The author who wrote an essay with this title was the famous Mr. Marc Twain. You may read the delicious original at this site:
http://www.bergerwerbung.at/files/Potpourri/The_Awful_German_Language_by_Mark_Twain.pdf
He is talking about written German of course, which he tried to master. Perceiving it as a single and unique language with some dialects, which still is the leading opinion.
Though using English is always something that places myself at the mercy of someone who really speaks it I never thought it awful. Though the nice Brazilian lady in the bakery puts words with and without endings together in a very personal creative way I never thought she would not master German or the local variety. She masters being understood and that's the important thing. Though my favorite German writing author is Heimito von Doderer not only because of his very special talent to describe human relationships and interdependences, societies, locations and the whole scenery and athmosphere that is in the background but also explicitly because of his outstanding perfect use of Standard German involving the specific diction of members of most different groups of society I would never blame anyone for not doing the same. Thus it seems to be the approach again, that makes something more delightful than distressing or vice versa. If you really want to learn a language for some personal reason enjoy learning it as much as possible. Be curious, find characteristics, allow yourself to be not perfect. Well, if you still want to be you may write an essay similar to the magnificent one of Marc Twain ;)
September 25, 2010
September 20, 2010
September 19, 2010
Hybrid Languages
A very creative approach to creating their personal language we find in speakers of hybrid languages. Some people mix their native language with the language of the country they have moved to. Either because they are not perfect in the new language, or because they feel their cultural roots still in the country they have - temporarily - left and/or because they feel not fully integrated into the new society. A rather comprehensive portrait of this phenomenon concerning Germany you may find on the site of the Goethe Institute: http://www.goethe.de/lhr/prj/mac/msp/en1398809.htm
When having some knowledge in Slavic languages you might discover Nemrus as something rather cute. It is founded and developed by originally Russian speaking immigrants, who also may call it Deutschrussisch or Quelia. Implementing new words and grammar structure from the German to Russian, it makes a creative and well-suited spoken language for the German surrounding and daily occurences among people who are as less perfect in German as you. (And by the way: Who would be perfect in German? ;) http://www.nemrus.net/
As I am remembering back school times I see we did exactly the same when we started to learn a new language there. There were these little messages we sent to each other and of course we made lots of fun with all the pieces of new and different expressions that had conquered a place in our brains during break time. It is a fast developing tool, always up-to-date and thus a perfect way in these years when you want to discover everything, and to express everything that is new to you in a new way.
Widely known in Germany is Türkischdeutsch, which even a larger part of the German youth considers worth imitating, as well as it appears regularly in radio and TV. http://jannisandroutsopoulos.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/migration_androutsopouloskeim_2000.pdf.
To name a minor but certainly as creative group one may look out for speakers of Alemañol, although or perhaps even for the reason that I found on the next it would not exist. But then there are such delightful examples as: "No hay que mischear los esprajes." ¿Por qué no?
When having some knowledge in Slavic languages you might discover Nemrus as something rather cute. It is founded and developed by originally Russian speaking immigrants, who also may call it Deutschrussisch or Quelia. Implementing new words and grammar structure from the German to Russian, it makes a creative and well-suited spoken language for the German surrounding and daily occurences among people who are as less perfect in German as you. (And by the way: Who would be perfect in German? ;) http://www.nemrus.net/
As I am remembering back school times I see we did exactly the same when we started to learn a new language there. There were these little messages we sent to each other and of course we made lots of fun with all the pieces of new and different expressions that had conquered a place in our brains during break time. It is a fast developing tool, always up-to-date and thus a perfect way in these years when you want to discover everything, and to express everything that is new to you in a new way.
Widely known in Germany is Türkischdeutsch, which even a larger part of the German youth considers worth imitating, as well as it appears regularly in radio and TV. http://jannisandroutsopoulos.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/migration_androutsopouloskeim_2000.pdf.
To name a minor but certainly as creative group one may look out for speakers of Alemañol, although or perhaps even for the reason that I found on the next it would not exist. But then there are such delightful examples as: "No hay que mischear los esprajes." ¿Por qué no?
