Curiosities about Germany http://germancuriosities.posterous.com Most recent posts at Curiosities about Germany posterous.com Sun, 05 Feb 2012 10:03:00 -0800 Getting started on German pronunciation: long and short vowels (part I - "a") http://germancuriosities.posterous.com/getting-started-on-german-pronunciation-long http://germancuriosities.posterous.com/getting-started-on-german-pronunciation-long

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.

long_a_in_German.wma Listen on Posterous

 

 

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:

short_a_in_German.wma Listen on Posterous

 

Now, compare the pronunciation of the long and short a:

 

Bahn - Bann

kam - Kamm

Staat - Stadt

Schlaf - schlaff

lahm - Lamm

Saat - satt

long_and_short_a_in_German.wma Listen on Posterous

 

 

 

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.

 

text_short_and_long_a.wma Listen on Posterous

 

 

[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.

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Sun, 27 Nov 2011 03:19:23 -0800 German Christmas Markets http://germancuriosities.posterous.com/christmas-markets http://germancuriosities.posterous.com/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]

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Sun, 27 Nov 2011 02:42:45 -0800 Time of Advent in Germany http://germancuriosities.posterous.com/time-of-advent-in-germany http://germancuriosities.posterous.com/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.   

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Sun, 09 Oct 2011 15:35:00 -0700 In Germany, the future is bilingual http://germancuriosities.posterous.com/in-germany-the-future-is-bilingual http://germancuriosities.posterous.com/in-germany-the-future-is-bilingual

Media_httppinewsnetwp_fhezd

 

    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.

 

 

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Thu, 22 Sep 2011 04:43:00 -0700 "Klangwelle" in Bonn - still running until Sun September 25th http://germancuriosities.posterous.com/klangwelle-in-bonn-still-running-until-sun-se http://germancuriosities.posterous.com/klangwelle-in-bonn-still-running-until-sun-se

  "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!

 

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Sun, 04 Sep 2011 04:32:00 -0700 Denglisch - Wise Guys http://germancuriosities.posterous.com/denglisch-wise-guys http://germancuriosities.posterous.com/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.

I ran to the train station and was "a little bit too late"
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."

 

 

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Thu, 18 Aug 2011 10:55:00 -0700 Kegeln - the German "bowling" game http://germancuriosities.posterous.com/kegeln-the-german-bowling-game http://germancuriosities.posterous.com/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).

 

 

 

 

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Fri, 05 Aug 2011 17:17:00 -0700 Going to the movies in Germany - 5 things you should know http://germancuriosities.posterous.com/going-to-the-movies-in-germany-5-things-you-s http://germancuriosities.posterous.com/going-to-the-movies-in-germany-5-things-you-s

[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.

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Fri, 05 Aug 2011 07:27:00 -0700 German Driver's License - 5 things you should know http://germancuriosities.posterous.com/german-drivers-license-5-things-you-should-kn http://germancuriosities.posterous.com/german-drivers-license-5-things-you-should-kn

[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.

 

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Mon, 01 Aug 2011 07:43:00 -0700 Struwwelpeter & Co. - Morals or simply Horror Stories for ages 3+ ? http://germancuriosities.posterous.com/struwwelpeter-co-moral-or-simply-horror-stori http://germancuriosities.posterous.com/struwwelpeter-co-moral-or-simply-horror-stori

 

 

    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:

 

P1070147
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).

P1070150
P1070151

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.

P1070152
P1070153
P1070154
P1070155

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).

 

P1070156

 

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

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Sun, 31 Jul 2011 10:19:06 -0700 German Sundays http://germancuriosities.posterous.com/german-sundays http://germancuriosities.posterous.com/german-sundays

 

 

 

    Sundays in Germany are not the same as in other countries. To Germans, Sunday is a mandatory rest day. Most people don't work except for doctors, nurses, waiters/waitresses and other people who are needed at their working place every day.

