Die Verhältnisse der Figuren zueinander und der Figuren zum Raum sind nicht immer eindeutig - eine revolutionär neue Formsprache. link
Mit stilisierten Tieren fand der Künstler zu einer ähnlichen Formsprache wie Mataré im Rheinland. link
Weder Parolen noch Formsprache des Jugendstils haben seinem oeuvre sich eingeprägt. link
Die Architektur ist abgeleitet von der typischen Formsprache des TT, der Vermischung von kurvigen Formen mit scharfkantigen Winkeln link
related concepts: Farbsprache (colour), Bildsprache (imagery)
Possible translations:
design, style, composition, arrangement, compositional style/form
e.g.:
The designers had the task of combining typical Audi design characteristics, of elegance through simple but strong lines, ... link
Leaded and hand painted in the typical Art Nouveau style of swirling flowing lines. link
Monday 31 December 2007
Friday 9 November 2007
Some Useful Phrases
Useful Phrases for English Speakers in Germany, courtesy of Leo.
Repeat after me:
My threadbare overcoat was an embarrassment.
The coat will have to do for one more winter.
Whales cavorting in the river
fishy-back traffic
They invited friend and foe.
They agree like cats and dogs.
She is as good a warrior as you are
Paper doesn't blush.
She doesn't know her meters and bounds.
She believes that her house and telephone have been bugged.
With tender and loving care she follows him.
with rejoicings and embraces
We virtuously went to bed at ten.
He spoke about indifferent topics.
Cads' fighting when ended is soon mended
relation among traditionally linked fellow countrymen
Repeat after me:
My threadbare overcoat was an embarrassment.
The coat will have to do for one more winter.
Whales cavorting in the river
fishy-back traffic
They invited friend and foe.
They agree like cats and dogs.
She is as good a warrior as you are
Paper doesn't blush.
She doesn't know her meters and bounds.
She believes that her house and telephone have been bugged.
With tender and loving care she follows him.
with rejoicings and embraces
We virtuously went to bed at ten.
He spoke about indifferent topics.
Cads' fighting when ended is soon mended
relation among traditionally linked fellow countrymen
Monday 5 November 2007
UK accents and dialects
This site is really excellent:
Do you call a ‘bread roll’ a cob, batch, bread cake, barm cake or scuffler? How do you pronounce the words cup and plant? And are you sitting or sat at this computer? ... This site captures and celebrates the diversity of spoken English in the second half of the twentieth century.
... You can listen to 71 sound recordings and over 600 short audio clips chosen from two collections of the British Library Sound Archive: the Survey of English Dialects and the Millennium Memory Bank.
Friday 26 October 2007
Books about language
The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature
by Steven Pinker
499pp, Allen Lane
Guardian review
Times review
ITunes (unabridged) € 25.95
amazon.de €19.89
amazon.co.uk GBP 15.00 (reduced from GBP 25.00) - amazon video
Language Myths
by Laurie Bauer (Editor), Peter Trudgill (Editor), G.B. Trudeau (Illustrator)
amazon.uk GBP 6.49 (4 reviews, 4 stars)
amazon.de €9.99 (2 reviews, 3 1/2 stars)
In this book Laurie Bauer and Peter Trudgill have invited nineteen respected linguists from all over the world to address these "language myths"--showing that they vary from the misconceived to the downright wrong. more at penguin
by Steven Pinker
499pp, Allen Lane
Guardian review
Times review
ITunes (unabridged) € 25.95
amazon.de €19.89
amazon.co.uk GBP 15.00 (reduced from GBP 25.00) - amazon video
Language Myths
by Laurie Bauer (Editor), Peter Trudgill (Editor), G.B. Trudeau (Illustrator)
amazon.uk GBP 6.49 (4 reviews, 4 stars)
amazon.de €9.99 (2 reviews, 3 1/2 stars)
In this book Laurie Bauer and Peter Trudgill have invited nineteen respected linguists from all over the world to address these "language myths"--showing that they vary from the misconceived to the downright wrong. more at penguin
Kreis, Landkreis, kreisfreie Stadt, Stadtkreis
German definitions: 
source: Wikipedia
NB: I believe that specifically trying to match the translation to a phrase used in Britain* could be difficult or even misleading, as the two systems are obviously very different.
Some major differences are described here by the House of Commons:
"Devolution is the process of devolving power from the centre to sub-national units. It is different from a federal system of government, since under the doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty devolution is in theory reversible and the devolved institutions are constitutionally subordinate to the UK Parliament. The legislative framework for devolution is set out in the Scotland Act 1998, the Government of Wales Act 1998 and the Northern Ireland Act 1998. ... The UK system of devolution is asymmetric, in that there are different levels of devolved responsibilities and there is no common pattern. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all have different forms of devolution. "
* I use the example of Britain as I'm British and use British English, no other reason.
- Kreis 6. (bes. den Gemeinden unmittelbar übergeordneter) Verwaltungsbezirk: die Gemeinden des -es; der Ort gehört zum K. Malzstadt, © 2000 Dudenverlag
- Landkreis, der: mehrere, meist kleinere Gemeinden umfassender Bezirk der unteren staatlichen Verwaltungsbehörde. © 2000 Dudenverlag
- kreisfrei
(Amtsspr.): keinem Landkreis angehörend, sondern einen eigenen Stadtkreis bildend: -e Städte. © 2000 Dudenverlag - Stadtkreis, der: staatlicher Verwaltungsbezirk, der nur aus einer einzelnen, keinem Landkreis eingegliederten Stadt besteht. © 2000 Dudenverlag
Dictionary translations:
Kreis
- c) (= Stadtkreis, Landkreis) district; (= Gemeindewahlkreis) ward; (= Landeswahlkreis) constituency; Kreis Leipzig Leipzig District, the District of Leipzig Collins e-GWB
- 4. (Gebietskörperschaft) district, county (US) Hamblock/Wessels Großwörterbuch Wirtschaftsenglisch
- 3. (Bezirk) district Langenscheidt Muret-Sanders Großwörterbuch DE-EN
- (unterer Verwaltungsbezirk) county; administrative district Dietl/Lorenz Wörterbuch für Recht, Wirtschaft und Politik
Landkreis
- rural district Langenscheidt Muret-Sanders Großwörterbuch DE-EN
- administrative district Collins e-GWB
- rural district Dietl/Lorenz Wörterbuch für Recht, Wirtschaft und Politik
kreisfrei
- (Stadt) autonomous Hamblock/Wessels Großwörterbuch Wirtschaftsenglisch
- Adj. Amtssprache, Stadt: administered as an independent district Langenscheidt Muret-Sanders Großwörterbuch DE-EN
- kreisfreie Stadt town which is an administrative district in its own right Collins e-GWB
- kreisfreie Stadt town which does not belong to a Landkreis Dietl/Lorenz Wörterbuch für Recht, Wirtschaft und Politik
Stadtkreis
- urban district; (~ Freiburg) administrative district of Freiburg Langenscheidt Muret-Sanders Großwörterbuch DE-EN
- a town / city borough Collins e-GWB
- urban district Dietl/Lorenz Wörterbuch für Recht, Wirtschaft und Politik
Diagram:
source: WikipediaNB: I believe that specifically trying to match the translation to a phrase used in Britain* could be difficult or even misleading, as the two systems are obviously very different.
Some major differences are described here by the House of Commons:
"Devolution is the process of devolving power from the centre to sub-national units. It is different from a federal system of government, since under the doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty devolution is in theory reversible and the devolved institutions are constitutionally subordinate to the UK Parliament. The legislative framework for devolution is set out in the Scotland Act 1998, the Government of Wales Act 1998 and the Northern Ireland Act 1998. ... The UK system of devolution is asymmetric, in that there are different levels of devolved responsibilities and there is no common pattern. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all have different forms of devolution. "
* I use the example of Britain as I'm British and use British English, no other reason.
Wednesday 24 October 2007
Vorab per Fax
Leo: see per fax in advance - vorab per Fax
By fax, original to follow (or similar)
This doesn't seem to be used in Britain as much as in Germany, but here are some letters by English speakers:
By fax - original in post (Foster's, Australia)
BY FAX - ORIGINAL IN POST (Australia)
DELIVERED BY FAX - ORIGINAL TO FOLLOW (Canada)
Sent by Fax - Original in Mail (Canada)
Sent by fax and post (UK)
Sent by Fax (020 7527 3057) & Post (UK)
By fax . 020 7217 4882 (UK)
By Fax: 020 7282 2042 (UK)
By Post, by Fax and E-mail (UK)
By fax : 020 87S2 5080 (UK)
By fax, original to follow (or similar)
This doesn't seem to be used in Britain as much as in Germany, but here are some letters by English speakers:
By fax - original in post (Foster's, Australia)
BY FAX - ORIGINAL IN POST (Australia)
DELIVERED BY FAX - ORIGINAL TO FOLLOW (Canada)
Sent by Fax - Original in Mail (Canada)
Sent by fax and post (UK)
Sent by Fax (020 7527 3057) & Post (UK)
By fax . 020 7217 4882 (UK)
By Fax: 020 7282 2042 (UK)
By Post, by Fax and E-mail (UK)
By fax : 020 87S2 5080 (UK)
Wednesday 3 October 2007
Books about Britain/Germany
Don't Mention the War: The British and the Germans since 1890
by John Ramsden, May 2006
448pp
Guardian reviews: James Hawes (+), Tim Gardam (-)
John Ramsden's book traces an extraordinary relationship that was central to Europe's 20th century. In 1890, "an Anglo-German war seemed utterly fantastic" - but in 2001, beating Germany 5-1 could turn "perfectly sane people all over England" mad with joy.
Amazon.co.uk paperback GBP 7.69 (hardback: 4 reviews, 31/2 stars)
Amazon.de paperback EUR 13.95 (hardback: 2 reviews, 4 stars)
The back cover reads:
"A century of opprobrium, mistrust and football-terrace rivalry - but it wasn't ever thus. A richly detailed and timely study of Europe's most enduring standoff, Don't Mention the War asks: what is England's problem with the Germans?"
If you want to know the answer, I'm afraid this book doesn' t tell you. John Ramsden avoids giving his opinion overtly, making his point only by his selection and juxtaposition of the facts he has collected. In the introduction, he calls his book "unapologetically empirical, and observational". I guess this is the reason there is no deeper discussion of causes or reasons for the behaviour of British people as described here. Ramsden limits his personal thoughts to the odd aside, quietly added scheinheilig at the end of a sentence, in brackets. (Apparently, he is not too keen on the Guardian's editorial style.) After a description of the famous Fawlty Towers scene, for example, he says John Cleese wanted it "to educate his audience by showing bigotry's ugly face", adding at the end of the paragraph: "It is less clear that British viewers over three decades got that same point". I found this kind of comment a touch irritating. First, claim not to be making a point, then when you do, do it quietly in a single sentence, apparently in the hope no-one will notice, and not backed up by any argument or explanation.
The last lines of the book convey a similarly negative impression of British character: "In 1965 Private Eye's cartoonist Hector Breeze drew a British housewife, comfortably knitting as her husband enters the room dressed as Hitler and giving the Nazi salute. So little has changed that the cartoon is as apposite now as it was forty years ago." It's left up to the reader, as usual, to decide what to make of this.
