Ich spreche Deutsch
...well not really, yet. But I am on lesson 3 in the German Rosetta Stone software.
One thing that's fun in German is inventing really long words by running other ones together. Herzkreislaufwiederbelebung, for example, means C.P.R. or, more literally, "heart-circle-run-again-enlivenment". Think that's a long one? Check out this list.
Another thing that's kind of fun is capitalizing every noun. It's like everything's my friend now. "Hi Bed, it's so nice to see you again." "Alice, isn't Rainbow beautiful this Morning?"
When I was in college, I read that language is very powerful at shaping the way we think. Kids that grow up with one primary language will see and interpret the world a little bit differently than kids who grow up speaking another. This week I've realized that the implications of something as simple as capitalizing all nouns could be far reaching. For example, maybe German-speakers tend to be more eco-friendly because people don't have as special a place among "God's creations" as they do in the minds of native English-speakers. Germans capitalize Cockroach and Rock just as faithfully as they do Sue and Billy. And it could be why pets are more prevalent (and sometimes better cared for) than kids in Switzerland.
One more funny thing about German-speakers... Their words for Mr. and Mrs. are the same as their words for man and woman. So I'm Man Jared Jacobs. Please address me this way from now on. It'll help me with my German.
One thing that's fun in German is inventing really long words by running other ones together. Herzkreislaufwiederbelebung, for example, means C.P.R. or, more literally, "heart-circle-run-again-enlivenment". Think that's a long one? Check out this list.
Another thing that's kind of fun is capitalizing every noun. It's like everything's my friend now. "Hi Bed, it's so nice to see you again." "Alice, isn't Rainbow beautiful this Morning?"
When I was in college, I read that language is very powerful at shaping the way we think. Kids that grow up with one primary language will see and interpret the world a little bit differently than kids who grow up speaking another. This week I've realized that the implications of something as simple as capitalizing all nouns could be far reaching. For example, maybe German-speakers tend to be more eco-friendly because people don't have as special a place among "God's creations" as they do in the minds of native English-speakers. Germans capitalize Cockroach and Rock just as faithfully as they do Sue and Billy. And it could be why pets are more prevalent (and sometimes better cared for) than kids in Switzerland.
One more funny thing about German-speakers... Their words for Mr. and Mrs. are the same as their words for man and woman. So I'm Man Jared Jacobs. Please address me this way from now on. It'll help me with my German.
posted by jared at 10:59 AM
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