 

    All stores/shops/supermarkets etc. are closed. There are a few Sundays a year on which some shops downtown will be open. This is called verkaufsoffener Sonntag, but this phenomena does not happen too often as stores are only allowed to be open on 10 Sundays a year, including the 4 Advent sundays preceding Christmas. Gas stations are open, but they aren't convenience stores as for example gas stations in the US. So you should always plan ahead and not realize on Sunday morning that you ran out of toilet paper, milk or other things you need for the day.

 

    There is no construction working and any kind of noise is to be reduced. You could even get a fine for mowing your lawn on a Sunday. Children are being told that it's Sunday and that, while playing outside, they can't be too noisy.

 

    So what do Germans do on Sundays?

In the mornings, first of all, religious people go to Church. Others like to sleep in and a lot of people have brunch around 10 or 11 o'clock instead of breakfast. Sundays are perfect days to spend some quality time with your family and friends. If the weather is good, you will find a lot of Germans outside: doing sports and other leisure activities, sitting in the backyard, sunbathing, going to flea markets or to the park. It is also a good time to go to the movies (although this is more expensive on the weekends), to the museum, have lunch/dinner in a restaurant or to just stay at home. A lot of students do their homework on Sundays, other people like to hang out at home and do all the things they don't have enough time for during the week or just hang out and enjoy doing nothing.

 

    As you can see, German Sundays are something you have to get used to if you visit Germany or even live here,  but not being able to go shopping on Sundays is definitely not the end of the world.

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Sat, 30 Jul 2011 06:51:00 -0700 Getting rid of German Stereotypes (or maybe not?) http://germancuriosities.posterous.com/getting-rid-of-german-stereotypes-or-maybe-no http://germancuriosities.posterous.com/getting-rid-of-german-stereotypes-or-maybe-no

 

 

 

     This is how German men are typically depicted abroad: beer-loving, lederhosen- and hat-wearing, tall, fat and of course with a huge beard. German women are tall as well, strongly built with huge breasts, have blue eyes, blond hair and wear pig tails. Do Germans really look like this? Are all of them heavy beer drinkers, sauerkraut and bratwurst eaters, strict, unfriendly and rude people? 

 

    Before we tackle these questions, here is an introductory video about some common German stereotypes:

 

 

 

 

    Now let's take a closer look at the stereotypes and look for some truth.

 

1. Germans are tall, fat, blonde and have blue eyes. They wear lederhosen and dirndls all the time.

    In contrast to South European, South American, Asian and other countries where people are rather short, Germans seem to be generally tall. However, there are exceptions and of course, you can find short Germans as well.

   Obesity has increased, but that's a problem a lot of countries have to deal with lately. And, of course, not everybody is fat.

   There are blonde, blue-eyed people in Germany, but less than you will find in Northern Europe and more Germans actually rather have brown (in all kinds of shades) than blond hair. Eye colors range from green over blue and grey to brown.

   Lederhosen (leather pants) and dirndls (a traditional dress) will most likely be found in Bavaria, a state in the south of Germany, and in Austria. But even there, people don't dress in lederhosen and dirndls every day. It is most common to see it at the Oktoberfest.

 

 

2. Germans drink beer like water and love the Oktoberfest.

    Germans do drink a lot of beer. In 2010, the average German drank 101,8 liters of beer, actually reaching a low during that year, with most of the beer being drunken by Bavarians and North Rhine Westphalians (NRW is a state in the west of Germany). But the fact that a lot of Germans like to drink beer does not mean that we drink beer like water. Germans love to drink coffee as well (in the morning, after lunch, in the afternoon...), a lot of water, juice, "Schorlen" (juice mixed with sparkling water), soda, etc. Germans most likely only have beer sometimes after work or on the weekends, unless they are alcoholics. We are said to be able to drink a lot and I guess that, in general, that's true.

    The Oktoberfest takes place every fall in Munich, Bavaria, and is known world-wide. It attracts tourists from all over the world, but also Germans (70% of them being Bavarians, just to let you know).