Dominic Sandbrook of the Daily Telegraph is quoted on the back cover as calling the book "A lucid, funny history of our attitudes to the Germans since the Victorian age". I must say I found it more depressing than funny, describing as it does all the horrible things the British have ever said, written or recorded about the Germans. There are not many light-hearted moments, the only real relief being the story of Bert Trautmann's time at Manchester City. Oddly enough, this football section is the one which makes the British seem the most human.
In the introduction, Ramsden also says that "To cover the German side of the story comprehensively is meat for a different historian", although he will describe German reactions to British opinion. This is understandable, considering that the book is already a long one, but also disappointing, as it makes the Germans into victims, doing nothing but react to British taunts. It would have been interesting to have had more comparison, and backed up my impression that the point Ramsden wants to make is how silly the English are.
A final quibble, but it annoyed me all the way through the book: Ramsden chooses not to put any commas around "though", meaning that I constantly misread it as "thought" or "through", and had to read one sentence in particular three times before I got the point.
This is certainly an interesting book: I enjoyed the sections on Bert Trautmann and Hardy Kruger in particular, having heard them mentioned so many times but being too young to have much idea of who they were. The writing is lively and easy to read, despite what is sometimes potentially dry material. Still, I did not find it an entirely enjoyable book to read, partly because of the depressing (unspoken) conclusion, and partly because of what was not in it. Definitely worth reading, though.
Five Germanys I Have Known / Fünf Deutschland und ein Leben (translation)
by Fritz Stern, 2006
amazon.co.uk GBP 7.12 (paperback), 1 review, 4 stars
amazon.de EUR 11.45 (paperback), 1 review, 4 stars
amazon.de (German hardback, translated from English) EUR 29,90, 2 reviews, 4.5 stars
Short Observer review (David Hare's book of the year 2007)
Arte review of the German translation
Tagesspiegel review of German translation
In this fascinating memoir, Stern looks back over the "five Germanys" his generation has seen—the Weimar Republic, Nazi tyranny, the post-1945 Federal Republic, the Soviet-controlled German Democratic Republic and, lastly, the reunited Germany of the present.
Fritz Sterns Erinnerungen sind weise, entschieden im Urteil, subtil. Sie sind vor allem das Werk eines leidenschaftlichen Bürgers und Demokraten. Fünf Deutschland und ein Leben legt grandios Zeugnis ab von der Überzeugung, daß die Geschichte uns eine Lehrmeisterin sein kann für ein moralisches Leben als Bürger und als Mensch. Die "deutsche Frage" wirft ihren Schatten auf die moderne Welt: Wie war es möglich, daß eine so zivilisierte Nation für das schrecklichste Verbrechen des 20. Jahrhunderts verantwortlich wurde? In diesem Buch, einer einzigartigen Verbindung aus Erinnerung und Geschichtsschreibung, betrachtet der große Historiker und Friedenspreisträger Fritz Stern die Frage durch das Prisma seines eigenen Lebens. Er verwebt historische Meistererzählung, scharfsinnige Analysen und dramatische Episoden seiner Lebensgeschichte zu einem unvergeßlichen Portrait jener fünf Deutschland, die er selbst miterlebt hat: Weimar, das "Dritte Reich", Bundesrepublik und DDR, das vereinigte Deutschland nach 1989. Seine Freundschaften mit deutschen Intellektuellen und Politikern haben ihm besonders tiefe Einblicke in die Grundlegung der liberalen Demokratie eröffnet. Doch Stern zeigt auch, daß die unruhige deutsche Geschichte politische Lektionen für die Bürger überall bereithält - vor allem für solche, die der Gefahr der Tyrannei entgegentreten wollen.
by John Ramsden, May 2006
448pp
Guardian reviews: James Hawes (+), Tim Gardam (-)
John Ramsden's book traces an extraordinary relationship that was central to Europe's 20th century. In 1890, "an Anglo-German war seemed utterly fantastic" - but in 2001, beating Germany 5-1 could turn "perfectly sane people all over England" mad with joy.
Amazon.co.uk paperback GBP 7.69 (hardback: 4 reviews, 31/2 stars)
Amazon.de paperback EUR 13.95 (hardback: 2 reviews, 4 stars)
The back cover reads:
"A century of opprobrium, mistrust and football-terrace rivalry - but it wasn't ever thus. A richly detailed and timely study of Europe's most enduring standoff, Don't Mention the War asks: what is England's problem with the Germans?"
If you want to know the answer, I'm afraid this book doesn' t tell you. John Ramsden avoids giving his opinion overtly, making his point only by his selection and juxtaposition of the facts he has collected. In the introduction, he calls his book "unapologetically empirical, and observational". I guess this is the reason there is no deeper discussion of causes or reasons for the behaviour of British people as described here. Ramsden limits his personal thoughts to the odd aside, quietly added scheinheilig at the end of a sentence, in brackets. (Apparently, he is not too keen on the Guardian's editorial style.) After a description of the famous Fawlty Towers scene, for example, he says John Cleese wanted it "to educate his audience by showing bigotry's ugly face", adding at the end of the paragraph: "It is less clear that British viewers over three decades got that same point". I found this kind of comment a touch irritating. First, claim not to be making a point, then when you do, do it quietly in a single sentence, apparently in the hope no-one will notice, and not backed up by any argument or explanation.
The last lines of the book convey a similarly negative impression of British character: "In 1965 Private Eye's cartoonist Hector Breeze drew a British housewife, comfortably knitting as her husband enters the room dressed as Hitler and giving the Nazi salute. So little has changed that the cartoon is as apposite now as it was forty years ago." It's left up to the reader, as usual, to decide what to make of this.
