Larian Studios Forums General Chat Chat (Anything) German for Runaways

i like it already! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" />

LoL

First time I don't have to pay to take classes. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Ich mag es schon <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/question.gif" alt="" />

i like it, too <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" />

Sternenschweif

And where is the thread "english for runaways"? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shame.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/silly.gif" alt="" />

I never got that. I speak German frequently, even have given courses in German. But writing in German is a pain. There are just too many rules, like the girl being gender neutral <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

I agree very much with that.
It's what makes German hard. Even to Germans. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

We know you don't (really) need that. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wave.gif" alt="" />

Well Germans love rules. After the Thirty Years' War, not only the country was down - so was the language. All foreign folks amusing themselves by conquering, killing, marrying, settling down etc. brought a bit of their language with them. Same was for other wars, when the French under Napoleon marched in e.g. - the language was down again.

After the first war I mentioned (1618-1648) The first German Society for German Language was founded (17xx) and tried to reassort these linguistic ruins - same was after the 2nd war I mentioned. Konrad Duden is to blame for this. In 1880 he and his chums started to regulate the German language, bring in rules, alter the original French words or find the German equivalent, strangle this language by pestering it with rules, rules and did I mention rules? Grammar was modified a bit, 1901 - and then, a few years ago(1996), the Duden Society decided it was time to modernise the German language again - driving some nuts (I recall loud arguments in American sense raging in our library social room, colleagues conquering my office in search for the new spelling of words - angry newspaper articles - school books that had to be thrown away, cause the spelling was incorrect etc.) Their goal was to make the German language easier (I call it chaotic <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin1.gif" alt="" /> ) - ok, this was a bit of linguistic history. These new rules became valid in 1998. 2 years of cussing, fighting, discussing, looking for logic, giving up and deciding to stick to the old spelling for those who were lucky to have left school and not having school kids.

And as the German language is being anglicized due to Internet e.g. - the Duden Society and other patriotic linguistic idiots are trying to "save" the German language again. We'll see who wins - ratio or Middle Ages <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devil.gif" alt="" />

A German pun:

Spass = fun
Mordsspass = murderish fun <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin1.gif" alt="" /> - depends on who is murdered and who has the fun doing this <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

French/German examples:
Portemonnaie = purse -> now Portmonee <shudder>
Portraet = portrait

Kiya

So, to quote JBV:
Deutsch macht einen Mordsspass (German is murderish fun)

LoL

But it does make more languages look the same.

In Flemish it's almost the same... portemonee <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />
-> English purse(for)money ( just a sugestion <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" /> )
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

"Die Kätzin"? Does that really exist?

Frederick Bodmer says in his book "Sprachen der Welt" original title : "Loom of Language" that the german of today, with so many rules reflects the english of about 900 years in the past.

I highly recomment this book to anyone interested in european languages ! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" />

Mostly because it contains an excellent comparison of european languages ...

Yes, "die Kaetzin" exists and is the correct term for a female cat, though most Germans say "Katze" if they mean the female cat. Der Hund/der Ruede for the male dog is used as synonym also - but in correct terminology "Katze/Hund" just represent the race not the gender. (German for Germans <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin1.gif" alt="" /> )
Kiya

An elegant method to avoid this for all animals is just using this term instead of searching feverishly for the correct term:

das Weibchen = female animal, guess again -> gender neutral
das Männchen = male animal, interesting here -> gender neutral <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/delight.gif" alt="" /> I believe, this has to do with the diminutive syllable "chen" = small, little

but if I leave out the "smaller making syllable", watch this:

das Weib = human woman, not meant very friendly, gender neutral (personal pronoun "sie" = she is allowed here)
der Mann = human man, neutral meaning, and definitely masculine <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/delight.gif" alt="" />


der Vogel = the bird - don't ask me why, it's masculine (animal race)
das Reh = the doe, gender neutral (race)
der Elefant = the elefant, masculine

and tomorrow I will explain the plural for nouns - let's see who runs away then <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devil.gif" alt="" />

Shouldn't it be "Kätzin" ?

An unique word is "Geschwister", because this doesn't exist in the English language ... you'll have to say "sister and brother" as a term instead to get the same meaning.

On the other hand, a personification of Luck like the "Lady Luck" doesn't exist in German ... it's a word unique to the English language ...


By the way, I like to change language in my "artistic freedom", so I once made the neutral word "Jedi" from Star Wars into "die Jedi", giving it a german female article to stress that the Jedi is female. I don't think this is possible in English ... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

Hm, this thread should be renamed, if I learn something new here. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

Alrik, in order to make it easier, I write "ä" = ae, "ö" = oe, "ü" = ue. This is ok IMO and IIRC allowed in the internet/mail language.
Kiya

What about this?

Der Luegner = the liar, masculine <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devil.gif" alt="" /> die Luegnerin = female liar (here you see how endings can change the gender)
der Esel = the donkey, masculine ("die Eselin" or "die Eselstute" for the female)
der Essig = vinegar, masculine, pronoun here is "er" = it, nice, huh?
das Salz = salt, neutral, pronoun is "es" = it, logical
der Pfeffer = pepper, masculine, pronoun is "er" = it for you
die Daemmerung = dawn/dusk, female - to specify this, you can use another wonderful German speciality: compounds!
die Morgendaemmerung = dawn, female (but: der Morgen = morning, masculine) <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/delight.gif" alt="" />
die Abenddaemmerung = dusk, female (but: der Abend = evening, masculine) <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/delight.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/delight.gif" alt="" />

The rule for this is: Gender is defined by the second part of the composite noun and "Daemmerung" is feminine

Yes, okay, but I think that people should get to know that there are more letters than the standard english alphabet out there ... the turkish language has ü and ä as well ... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

Correct, Alrik, but if our pupils want to try out their first steps in German, posting is easier for them, hm?
Kiya

abcdefghigklmnopqrstvwxyz ß and Umlauts?

you forgot "j, u" and the plural of Umlaut = Umlaute

The English language is easier, you mostly use "s" or variations ending with "s" - but the German language has more sadistic fantasies.

die Phantasie/Fantasie = haha, feminine(spelling reform) = plural -> die Phantasien/Fantasien
die Sprache = language, feminine (yeah, we're chatty) = Plural -> die Sprachen
die Katastrophe = catastrophy, feminine <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/delight.gif" alt="" /> = Plural -> die Katastrophen
der Laerm = noise, masculine <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/delight.gif" alt="" /> - no plural form existing there

so, as a very coarse rule you can say, words ending with "e" turn to "en" in Plural - but I'm sure, I can give you a lot of exceptions. As a rule to the German language, and very coarse here again = rules live due to exceptions. German is an exception(al) language <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin1.gif" alt="" />

it would be normal to say, words ending with a consonant would simply get the plural ending "e" - nope.

die Kartoffel = potato, feminine = plural -> die Kartoffeln
der Flug = flight, masculine = plural -> die Fluege - pretty, ain't it?
Kiya

cool! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />