Posted on 03/25/2018 6:02:01 AM PDT by SandRat
Save
The German language has a few fairly unique features, both in writing as well as the spoken form.
For one, there’s the dieresis, which turn the vowels a, o, and u into ä, ö and ü. These two simple dots over the vowel indicate a phonetic shift, and /a/ becomes /ɛː/, /o/ becomes /œ/ and /øː/, and /ʊ/ and /uː/ turn into /y/. Another distinctive and unique feature is the letter ß, “sharp S” as it is usually referred to. It’s pronounced /s/ and traditionally follows long vowels or diphthongs while “ss” would follow a short vowel.
For example, it is “Kuss” (“kiss”) with ss following the short /ʊ/, but it is “Fuß” (“foot”) to indicate the long /uː/ sound.
Additionally, there are words that have several and often completely different meanings.
Some of those words, such as “Schlange” (“snake” or “queue/line”) have to be understood in the context of the sentence, which can be simple or rather tricky.
For example, “Auf der Straße lag eine Schlange,” (“There was a snake on the street”) may be easy to figure out, just like “An der Kasse war eine Schlange” (“There was a line at the cash register”).
However, “Vor dem Eingang der Bank ist eine Schlange” could mean that there is either a line or a snake at the entrance to the bank, and it may be wise to ask for clarification.
Other expressions, especially verbs, change their meaning based on how they are pronounced or which syllable is stressed. For example, “unterstellen” /ʊntɐʃtɛlən/ means “to store” or “to take shelter” when it is stressed on the prefix “unter,” but if the lexical stress is on the word stem “stell,” the meaning of “unterstellen” is “to insinuate.”
Traditionally, there are three phonetic intricacies in the German language that present challenges to non-native speakers: lexical stress placement, the rolling /r/ sounds, and the voiceless fricatives /ç/ and /x/. “Ch” is pronounced /ç/ in words such as “ich” /ɪç/ (“I”), and “herzlich” /hɛʁtslɪç/ (“cordial/affectionate/hearty”), and it’s pronounced /x/ in words like “flach” /flax/ (“flat”), “Sachen” /zaxən/ (“things”), or “wach” /vax/ (“awake”).
And as if that wasn’t complicated enough, “ch” can also be pronounced /k/ in words like “wachsen” /vaksən/ (“to grow”, “to wax-polish”).
The “rolling r” sound presents a challenge to many non-native speakers, but especially so to Americans, because the /r/ doesn’t natively exist in American phones. For example, “reden” (“to speak/talk”) is pronounced /ʁeːdən/, but native English speakers tend to turn it into /reɪdən/.
Errors in any of these three areas can lead to reduced understanding in a native listener.
A study found that especially errors in stress patterns can influence the listener to the point of him/her being unable to recognize the word or make sense of the sentence.
As a native German speaker married to a non-native speaker who reads books in German but doesn’t get much practice speaking, my personal experience confirms this. Stress pattern is crucial to comprehensibility.
My husband, while reading a children’s book in German, once asked me what “Achaten” means. He pronounced it /´axatən/ with the lexical stress on the first syllable. I had no clue what he meant until I tried to picture a written equivalent to what I had heard. It was the German word for agate, a mineral stone. The nominative word form is Achat, pronounced /ax´aːt/ with the lexical stress on the last syllable.
The fact that in his sentence the word was presented in the genitive word form only added to my confusion, and when he stressed it incorrectly, I couldn’t recognize what he meant.
For most people studying the language, the correct placement of the lexical stress is a matter of memorizing, but it may prove especially challenging when it comes to words that are almost identical to their English equivalent, yet the stress placement is different.
A prime example for this is “Musik,” the German word for music. It’s pronounced /muː´ziːk/ with the stress on the last syllable, whereas in the English “music,” the stress falls on the first syllable.
Other errors may cause some confusion, but in most cases context makes things clear. For example, the “Kirsche” /kɪʁʃə/ and “Kirche” /kɪʁçə/ look almost identical, but they mean “cherry” and “church,” respectively.
Getting the /ʃ/ and /ç/ sounds mixed up usually results in chuckles all around and happens to many people, native speakers included. Children are especially prone to this, and our 7- and 3-year-olds are living proof that you can point at a “Nachttisch” (night stand) and call it a “Nachtisch” (dessert) while being dead serious about it.
No, objective case is used for objects of a preposition, direct objects, and receivers of action. It is the difference between “I” and “me.” Or “who” and “whom.”
“until I was caught talking to a pretty German wife at a party when her husband came up and heard us”
I worked for Siemens for nearly 20 years and spend 2 of those years in Germany, so I know how this works. When he heard you taking to his wife, the first thing to cross his mind was what he might have said that he thought you would not understand. :-)
Ah yes, the Polish language, where you get two verbs for the price of one.
I know Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.
Learn THE “FATHERS PRAYER” IN GERMAN.
LOL.
And I believe German is the most common ethnic heritage in America. ..................... I would be Danish, if the Germans left occupied Denmark.(The land of the black and white cows)
Our national language almost became German 250+yrs or so, ago. I seem to recall that even Hitler had to admit that the best Germans went to America. LOL, our German Generals didn’t do so bad, and there were quite a few. Not counting that Swiss fellow Ike. If FDR had locked up all the Germans, he would not have had enough of an Army to do anything.
You are, in essence, saying that it is your word for the Accusative Case.
Regards,
Schweizerdeutsch ist wie ein halskrank.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.