 

 

3. Germans love sauerkraut, bratwurst and pretzels.

   I would like to know where the sauerkraut myth comes from as I don't know anybody who is crazy about sauerkraut. It is eaten in Germany, yes, but when I encountered this here on the Chicagoer "Christkindlsmarket" last year, I was seriously shocked:

 

P1030958


   We would never even think of eating bratwurst or leberkäse with sauerkraut!   

   As for bratwurst, I guess the stereotype is partly true. Pretty much every region in Germany has their own style of bratwurst, so there is an endless variety of bratwurst. But again, there are Germans who don't even like bratwurst and it is not eaten that frequently by most families.

   Pretzels are typical for Bavaria (once again), but known in other parts of Germany as well.

 

 

4. The good old German punctuality and efficiency

    The term German punctuality exists in several non-German countries. Of course not every German is always on time, but in general, you can say that this stereotype is a true one.

    It is very important for Germans to arrive on time and we will rather arrive 5 minutes early than 5 minutes too late. An exception is if you are invited to a party and know that a lot of people will be arriving. In this case it is usually okay to arrive a little late.

   Public transportation should always be on time and Germans can get really angry if it isn't. "Time is money!" In many cities, there are also "tickers" indicating in how many minutes the bus/train/whatever will be arrriving.

   The stereotype of Germans being depicted as efficient, hard-working and industrious is based on the Wirtschaftswunder after the Second World War when Germany quickly revived economically.

 

 

5. The land of poets, thinkers... scientists and engineers

    Germany is known as "das Land der Dichter und Denker" (country of poets and thinkers). Ever heard of Goethe and Schiller? A great deal of Germany's literature of the 19th century was written by them and they remain important German figures.

    Well-known German scientists and engineers are, amongst others, Albert Einstein, Konrad Röntgen (discovered x-rays), Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz (invented the automobile), Karl-Heinz Brandenburg (developed mp3), Johannes Gutenberg (invented printing with moveable letters), Otto Lilienthal (constructed airplanes)...

    Well-known German brands include Adidas, Aldi, Audi, Beyer, Beiersdorf, Bosch, BMW, Lufthansa, Mercedes Benz, Puma, Siemens, Volkswagen and Porsche.

 

 

6. Germans stick to rules and fear the unknown

    We do have a lot of rules, be it in the class rooms, traffic, in any kind of public institution or public transportation. It is required to stick to these rules and otherwise you get punished. You don't have a ticket for the public transportation? - You have to pay 40€. You drove too fast and got caught? - Depending on how fast you were and how much above the limit, there are fees, seminars or they will even take your license away (for some time or longer). We might seem stricter than people in other cultures, but rules do give us a sense of security.

    Germans have rules for everything. And that's just how we grow up. It's also linked with the fear of the unknown. "I've always done it this way and it's always worked perfectly. Why should I change a thing?"  There is just a specific way things ought to be done and that's it.

 

 

Of course this was only a small insight into stereotypes about Germans and there is a lot more to talk about. As with stereotypes of every culture, there is usually some truth to it, but even if so, there can only be generalizations made.

 

I will be tackling other interesting topics in the future as well, so stay tuned!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Thu, 28 Jul 2011 10:30:00 -0700 A Love Song in 88 languages http://germancuriosities.posterous.com/a-lovesong-in-88-languages http://germancuriosities.posterous.com/a-lovesong-in-88-languages

 

    Bodo Wartke, a German cabaret artist, managed to write a love song in 88 languages.

 

    Almost all of his songs are written by himself and usually he performs alone, sitting behind his grand piano. The lyrics are mostly in German although there are a couple of English translations to his German songs to be found and he once performed a song in German together with a French singer. They are full of rhymes and funny punchlines.

A frequent topic of his songs is love, both in humorful and sincere ways, but also satire, singing about political and social issues. In one of his songs, "Monica", he criticizes George W. Bush's presidency and "Die Amerikaner" deals with anti-American clichés. Other topics are everyday situations and the process of musical composing and performing.

