Germany's word of the year comes from U.S. defense secretary

AP ^ | Dec 19, 2003

[witnesstothefall]

BERLIN -- U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's description of Germany and France as 'the old Europe' is Germany's word of the year, the word or phrase that best defines what was on people's minds in 2003, the German Language Society announced Friday.

Rumsfeld coined the description of the two traditional powers in January as he contrasted their reluctance to back a war in Iraq with support from newer NATO allies in eastern Europe. The German translation of that phrase, "das alte Europa," was chosen from a list of hundreds by a jury at the language society.

"Rumsfeld meant it as a negative about the countries that didn't want to engage in the war, but today it is kind of a positive word in Germany and other countries of the 'old Europe' - they are proud they didn't take part in the war," said Anja Steinhauer, a researcher at the organization, which promotes the German language.

The phrase won out over other originally English words or phrases such as "SARS," "embedded journalist," and "to Google" - in addition to such German tongue-twisters as "Steuerbeguenstigungsabbaugesetz," or "tax break reduction law."

[witnesstothefall]

Rumsfeld so thoroughly intimidated the Germans and the French they've been overcompensating ever since.

Sehr frohlich.

lol

[dirtboy]

Germany's word of the year comes from U.S. defense secretary

Huh? "The old Europe" is three words, last I checked. Must be some kind of Teutonic new math going on over there.

[danneskjold]

"shock and awe"...

[antiRepublicrat]

Hmmmm, you'd think their word of the year would be "Arbeitslos."

[Right Wing Professor]

I'm curious why it isn't 'die Europa'. Any of our resident Deutschlanders care to comment?

[dirtboy]

I always thought "Axis of Weasels" had a nice ring to it, but maybe it doesn't translate well into German.

[Malesherbes]

Europa is "das Europa," like "das Asien."

[Right Wing Professor]

Die Achse der Wiesel, I think. It translates beautifully. There must be another reason they didn't like it.

[D Rider]

I prefer die Europa, as in RIP.

[Yardstick]

"Rumsfeld meant it as a negative about the countries that didn't want to engage in the war, but today it is kind of a positive word in Germany and other countries of the 'old Europe'..."

Oh, I see. So now they like "old Europe" -- they've come to "own" the word, if you will -- thereby taking away its power to insult them and denying us the pleasure of seeing them be insulted by it.

[playball0]

Steuerbeguenstigungsabbaugesetz? No wonder Germany has such a hard time reducing taxes. They can't even pronounce it.

[dirtboy]

The Germans have this strange habit of banging adjectives together against the noun, kinda like a pile-up on the verbal autobahn...

[danneskjold]

Oh, I see. So now they like "old Europe" -- they've come to "own" the word, if you will -- thereby taking away its power to insult them and denying us the pleasure of seeing them be insulted by it.

But only they can use the word, since anyone that isn't "old Europe" is incapable of understanding what it is to be "old Europe"...

[BushMeister]

"Lebensraum" came in 2nd.

[Catalonia]

I wonder if the term euroweenie was on the list. I'd say that one more accurately describes Old Europe.

[RightWhale]

"The old Europe" is three words

Germans might mash the words together into Alteuropa or hyphenate as das-Altes-Europaisches . . .. Or they might not.

[dirtboy]

From the article:

The German translation of that phrase, "das alte Europa,"

[Liberty Valance]

Schaedenfraude

[Yossarian]

Die Achse der Wiesel, I think. It translates beautifully.

[RightWhale]

Maybe word means something different than word in Germany. Maybe all the logical thinkers left Germany in the 30s. H-, I don't know.