Posted on 08/01/2004 2:59:44 PM PDT by aculeus
The search for the most beautiful word in the German language is almost over.
Entries for a competition to unearth the most stunning example - organised by the German language council - have been flooding in.
More than 20,000 words, ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous, have been sent in by email and letter.
German, for example, has a word to describe that niggling melody you just cannot get out of your head -"Ohrwurm", literally "earworm".
"Eisenbahnknoten" is a "knot of rail-lines" or, in other words, a railway junction.
Dictionary dilemma
And "Kulturbeutel" - literally (body) care bag - is the toilet bag used to take toothbrush and shampoo.
The Deutscher Sprachrat institution is offering a two-week holiday in Mauritius as first prize.
The entries are being judged by a panel that includes authors, musicians and film-makers, and Volker Finke - described as Germany's most eloquent football manager.
The competition comes at an interesting time for German scholars, with renewed controversy about changes to spelling rules introduced a few years ago, says the BBC's Ray Furlong.
These are widely detested and ignored by the leading newspapers.
So will it be a simple word like "Liebe" - love, or the more involved "Geheimratsecken," which means receding hairline?
Sunday is the deadline for submissions, with the jury is expected to make its decision by October.
Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2004/08/01 15:21:37 GMT
© BBC MMIV
The German word for virgin. "Guhdenteit"!
Reinheitsgebot: "purity law." It's what makes German beer so good.
I see you beat me to it.
I think you were the first to mention this word, which may indeed be the best.
Sammenaustossendesgassenschlampe.
ausfart-no doubt
LMAO........pet name fer yer new girl friday ?
FReep me an E-mail addy and I'll show ya how that may backfire on ya .......:o)
Stay safe !
Bieberstuned.
Dienstleistungsimportueberschuss.
kriecherisch
Verboten!
"Den Rasen ist nicht zu Betreten!"
lol
Ah well, guten Abend, Herr Patton!
Guten Abend - Ich werde hier die ganze Woche sein!
It's hard to translate. No english equivalent. Good word.
Fahrvergnügen :)
Rubber-Dolls
no, gummybears are "Gummibären".
"Haribo macht Kinder Froh,
und Erwachsene ebenso." (Ad for Gummi-bears) :)
I have always been partial to;
KOLIBRI .. which means hummingbird
BELIEBTE .. beloved is also kinda nice
ABENDSTERN .. evening star
NEBENLICHT .. that glow around the edges of the eath at dawn
Wasserraum
First word I learned in high school German 30 odd years ago.
Extremely useful when combined with "Wer is das" and in close approximation to "bier".
But my Polish side loves "Hande Hoch!"
Sorry to all my German friends - couldn't resist...{grin}
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