Dominic Sandbrook of the Daily Telegraph is quoted on the back cover as calling the book "A lucid, funny history of our attitudes to the Germans since the Victorian age". I must say I found it more depressing than funny, describing as it does all the horrible things the British have ever said, written or recorded about the Germans. There are not many light-hearted moments, the only real relief being the story of Bert Trautmann's time at Manchester City. Oddly enough, this football section is the one which makes the British seem the most human.
In the introduction, Ramsden also says that "To cover the German side of the story comprehensively is meat for a different historian", although he will describe German reactions to British opinion. This is understandable, considering that the book is already a long one, but also disappointing, as it makes the Germans into victims, doing nothing but react to British taunts. It would have been interesting to have had more comparison, and backed up my impression that the point Ramsden wants to make is how silly the English are.
A final quibble, but it annoyed me all the way through the book: Ramsden chooses not to put any commas around "though", meaning that I constantly misread it as "thought" or "through", and had to read one sentence in particular three times before I got the point.
This is certainly an interesting book: I enjoyed the sections on Bert Trautmann and Hardy Kruger in particular, having heard them mentioned so many times but being too young to have much idea of who they were. The writing is lively and easy to read, despite what is sometimes potentially dry material. Still, I did not find it an entirely enjoyable book to read, partly because of the depressing (unspoken) conclusion, and partly because of what was not in it. Definitely worth reading, though.
Five Germanys I Have Known / Fünf Deutschland und ein Leben (translation)
by Fritz Stern, 2006
amazon.co.uk GBP 7.12 (paperback), 1 review, 4 stars
amazon.de EUR 11.45 (paperback), 1 review, 4 stars
amazon.de (German hardback, translated from English) EUR 29,90, 2 reviews, 4.5 stars
Short Observer review (David Hare's book of the year 2007)
Arte review of the German translation
Tagesspiegel review of German translation
In this fascinating memoir, Stern looks back over the "five Germanys" his generation has seen—the Weimar Republic, Nazi tyranny, the post-1945 Federal Republic, the Soviet-controlled German Democratic Republic and, lastly, the reunited Germany of the present.
Fritz Sterns Erinnerungen sind weise, entschieden im Urteil, subtil. Sie sind vor allem das Werk eines leidenschaftlichen Bürgers und Demokraten. Fünf Deutschland und ein Leben legt grandios Zeugnis ab von der Überzeugung, daß die Geschichte uns eine Lehrmeisterin sein kann für ein moralisches Leben als Bürger und als Mensch. Die "deutsche Frage" wirft ihren Schatten auf die moderne Welt: Wie war es möglich, daß eine so zivilisierte Nation für das schrecklichste Verbrechen des 20. Jahrhunderts verantwortlich wurde? In diesem Buch, einer einzigartigen Verbindung aus Erinnerung und Geschichtsschreibung, betrachtet der große Historiker und Friedenspreisträger Fritz Stern die Frage durch das Prisma seines eigenen Lebens. Er verwebt historische Meistererzählung, scharfsinnige Analysen und dramatische Episoden seiner Lebensgeschichte zu einem unvergeßlichen Portrait jener fünf Deutschland, die er selbst miterlebt hat: Weimar, das "Dritte Reich", Bundesrepublik und DDR, das vereinigte Deutschland nach 1989. Seine Freundschaften mit deutschen Intellektuellen und Politikern haben ihm besonders tiefe Einblicke in die Grundlegung der liberalen Demokratie eröffnet. Doch Stern zeigt auch, daß die unruhige deutsche Geschichte politische Lektionen für die Bürger überall bereithält - vor allem für solche, die der Gefahr der Tyrannei entgegentreten wollen.
Tuesday 2 October 2007
Law
Websites:
References to German statutes/Deutsches Recht Zitieren auf Englisch Margaret Marks
German Law Archive German Law in English Language, University of Oxford
German laws in English translation ("Words-Worth") This is a collection of links to German laws that are available in English translation.
EUR-Lex search
Birkinshaw's legal glossaries (German words explained in English)
Articles:
"Rechtsverordnung" and the Terminology of Legal Translation
Short German-English Glossary of the Juvenile Criminal Law
References to German statutes/Deutsches Recht Zitieren auf Englisch Margaret Marks
German Law Archive German Law in English Language, University of Oxford
German laws in English translation ("Words-Worth") This is a collection of links to German laws that are available in English translation.
EUR-Lex search
Birkinshaw's legal glossaries (German words explained in English)
Articles:
"Rechtsverordnung" and the Terminology of Legal Translation
Short German-English Glossary of the Juvenile Criminal Law
Tuesday 25 September 2007
Student statistics
Time spent studying
"The Higher Education Policy Institute surveyed 15,000 first and second year [British] students. It found they averaged 26 hours of teaching and private study ... Those taking their first degree in Germany typically spend nearly 35 hours per week in total studying" news.bbc.co.uk
Eurostudent 2005:
Average age of male and female students, arithm. mean, in years
DE: M 24.8, F 24
UK: M 27.2, F 28.6
"At 28 years, the very highest average age is found among students in United Kingdom, where a high percentage of students are enrolled at the age of 34 and higher and the share of students with part-time status is comparatively high (cf. Fig. 12). Especially women start their studies only after their children have reached school age." ove-national.education.fr
"The Higher Education Policy Institute surveyed 15,000 first and second year [British] students. It found they averaged 26 hours of teaching and private study ... Those taking their first degree in Germany typically spend nearly 35 hours per week in total studying" news.bbc.co.uk
Eurostudent 2005:
Average age of male and female students, arithm. mean, in years
DE: M 24.8, F 24
UK: M 27.2, F 28.6
"At 28 years, the very highest average age is found among students in United Kingdom, where a high percentage of students are enrolled at the age of 34 and higher and the share of students with part-time status is comparatively high (cf. Fig. 12). Especially women start their studies only after their children have reached school age." ove-national.education.fr
Monday 24 September 2007
Books about the English language
Spellbound: The Improbable Story of English Spelling: The True Story of Man's Greatest Invention (or: Spellbound: The Surprising Origins and Astonishing Secrets of English Spelling)
James Essinger, 224 pp, 2006
A good-humored buoyant style helps make this examination of the origin and current state of English spelling a pleasure to read
www.amazon.co.uk GBP 6.49 (6 reviews, 4 1/2 stars)
www.amazon.de € 10.95
The Unfolding of Language. The Evolution of Mankind's greatest Invention
by Guy Deutscher 360pp, William Heinemann, 2006
Investigation into the evolution of language in general.
