Curiosities about Germany http://germancuriosities.posterous.com Most recent posts at Curiosities about Germany posterous.com 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, 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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