Today’s Germanism in the English language is quite a philosophical one. But don’t be daunted – I’ll try to deal with it as I’m tearing the term apart. Umwelt (pronounce: ‘oomm-valt, meaning the world around) is a word that has become a big political, ecological, and economical topic. Interesting enough, its roots are in the […]
Across the Fence
Across the Fence: Darmstadtium
Admittedly, chemistry has never been my forte, though in ninth grade I started out quite passionate and strong about it. Nothing prepared me for a chemical element of the name of Darmstadtium (pronounce: darm’shtutty-oom), but I would have recognized immediately that this Germanism was to be found on the periodical table. Why? Because Darmstadt is […]
Across the Fence: Schwedenschanze
Today’s Germanism in the English language is quite baffling to me: Schwedenschanze (pronounce: ‘shvay-den-shun-tsah, meaning Swedish entrenchment). Even historically, not every bulwark that is called a Schwedenschanze was even built by the Swedish. And as those structures that can be traced back to the Swedish, are all in Central Europe, and the British were pretty […]
Across the Fence: Ansatz
Todays’ Germanism in the English language is a rather philosophical, but also a very hands-on one when it comes just to the German language: Ansatz (prounounce: ‘un-zuts, meaning beginning, approach). Scientists of any field will have dealt with this from the very start of their profession. If a bigger problem is to be solved, you […]
Across the Fence: Schuss
Never did I know that the German word Schuss (pronounce: shoos with a very short oo, meaning shot) made it into the English language. Well, I was only just born when the mascot Schuss of the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France, made its one-season appearance. As there is a copyright on the image, I […]
Across the Fence: Sauerkraut
One German food item has made it into each and every American supermarket, and it has kept its German name as well as its German spelling: Sauerkraut. Although Germans pronounce it with a “z”, and their “r” sounds different as well. As a matter of fact, though, it’s very questionable whether Sauerkraut originated in Germany […]
Across the Fence: Katzenjammer
It’s quite astonishing what kind of Germanisms have made it into the English language – and what change of meaning they sometimes undergo in the process. Today’s term I want to dissect is Katzenjammer (pronounce: ‘cut-sen-yum-muh, i.e. cats wailing or cat lament). Now, if you have some awful sounds in mind, that pretty much nails […]
Across the Fence: Verstehen
Today, I have chosen a Germanism in the English Language that touches on psychology as well as sociology. It is called Verstehen (pronounce: fair-shtay-enn, meaning understanding). Very obviously, it goes beyond the mere hearing of what somebody else is saying. It is not a physical event but a motivated psychological one. Now, what does that […]
Across the Fence: Heiligenschein
Do you remember when you were drawing pictures as a kid? Maybe you drew nativity scenes around Christmas, too? I had no idea that Mary was always drawn with a blue coat in the canon of art history. Of course, Joseph had a beard. And though both parents were dark-haired, my Jesus, although a new-born, […]