September 06, 2010
Friedrich Dürrenmatt
"Ich rede Berndeutsch und ich schreibe Deutsch. (...) Ich muss immer wieder die Sprache, die ich rede, verlassen, um eine Sprache zu finden, die ich nicht reden kann, denn wenn ich Deutsch rede, rede ich es mit einem berndeutschen Akzent. (...) Es gibt Kritiker, die mir vorwerfen, man spüre in meinem Deutsch das Berndeutsche. Ich hoffe, dass man es spürt. Ich schreibe ein Deutsch, das auf dem Boden des Berndeutschen gewachsen ist."
"I am talking in Bernese German and I am writing in German. (...) Again and again I have to leave the language I speak to find a language I cannot speak, because when I am speaking German, I am speaking it with a Bernese German accent. (...) There are reviewers who accuse me of writing in a German in which the Bernese German is perceptible. I do hope it is perceptible. I am writing in a German that is grown on the Bernese German soil."
"I am talking in Bernese German and I am writing in German. (...) Again and again I have to leave the language I speak to find a language I cannot speak, because when I am speaking German, I am speaking it with a Bernese German accent. (...) There are reviewers who accuse me of writing in a German in which the Bernese German is perceptible. I do hope it is perceptible. I am writing in a German that is grown on the Bernese German soil."
Friedrich Dürrenmatt, the famous Swiss author, describes what you may find in the writing of many authors using German as their written language. If you have become sensitive for Germanic languages it will be visible even in some poems from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, in which the verses only rhyme when you speak them Hessian.
Writing on the basis of his language root enriches Dürrenmatt's flawless German. It is part of his very personal style to describe and express thoughts and emotions. Not diminishing any of his genius I think anyone has to find his own language for expressing himself, whether for daily needs or for big literature. The regional idiom is the best basis from which an individuum can develop.
Links for Bernese German:
September 05, 2010
Frysk, Friisk, Frasch, Fräisk
Definitely considered and classified as a language is Frysk. We find it spoken by people in the Nederlandse provincies Fryslân en Groningen and the German federal states Niedersachsen und Schleswig-Holstein. The Frisians originally are a folk or ethnic group with a long, and formerly famous culture. Their language is very close to English and Danish - less to the Germanic languages in their next surroundings: Dutch viarities/Standard Dutch and Low German viarities/Standard German.
Due to the shape of the region we see on the map showing but one bigger locally coherent landmass but many islands it is no surprise that the original language has spread up into many regional varieties that have been developing differently from each other. The East Frisian language already has become extinct.
When we consider our language as a cultural value, being a basis of our personal and social identity any lost language is a loss for the whole humanity. In all of our languages is an immense reservoir of cultural wisdom. Wisdom we cannot afford to loose for the performance of our current task to create a livable environment for anyone. We should foster our traditions and languages to preserve this source.
While for getting a deeper impression of the North Frisian language one would have to visit its region in Schleswig-Holstein, and for Saterland Frisian the one in Lower Saxony, at least for the West Frisian language spoken in the Netherlands you can get an introduction right away:
And should you get attracted to this rich language, maybe you want to try some online-lessons on: http://www.edufrysk.com/.
Due to the shape of the region we see on the map showing but one bigger locally coherent landmass but many islands it is no surprise that the original language has spread up into many regional varieties that have been developing differently from each other. The East Frisian language already has become extinct.
When we consider our language as a cultural value, being a basis of our personal and social identity any lost language is a loss for the whole humanity. In all of our languages is an immense reservoir of cultural wisdom. Wisdom we cannot afford to loose for the performance of our current task to create a livable environment for anyone. We should foster our traditions and languages to preserve this source.
While for getting a deeper impression of the North Frisian language one would have to visit its region in Schleswig-Holstein, and for Saterland Frisian the one in Lower Saxony, at least for the West Frisian language spoken in the Netherlands you can get an introduction right away:
And should you get attracted to this rich language, maybe you want to try some online-lessons on: http://www.edufrysk.com/.
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