books.guardian.co.uk
www.amazon.de €13.90
www.amazon.co.uk GBP 6.74 (1 review, 5 stars)
The Stories of English
by David Crystal 608pp Allen Lane History of English (inc. dialects)
books.guardian.co.uk
www.amazon.co.uk GBP 6.49 (3 reviews, 5 stars)
www.amazon.de €15.73
The Adventure of English
by Melvyn Bragg 354 pp, Hodder & Stoughton, 2004
History of English
books.guardian.co.uk
www.amazon.co.uk GBP 6.74 (11 reviews, 4 1/2 stars)
www.amazon.de € 15.00 (2 reviews, 5 stars)
I have this: it's informative and quite interesting, but the writing style is rather repetitive. (Perhaps it was dictated? It gets a little irritating sometimes.) Mr Bragg doesn't claim to be an expert on language, and isn't, but has read up well on the subject. Still, there seems to be a suggestion that English is a superior language and was thus destined to survive.
The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language
John McWhorter 327pp, Heinemann, 2003
History of language in general
books.guardian.co.uk
www.amazon.co.uk GBP ?? (3 reviews, 3 1/2 stars)
www.amazon.de € 11.50
A History of the English Language
by Albert C Baugh, 464 pp, 2002
A comprehensive exploration of the linguistic and cultural development of English, from the Middle Ages to the present day
www.amazon.co.uk GBP 15.99
www.amazon.de/ € ?? (4 reviews, 5 stars)
Beyond Words: How Language Reveals the Way We Live Now
John Humphrys, 2006, 256 pp
John takes a sharp look at phrases and expressions in current use to expose the often hidden attitudes that lie behind them
www.amazon.co.uk GBP 6.49 (1 review, 5 stars)
www.amazon.de € 12.60
Lost for Words: The Mangling and Manipulating of the English Language
John Humphrys, 2005, 352 pp
The decline of the English language
www.amazon.co.uk GBP 6.74 (17 reviews, 3 1/2 stars)
www.amazon.de € 12.31
She Literally Exploded: The "Daily Telegraph" Infuriating Phrasebook
Christopher Howse, Richard Preston, 2007, 144 pp
www.amazon.co.uk GBP 5.03 (3 reviews, 2 1/2 stars)
www.amazon.de € 9.99
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
by Lynn Truss, 2003
Punctuation, funny
books.guardian.co.uk
books.guardian.co.uk
books.guardian.co.uk
www.amazon.co.uk GBP 3.99 (169 reviews, 3 1/2 stars)
www.amazon.de/ € 7.95 (8 reviews, 3 stars)
I have this. Despite some of the acrid reviews, it is an amusing book you can read in the bath without falling asleep. It even teaches you some of the basic rules of British English punctuation.
Between You And I: a little book of bad English
by James Cochrane, 2005
books.guardian.co.uk/
www.amazon.de €11.50
www.amazon.co.uk GBP ?? (5 reviews, 3 stars)
Mind the Gaffe: The Penguin Guide to Common Errors in English
by RL Trask (Penguin, £6.99) , 2002
How to write simply and effectively
books.guardian.co.uk
www.amazon.de €12.31
www.amazon.co.uk GBP 5.99 (2 reviews, 3 1/2 stars)
The Fight for English: How language pundits ate, shot, and left
David Crystal, 2007
Debate on punctuation, spelling and pronunciation
www.amazon.de € 11.50
www.amazon.co.uk GBP 4.89 (2 reviews, 3 stars)
Anguished English: An Anthology of Accidental Assaults Upon the English Language
by Richard Lederer, 192 pp, 2006, Wyrick & Co, U.S., revised ed.
A wide-ranging anthology of rib-tickling bloopers
www.amazon.co.uk GBP 4.79
www.amazon.de € 6.49 (10 reviews, 4 1/2 stars)
Woe is I: The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English
by Patricia O'Conner, 256 pp, 2003, Riverhead Books (USA)
Lighthearted, witty instruction on the subject most of us dreaded in school--grammar
www.amazon.de/ € 16.50 (43 reviews, 4 1/2 stars)
The Elements of Style
Strunk & White, 4th ed. 1999, 105 pp
www.amazon.co.uk GBP 4.49 (16 reviews, 5 stars)
www.amazon.de € 9.45 (30 reviews, 4 1/2 stars)
The English Language: A Guided Tour of the Language
David Crystal, 2002, 336 pp
Common structures that unify English across the world
www.amazon.co.uk GBP 6.49 (2 reviews, 4 1/2 stars)
www.amazon.de € 12.45
Words Words Words
David Crystal, 2007, 224 pp
A celebration of what we say and how we say it.