 

  Besides being a cabaret artist, he also presents the annually music festival "Songs an einem Sommerabend" (Songs on a Summer's Night). In addition to that, he worked as a composer and musical leader for the play "Unter dem Milchwald", created a German libretto for the operetta "Orpheus in der Unterwelt" and wrote a chant for the 33rd German Evangelical Church Congress.

 

A song I find to be pretty impressive is the so-called "Liebeslied" (love song). He starts off with a German verse, repeating it over and over again in many languages, ranging from various German dialects, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Turkish and Finnish to languages like Hebrew, Mandarin, Arabic, Quechua, Tok Pisin and Esperanto. All in all, 88 languages. Every now and then, he integrates the German chorus.

In the following video of "Liebeslied", he starts off in German, then sings in English and French, after that comes the German chorus, then Italian, Spanish, and Dutch verses (followed by jokes about the Dutch language), German chorus again, then Russian, Serbian, Latin (joke about Latin grammar) and Turkish verses (and a joke about saying I love you in Turkish when getting a "Döner" and receiving a discount for that), followed by German with a Turkish accent and a German ending (lyrics can be found below the video).

 

 

    Lyrics:

Verse (in all kinds of languages), starting off in German:

Ich will's in allen Sprachen für dich singen, auf allen Instrumenten zum Erklingen bringen: Ich liebe dich.

 

English:

I want to sing in every language for you, baby, and play on every instrument to say these words to you. Believe me, it is true: I love you.

 

German chorus:

Wo immer du auch wohnst, ich weiß genau, dass es dich gibt: die Frau in die ich mich und die sich in mich verliebt. Wo immer du auch wohnst, welche Sprache du auch sprichst; wenn wir uns begegnen, dann lern' ich sie für dich.

(Bodo's English version: Whereever you are, somewhere you've got to be: the girl I fall in love with and who'll fall in love with me. And no matter where you are, from the moment that we meet, I'm gonna learn for you, love, the language that you speak.)

 

German lyrics at the end:

Wo immer du auch wohnst... dankeschön... Wo immer du auch wohnst, Baby, für dich würd' ich sofort bis ans Ende dieser Welt fahren und bliebe mit dir dort - ich gebe dir mein Wort.

(Bodo's English version: )

Whereever you are.... thank you. No matter where you are, baby, believe me it is true: I travel any distance around the world for you, around the world for you.

 

 

Here is another one of his songs, "Was ich gerade denke" (What I'm thinking), first a video of the original German version and then a mp3file in its English translation - enjoy.

 

 

 

Bodo_Wartke_-_What_I-m_Thinking_-_live_in_London_2010.mp3 Listen on Posterous

 

 

If you're interested, you can check out the "Liebesliedgenerator" on Bodo Wartke's website (http://www.bodowartke.de/seiten/index.php?nav=17). Click on the yellow-highlighted "dann klick hier" if the pop-up window doesn't pop up. Now you can make your own love song and choose whatever languages you like.

 

 

 

 

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Wed, 27 Jul 2011 07:55:00 -0700 Pancakes for Lunch http://germancuriosities.posterous.com/pancakes-for-lunch http://germancuriosities.posterous.com/pancakes-for-lunch

(http://images.planet-rcs.de/article/p/pfannkuchen/pfannkuchen.jpg)

 

    Every time I tell non-German people we don't have pancakes for breakfast, but eat them for lunch instead, I get odd looks. Yes, every once in a while, the "meat-loving Germans" actually like sweet meals for lunch such as Pfannkuchen (pancakes), Milchreis (hot rice pudding, usually eaten with cinnamon and sugar, but other flavors are possible as well) or Grießbrei (similar to "Cream of Wheat").

 

    There are innumerable recipes for German pancakes and I will give you a very easy one, my mom's.

