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
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 […]
Across the Fence: The Mattress of One’s Life
My latest experiences call for interrupting the steady flow of Germanisms in American English in this column and for replacing at least today’s attempt at exploring a term with exploring hotels. Specifically, mattresses. And trust me, I’m not trying to sell you a particular brand. I’d just like to share with you on what thoughts […]
Across the Fence: Ansatz
There is another Germanism in the English language that I didn’t know about. It is the term “Ansatz” (pronounce: ‘un-zuts), which means approach. It refers to very different processes, as a matter of fact, but always means that it is the beginning of a bigger picture. Basically, it’s the seed of an idea. The field […]
Across the Fence: Liedermacher
I had no idea that the German term for singer-songwriter has made it into the English language. A liedermacher (pronounce approximately: ‘leader-ma-her) is basically a song maker, thus the literal meaning. The word only came up after WW II, notably introduced by German musician Wolf Biermann. Being of a more conservative family background, I wasn’t […]