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)