    For one pan-sized pancake you need 1 egg, 7 teaspoons of flour and a pinch of baking powder. Mix everything in a bowl, preferably using an egg beater, and then add as much milk as you need for the dough to get a nice consistency. After that, put some oil or margarine in a pan and let it melt a little, but don't let it get too hot, especially if you use oil. The pancake should cook on medium heat and you should flip it over once it's not too runny anymore. Be careful though, because flipping over a pancake that size takes some practice. It's done once it looks like the one in the picture above.

    Traditionally it is eaten with sugar on top (at least where I'm from), but you can basically put anything you like on top, be it fruits, Nutella, any kind of marmelade/jam... If you wish to, you can also spice the dough up a little before making the pancake. You can add spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg or even fruits.

    I like my German pancakes best with slices of apples inside. In order to make an apple pancake, you prepare the dough as usual, then take a green, sour apple, peel it and cut it into relatively thin pieces. Once you are done, you put the dough in the pan and add the fruits immediately so that they get attached to the dough and won't fall off once you flip the pancake over.

    There are some regions in Germany where pancakes are eaten salty, for example with bacon, cheese or fresh herbs which is possible, because the dough is prepared neutral, without using any sugar, but that is another story. 

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Tue, 26 Jul 2011 17:46:00 -0700 Schon GEZahlt? http://germancuriosities.posterous.com/62635788 http://germancuriosities.posterous.com/62635788

This is a slogan Germans encounter everywhere: on TV and on the radio, in advertisements - be it in the movie theater, newspaper or throughout the city, in our mailboxes...basically everywhere possible.

    Literally, the slogan means "Already paid?" and refers to the so-called GEZ (which is also included in the slogan - how clever). So what is this famous GEZ about?
  
    GEZ stands for 'Gebühreneinzugszentrale' which is the radio and TV license collecting agency in Germany. It was founded on Jan 1st, 1976 by the two public TV stations (ARD and ZDF) and a public radio station called Deutschlandradio.


    The GEZ works like this: If you have a radio, TV, a DVD Player, GPS and/or any device that you can get internet access with and that enables you to get access to any kind of TV or radio channels - be it a personal computer, laptop, cell phone with internet access, you name it, you have to pay this fee.

    So basically every German has to pay it but a great deal of people don't and this is why there is such a huge amount of advertisements everywhere. There is an exception, however, for people with low incomes who don't have to pay the fee and there are some other exceptions that might be made as well, but many people who could afford to pay it do not understand why they should pay an additional fee if they already pay the cable station and probably most people don't even know the reasons behind the GEZ.

    Let me give you a quick introduction to German TV services. We have public as well as private TV channels. Whereas the latter are funded mostly by commercials -and therefore have a TV program that includes a great deal of commercials-, the public channels are, with more than 80%, mostly funded by the fees that we pay to the GEZ and only by a small percentage of commercials. This 'mixture' of funding allows for an independency from the state and economy. In total, the GEZ does not only help to finance 21 public TV channels, but also 57 radio stations and a diversity of additional services.

   So how much do we have to pay for this radio and TV license fee? This depends on which and how many devices you have. If you own a radio, a 'new device' (that enables you to use the internet or GPS) or both, you have to pay 17,28 € every quarter. If you have any of the following combinations: TV, TV + radio, TV + 'new device', or all three, you are required to pay 53,94€ every quarter. In 2010, they took in 7545,3 million € which is 58,9 million more than the year before.  Obviously numbers of people who pay the radio and TV license fee are going up - even though there are a great deal of complaints about the GEZ and their infinte advertisements.

 

 

Here is a translation for you:

- Here you are.

 

- When I get bread rolls in the morning, I pay for them. I can't expect the others to pay for me as well.

  Or when eating in a restaurant. I won't just walk off without paying.

   ...would be embarrassing.

 

   At home, I have TV and radio. I pay for that. My GEZ fees. Because I need independent media. Because I need variety. Because everybody needs it.

   (On her T-Shirt it says „Of course I'm paying.“)

   And how about you?

 

- Be fair. Get registered. „GEZ. Schon gezahlt?“

 

For more information, check out http://www.gez.de

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