Hatrack River Forum: Germanation

This is topic Germanation in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.

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Posted by Eaquae Legit (Member # 3063) on :

Ich bin ein Berliner

Schnupfencreme.

Posted by esl (Member # 3143) on :

Gesundheit!

Wienerschnitzel

Posted by Book (Member # 5500) on :

...Scheisser?

Posted by Eaquae Legit (Member # 3063) on :

Schuch in den po.

Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :

You're a Berliner? Wow, I'm impressed. I couldn't handle floating in 190degreeC/375degreeF oil that it takes to become a citizen of Berlin*.

*Place the last link's address into Babelfish's webpage translator.
Biskinbad: bad = hot bath

[ March 05, 2004, 12:21 PM: Message edited by: aspectre ]

Posted by Brinestone (Member # 5755) on :

Warum ist Deutschland komisch?

[ March 05, 2004, 12:19 PM: Message edited by: Brinestone ]

Posted by Anthro (Member # 6087) on :

Ich bin ein Hessian.

Posted by Brinestone (Member # 5755) on :

Ja, dass weiss ich noch. Ich bin ein Frankfurter. Dass antwortet meine Frage nicht. Warum ist Deutch und Deutschland komisch?

*denkt*

Vielleicht sollte ich nicht, "Ich bin ein Frankfurter" gesagt haben, wenn ich wollte, Deutschland nicht komisch zu beweisen.

Vielleicht sollte ich sagen, "Ich bin eine Frankfurterin."

[Big Grin]

[ March 05, 2004, 06:38 PM: Message edited by: Brinestone ]

Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :

*snort*

Yay! Despite only two semesters of German and no German practice for nearly two years, I could read all that just fine.

Posted by Eaquae Legit (Member # 3063) on :

I actually asked a German about that quote. She said that a "Berliner" is both the resident of the city and the doughnut named after the city. Just like a "Hamburger" would be the meat patty and the resident of Hamburg.

But people like to make fun of the president who said that quote - trying to identify himself with the residents of Berlin - but it's not really as justified as the joke suggests.

I, uh, know very very little German - generally literal translations of catchphrases of the house I lived in with three Germans. The idiomatic part of the phrases don't get translated, and she did it on purpose. "Boot in the bum" is really a funny image if you take all the words at face value.

Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :

Actually, Kennedy's usage changed the language.

Before then, the primary meaning was 'filled doughnut'.
The more distant secondary meaning of 'resident of Berlin' was considered slightly insulting in the manner of 'Frisco' being used for 'SanFrancisco'.

However, the politics of Kennedy using the word to claim solidarity with the WestGermans against Soviet malice popularized the phrase, and legitimized the word.

[ March 10, 2004, 06:37 PM: Message edited by: aspectre ]