup pot on top.
Go figure.
For a full version of the Struwwelpeter book in English, click here and scroll down: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/12116/12116-h/12116-h.htm