www.amazon.co.uk/ GBP 6.74 (2 reviews, 4 stars)
www.amazon.de € 14.23
By Hook or by Crook: A Journey in Search of English
by David Crystal, 336 pp, 2007
Entertaining travelogue mapping language
www.amazon.co.uk GBP 11.04 (2 reviews, 4 stars)
www.amazon.de/ € 26.80
Mother Tongue
by Bill Bryson, 1991
A witty, irreverent but very useful account of the peculiarities of the English language
www.amazon.de € 12.95 (7 reviews, 4 1/2 stars)
www.amazon.co.uk GBP 6.74 (45 reviews, 3 1/2 stars)
I have this. It's a funny book, with nice anecdotes and good examples of anagrams, etc. If you know anything about languages, or can speak German, it is potentially extremely irritating, Take a deep swig of wine, relax and ignore the glaring errors, and you'll have a good read.
The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary
by Simon Winchester 260pp, Oxford, 2003
History of OED
books.guardian.co.uk
www.amazon.de € 20.01 (1 review, 5 stars)
www.amazon.co.uk GBP 5.99 (3 reviews, 4 1/2 stars)
A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, 8th edition
by Eric Partridge, edited by Paul Beale 1,400pp, Routledge, 1984
Definitive work on slang and unconventional English
(or concise version, 1/4 of price quoted here)
books.guardian.co.uk
www.amazon.co.uk GBP 95.00 (1 review, 5 stars)
www.amazon.de € 197.50
Thursday 13 September 2007
die eierlegende Wollmilchsau
Eier legende W. (ugs. scherzh.; Person od. Sache, die keinerlei Nachteile aufweist, alle Bedürfnisse befriedigt, allen Ansprüchen genügt © 2000 Dudenverlag
Dictionaries:
Collins e-Großwörterbuch:
all-providing genetically engineered animal - OMG what a load of %@&§! Who put that in, someone on work experience?! The Wollmilchsau is genetically engineered? Incredible.
all-providing genetically engineered animal - OMG what a load of %@&§! Who put that in, someone on work experience?! The Wollmilchsau is genetically engineered? Incredible.
Langenscheidt Muret-Sanders Großwörterbuch Deutsch-English: DOESN'T HAVE IT?? Shock after shock.
Others' ideas:
- "... does everything but make the tea" (although the ELWMS makes the tea ...)
- "... and makes the coffee too" (could be good in context)
- "egg-laying jackrabbit mule" link (This must be a US thing, although it gets hardly any Google hits at all, and it is only an unbelievable fantasy creature, not something which fulfils all your dreams.)
- "jack of all trades, master of none" - "a person who can do many different types of work, but who perhaps does not do them very well" link - this has too much of a negative suggestion for me. An ELWMS can do everything well.
- "all-singing, all-dancing" (seems to be UK only) - I like this.
My ideas:
- El Dorado, Shangri-La (in context)
- The ultimate, unattainable dream/goal
- The goose that lays/laid the golden egg(s) - although this usually means an existing source of great profit, it can also mean something you are striving to get hold of.
- 0r even: the master of all trades, which is creative, but actually used quite often (creatively), e.g. here and here
In context:
Ich war begeistert: Der Studiengang hatte alles, was ich wollte, so wie eine eierlegende Wollmilchsau. link
... the goose that laid the golden eggs
(here, it seems to actually be attainable, not a dream...)
Die Firmen suchen in ihren Stellenanzeigen natürlich immer die Eier legende Wollmilchsau. Das schreckt ab.
... all-singing, all-dancing all-rounders
Tuesday 21 August 2007
On (the) one hand ...
on the (one) hand
Does anyone know if it's considered better to say:
on one hand, it's great, but ...
or
on the one hand it's great, but ...
Steve (BE) says:
"I think I would probably say either, but in writing I'd prefer to use the article, for reasons of symmetry"
The OED says:
"on (the) one hand, on the other hand" are used to indicate two contrasted sides of a subject, circumstances, considerations, points of view, etc."
Does anyone know if it's considered better to say:
on one hand, it's great, but ...
or
on the one hand it's great, but ...
Steve (BE) says:
"I think I would probably say either, but in writing I'd prefer to use the article, for reasons of symmetry"
The OED says:
"on (the) one hand, on the other hand" are used to indicate two contrasted sides of a subject, circumstances, considerations, points of view, etc."
