The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.
(German: Die Grenzen meiner Sprache sind die Grenzen meiner Welt)
– Ludwig Wittgenstein –
Dec 30, 2012
Happy New Year Greeting in German
Before the new year begins, Germans greet either with:
Einen guten Beschluss! (a good closure) or
Einen guten Rutsch! (a good slide).
Only when the new year has actually begun, you will hear Ein gutes neues Jahr! (A happy New Year).
To either of these greetings, if you happen to be in Germany, you can reply with several general versions of “The same to you!” by saying:
Ebenso! or Gleichfalls! or Ebenfalls!
or more directly addressing the person:
Ihnen auch! (you too; the polite version) or
Dir auch! (you too; the familiar version)
Clover and pigs (as well as chimney sweeps) are among the many good luck charms we give away before New Year’s Day. Starting 2 January, these items usually go half-priced.
So tomorrow, Monday, 31 December, is your last chance to buy presents. Keep in mind that stores close by early afternoon.
Oct 7, 2012
Quote of the Day
Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.
– Mark Twain –
Pond in the Taunus Mountains
Apr 29, 2012
Miss Pimple and her Beauty Parlor
Yesterday evening, we passed this store sign in a small village. Had me chuckle a bit, since the shop owner’s name seems to be in close relationship to her business.
As an instructor of German, I’d like to share these two words with you.
The family name Pickel means pimple in English and she runs a Kosmetik Institut (beauty parlor).
Miss Pimple, I’d like a facial, please.
Mar 20, 2012
The Evolution of European English
This has been circulating the net for quite a few years. I have just received it once again via e-mail, and in case you have missed it, here it is:
The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility.
As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5- year phase-in plan that would become known as “Euro-English”.
In the first year, “s” will replace the soft “c”.. Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard “c” will be dropped in favour of “k”. This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter.
There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome “ph” will be replaced with “f”.. This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter.
In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible.
Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling.
Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent “e” in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away.
By the 4th yer peopl wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing “th” with “z” and “w” with “v”.
During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary “o” kan be dropd from vords kontaining “ou” and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensi bl riten styl.
Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi TU understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru.
Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze forst plas.
If zis mad you smil, pleas pas on to oza pepl.
