“Apply today for the Lakewood Police Citizens Academy” – this article ran this last May 2 in The Suburban Times, and it electrified me. I had known about the program for a while, but hadn’t been ready to apply in the past. I had always wanted to know how law enforcement works – not just […]
Across the Fence
Across the Fence: Dasein
Have you ever used the English Germanism Dasein (pronounce approximately: ‘dah-zine, meaning existence)? I found this one on my incredible list and wonder now, how often I have ever used it in German … It sounds so very philosophical – and actually, it is. Before I venture into anything that relates to philosophers, I want […]
Across the Fence: Quellenforschung
I never even knew the Germanism Quellenforschung (pronounce: ‘kvellen-for-shoong, i.e. source research), meaning basic research, exists in the English language. To be honest, basic research sounds almost like a wrong translation because Quellenforschung is anything BUT basic. It is fundamental and profound. It is a term from literary studies and is all about “the study […]
Across the Fence: Mitteleuropa
Today’s Germanism in the English language is one widely open for interpretation, although it might not seem so at first sight. The term Mitteleuropa (pronounce: ‘mittle-oy-‘ro-pah, meaning Central Europe) can be used politically, physiographically, or cultural-historically. And as, over the millennia, there has been a lot of migration and wars, its references have kept shifting […]
Across the Fence: Hamburger
The Germanism in the English language I chose for today is Hamburger. You may not be aware of it, but the pronunciation in German is slightly different: ‘hum-boor-gah. (Funny enough, Germans order cheeseburgers and Whoppers or whatever else names the concoctions have in the native English way of pronunciation.) I don’t even want to go […]
Across the Fence: Wunderbar
Even though you might not use the Germanism in the English language that I chose to discuss today, you will probably immediately understand its meaning. Wunderbar (pronounce: ‘voondah-bar), just like the German term wundervoll (pronounce: ‘voondah-foll), is translated as wonderful. There is no big surprise in the similarity of the words in German and in […]
Across the Fence: Sehnsucht
The Germanism in the English language I chose for today’s is a term used in everyday-life but also in psychology. Sehnsucht (pronounce approximately: ‘zayne-zooh-t) describes a state of yearning for something. It doesn’t sound really happy, does it? Well, it isn’t, because it is kind of a hopeless yearning for something, somebody, some place, or […]
Across the Fence: Realpolitik
Oh my, a loaded term in politically loaded times! This was my first thought when I came across this Germanism in the English language, the other day. Realpolitik (pronounce: ray-‘ul-poli-’tic, meaning realistic politics) was a word I can’t even remember having been discussed in my politics classes in grades 12 and 13 at my German […]
Across the Fence: Anwesenheit
Today’s Germanism in the English language is the term Anwesenheit (pronounce ‘un-vah-zen-hite, meaning presence). I was thrilled to come up with some ideas, but even more surprised when I realized that the only field in which the Germanism is used over here is psychology! Here is a definition by Wikipedia: “Anwesenheit refers to the false […]