Friday 20 July 2007
The British history saga
January 2007 -- breaking news on the BBC:
"Schools 'must teach Britishness' ... A review of how schools teach citizenship found there was not enough emphasis on UK identity and history." link
BBC forum user:
"This is were [sic] multiculturalism has brought us. An emphasis on learning ethnic backgrounds, white children marginalised in some schools, 1 in 5 children of an ethnic background, over 50% of all pupils in inner city schools of an ethnic background, English spoken as only the second language by many Asians. We must stop any more immigration and we must withdraw from the Human Rights Act, it is an asylum seekers / economic migrants charter." link (Recommended by 297 people)
July 2007 -- also on the BBC:
"Pupils in primary and secondary schools across England lack an overview of world history and have little sense of chronology, Ofsted inspectors warn. The watchdog said the curriculum was too England-focused, ignoring the rest of the UK and Europe. ... 'Importantly too, in many schools, the stories of the people who have come to Britain over the centuries are ignored'" link
"Schools 'must teach Britishness' ... A review of how schools teach citizenship found there was not enough emphasis on UK identity and history." link
BBC forum user:
"This is were [sic] multiculturalism has brought us. An emphasis on learning ethnic backgrounds, white children marginalised in some schools, 1 in 5 children of an ethnic background, over 50% of all pupils in inner city schools of an ethnic background, English spoken as only the second language by many Asians. We must stop any more immigration and we must withdraw from the Human Rights Act, it is an asylum seekers / economic migrants charter." link (Recommended by 297 people)
July 2007 -- also on the BBC:
"Pupils in primary and secondary schools across England lack an overview of world history and have little sense of chronology, Ofsted inspectors warn. The watchdog said the curriculum was too England-focused, ignoring the rest of the UK and Europe. ... 'Importantly too, in many schools, the stories of the people who have come to Britain over the centuries are ignored'" link
Thursday 19 July 2007
Tuesday 17 July 2007
"Deeper" meaning of "Firma"
Firma einer Gesellschaft
Firma einer Gesellschaft - name of a company
Firma [ital. firma, eigtl.= bindende, rechtskräftige Unterschrift, zu: firmare = durch Unterschrift rechtskräftig machen < firmare =" bekräftigen,"
© 2000 Dudenverlag
Aus: BERTELSMANN Wörterbuch
Firma [f. -; -men] 1 Name eines Geschäfts oder Unternehmens 2 [Abk.: Fa.] Geschäft, Betrieb, Unternehmen ["ital. firma ”Unterschrift, Unterschriftsvollmacht, Prokura“, auch ”Name einer Person (sowie diese selbst), die einen guten Ruf genießt“, zu firmare ”unterschreiben (und damit gewährleisten)“]
Auszüge aus dem Eintrag im Creifelds Rechtswörterbuch:
Firma ist im Handelsrecht der Name, unter dem ein Kaufmann im Handel seine Geschäfte betreibt und die Unterschrift abgibt. Eine Firma kann nur ein Vollkaufmann führen. Die Firma bezeichnet den Kaufmann als Inhaber des Handelsgeschäfts, ist aber lediglich sein Name (...) Einzelfirma ist die Firma eines Einzelkaufmanns. Gesellschaftsfirma die Firma einer Handelsgesellschaft (...) Für das Firmenrecht hat die Rechtslehre folgende Grundsätze aufgestellt: 1. Firmeneinheit. Für jedes Unternehmen darf nur eine einzige Firma geführt werden (...)
Penguin says: What probably confuses you is the fact that this originally very specific term has become a general / generic term for any form of company in normal everyday usage.
Firma einer Gesellschaft - name of a company
Firma [ital. firma, eigtl.= bindende, rechtskräftige Unterschrift, zu: firmare = durch Unterschrift rechtskräftig machen < firmare =" bekräftigen,"
© 2000 Dudenverlag
Aus: BERTELSMANN Wörterbuch
Firma [f. -; -men] 1 Name eines Geschäfts oder Unternehmens 2 [Abk.: Fa.] Geschäft, Betrieb, Unternehmen ["ital. firma ”Unterschrift, Unterschriftsvollmacht, Prokura“, auch ”Name einer Person (sowie diese selbst), die einen guten Ruf genießt“, zu firmare ”unterschreiben (und damit gewährleisten)“]
Auszüge aus dem Eintrag im Creifelds Rechtswörterbuch:
Firma ist im Handelsrecht der Name, unter dem ein Kaufmann im Handel seine Geschäfte betreibt und die Unterschrift abgibt. Eine Firma kann nur ein Vollkaufmann führen. Die Firma bezeichnet den Kaufmann als Inhaber des Handelsgeschäfts, ist aber lediglich sein Name (...) Einzelfirma ist die Firma eines Einzelkaufmanns. Gesellschaftsfirma die Firma einer Handelsgesellschaft (...) Für das Firmenrecht hat die Rechtslehre folgende Grundsätze aufgestellt: 1. Firmeneinheit. Für jedes Unternehmen darf nur eine einzige Firma geführt werden (...)
Penguin says: What probably confuses you is the fact that this originally very specific term has become a general / generic term for any form of company in normal everyday usage.
Religion
"Heute sind in Westdeutschland 74 Prozent der Wohnbevölkerung Mitglied einer christlichen Kirche. In Ostdeutschland sind es nur noch 27 Prozent. Im gesamtdeutschen Durchschnitt ergibt das gut 64 Prozent." a
"Nine in 10 (91 percent) of American adults say they believe in God and almost as many (87 percent) say they identify with a specific religion. Christians far outnumber members of any other faith in the country, with 82 percent of the poll’s respondents identifying themselves as such. " b
"About half of the British believe in God, yet about 72% told the 2001 census that they were Christian, and 66% of the population have no actual connection to any religion or church" c
"Nine in 10 (91 percent) of American adults say they believe in God and almost as many (87 percent) say they identify with a specific religion. Christians far outnumber members of any other faith in the country, with 82 percent of the poll’s respondents identifying themselves as such. " b
"About half of the British believe in God, yet about 72% told the 2001 census that they were Christian, and 66% of the population have no actual connection to any religion or church" c
Thursday 28 June 2007
deutsch/Deutsch
Finally, I think I've understood the difference between "deutsch" and "Deutsch":
Duden says eine Deutsch sprechende (die deutsche Sprache beherrschende) Französin but eine gelegentlich auch d. sprechende Gruppe von Engländern, where deutsch means in der Sprache der Bevölkerung bes. Deutschlands.
Emily says:
"Ich spreche deutsch" bedeutet, dass ich auf Deutsch spreche, in dem Fall ist es ein Adjektiv und klein ist richtig."Ich spreche Deutsch" bedeutet, dass ich der deutschen Sprache maechtig bin, egal in welcher Sprache ich momentan rede.
... which fits with what Duden says.
I say:
Use "Deutsch" when you can replace "sprechen" with "können" - i.e. when "spricht" means "can speak". Use "deutsch" for "in German".
Duden says eine Deutsch sprechende (die deutsche Sprache beherrschende) Französin but eine gelegentlich auch d. sprechende Gruppe von Engländern, where deutsch means in der Sprache der Bevölkerung bes. Deutschlands.
Emily says:
"Ich spreche deutsch" bedeutet, dass ich auf Deutsch spreche, in dem Fall ist es ein Adjektiv und klein ist richtig."Ich spreche Deutsch" bedeutet, dass ich der deutschen Sprache maechtig bin, egal in welcher Sprache ich momentan rede.
... which fits with what Duden says.
I say:
Use "Deutsch" when you can replace "sprechen" with "können" - i.e. when "spricht" means "can speak". Use "deutsch" for "in German".
Wednesday 27 June 2007
false friends: zynisch does not always mean cynical
zynisch/cynical:
Duden:
Oxford Dict of E:
Is there really a difference, or are the dictionary entries for zynisch just rather misleading? I wouldn't use "cynically" here:
"Eine Beweisführung, die Hans Leyendecker in der Süddeutschen Zeitung zynisch kommentiert: „Das erinnert ein wenig an den alten Abzählreim ‚Eene meene muh, und raus bist du!“ " * ... must look into this more carefully later.
Is it worse to be cynical or jaded? (Guardian Notes and Queries)
"a cynic is someone who moans constantly but never does anything about anything and is determined to stay that way. Someone who's jaded hasn't lost the will to change, they've just lost the means. Scratch the surface of a cynic and you'll find someone who simply doesn't have any answers. Polish the surface of a jaded person and you'll find they'll come up good as new" *
Duden:
- auf grausame, den Anstand beleidigende Weise spöttisch ...
- eine gefühllose, mitleidlose, menschenverachtende Haltung zum Ausdruck bringend, die bes. in bestimmten Angelegenheiten, Situationen als konträr, paradox u. als jmds. Gefühle verachtend u. verletzend empfunden wird ...
- bissig-spöttisch, verletzend-frech
Oxford Dict of E:
- believing that people are motivated purely by self-interest; distrustful of human sincerity or integrity - doubtful as to whether something will happen or whether it is worthwhile - contemptuous, mocking
- concerned only with one's interests and typically disregarding accepted standards in order to achieve them
- Believing or showing the belief that people are motivated chiefly by base or selfish concerns; skeptical of the motives of others
- Selfishly or callously calculating
- Negative or pessimistic, as from world-weariness
- Expressing jaded or scornful skepticism or negativity
Is there really a difference, or are the dictionary entries for zynisch just rather misleading? I wouldn't use "cynically" here:
"Eine Beweisführung, die Hans Leyendecker in der Süddeutschen Zeitung zynisch kommentiert: „Das erinnert ein wenig an den alten Abzählreim ‚Eene meene muh, und raus bist du!“ " * ... must look into this more carefully later.
Is it worse to be cynical or jaded? (Guardian Notes and Queries)
"a cynic is someone who moans constantly but never does anything about anything and is determined to stay that way. Someone who's jaded hasn't lost the will to change, they've just lost the means. Scratch the surface of a cynic and you'll find someone who simply doesn't have any answers. Polish the surface of a jaded person and you'll find they'll come up good as new" *
Tuesday 26 June 2007
translations needing logic/maths
Monday 25 June 2007
random new English words I've learned lately
name tent - a place card shaped like a tent
poolish - a liquid dough starter (Vorteig) made with yeast: keep it in the fridge and mix it with yeastless dough to create new "live" dough.
snaky - treacherous or cruelly deceitful
Nicked! His snaky ways found him out in the end
bundle - collection of legal documents
Bundle of documents - This is the collection of documents that the parties want the Tribunal to look at when deciding the appeal. (ref)
"a or an" - a selection
an historic agreement
a oder an
Unbestimmter Artikel
a / an und Vokal, der wie Konsonant gesprochen wird
a or an
...und nochmal: "a" oder "an" vor Vokalen - an (very) interesting discussion
an
"A LCD" oder "An LCD"?
an + unique oder a + unique
a vs. an
An FDA inspection or a FDA inspection
"a" vs. "an"?
a oder an - wieder einmal solch eine Anfrage!
"an FDI" vs." a FDI" with FDI=Foreign direct Investment
"a" oder "an" vor Abkürzungen
a one-storeyed building oder an one-storeyed building
a/an
Aussprache: a <-> an, the <-> the
a FGH vs. an FGH
a/an vor "U" am Wortanfang
warum sagt man "a useful thing"
An SUD or a SUD?
a vs. an in Verbindung mit Abkürzungen
"a" oder "an"
"an FWHM" oder "a FWHM" ?
an SLR
a oder an
Unbestimmter Artikel
a / an und Vokal, der wie Konsonant gesprochen wird
a or an
...und nochmal: "a" oder "an" vor Vokalen - an (very) interesting discussion
an
"A LCD" oder "An LCD"?
an + unique oder a + unique
a vs. an
An FDA inspection or a FDA inspection
"a" vs. "an"?
a oder an - wieder einmal solch eine Anfrage!
"an FDI" vs." a FDI" with FDI=Foreign direct Investment
"a" oder "an" vor Abkürzungen
a one-storeyed building oder an one-storeyed building
a/an
Aussprache: a <-> an, the <-> the
a FGH vs. an FGH
a/an vor "U" am Wortanfang
warum sagt man "a useful thing"
An SUD or a SUD?
a vs. an in Verbindung mit Abkürzungen
"a" oder "an"
"an FWHM" oder "a FWHM" ?
an SLR
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