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Why like D.C. Simpson german words?

Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 3:23 pm
by CptRaccoon
Hm hello my friends. In the comicstrip today found I a funny word.

Image

You read right: Schadenfreude. It's a german word. Schadenfreude is an adjactiv and an adverb. Call me when I rong, I have a 3 in german. It says you love it outher people see in hurt.

But the funny thing is, D.C. Simpson use some german words. But why german words and no russian words? Or other words?

Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 3:38 pm
by Tom Flapwell
"Schadenfreude" appears in English dictionaries. So do "weltanschauung" and "zeitgeist" (without capital letters). Simply put, Germany has had a longer history of influence on the English-speaking world than Russia has.

Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 4:36 pm
by CptRaccoon
But this is not a good reason.

It is pro and contra. And why e doesn't use words with ß?

Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 4:46 pm
by CptRaccoon
"Schadenfreude" appears in English dictionaries. So do "weltanschauung" and "zeitgeist" (without capital letters). Simply put, Germany has had a longer history of influence on the English-speaking world than Russia has.
English dictionary? In a translatorbook german-danish danish-german are some english words. And why Zeitgeist and Weltanschauung? Many more importen german words are better how "Sehnsucht" "Genosse" "Geselle" "Meister" than this two stupid words. ANd seconds. English speaking people can't speak german words wich are stadning in a dictionary. The right german are a perfect gramatikal language. I mean you need listing the words to be speak it.

Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 5:04 pm
by Tom Flapwell
DCS and the dictionaries use the word because many other English speakers use the word. If you want to know why relatively few English speakers use certain other German or Russian words, I couldn't tell you.

Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 5:06 pm
by Softpaw
The English language has a long history of assimilating words from other languages. I heard a linguist describe the phenomenon by saying "English likes to beat up other languages in dark alleyways and steal their words".

So, in English literature, you'll find countless words that are taken directly from a wide range of other languages, and even more words that have roots in other languages. German, Spanish, and French are where the majority of these words come from, and as Tom said, German has had more influence on English than any other single language.

In this case, Schadenfreude was used because it's relevant to the dialogue, and people generally know what it is. I rather doubt that it was any sort of attempt to sound German, it just happens to be a "valid" term in both languages.

Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 5:32 pm
by CameronCN
Basically, schadenfreude is an English word too. We also have a bunch of French words we've taken for ourselves too--it's just what we do. If it makes you feel any better, we always pronounce them wrong. :grin:

Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 5:50 pm
by CptRaccoon
But by all the words why doesn't hove you the word "Sehnsucht"? It can't be translat in english. And it is very impotrend word by feelings.

Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 5:54 pm
by Fritz
Just BECAUSE.

Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 6:00 pm
by CptRaccoon
OKay. But why isn't german the international speak. I mean a german word of the right german. Al letters are right. Al vokals standing on the right place. German is a perfect articulated and correct grammatical language.
English is a kauderwelsch. By the things what you say!

Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 6:21 pm
by CameronCN
OKay. But why isn't german the international speak.
Because we won the war. :-P

Actually, it's because we're the biggest economy, and because lots of people speak it already because of British colonization. Also, German is just hard to pronounce--too many glutterals.

Also, it's the very haphazard nature of English that makes it so interesting, you see. We have the most great literature of any language just because it's so complicated and has so many nuances. We borrow words from other languages when they are the best ones to describe something that was explained in that language. Besides Schadenfreude, an even better example is the French word deja-vu. We use it all the time, so much so that we don't even think of it as being French anymore. At the same time, let me bet that all your computer words over in Germany are English words. :wink:

Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 6:36 pm
by Tom Flapwell
Might I add that English has more than thrice as many words as the second most word-filled language, German.

Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 6:43 pm
by CptRaccoon
OKay. But why isn't german the international speak.
Because we won the war. :-P

Actually, it's because we're the biggest economy, and because lots of people speak it already because of British colonization. Also, German is just hard to pronounce--too many glutterals.

Also, it's the very haphazard nature of English that makes it so interesting, you see. We have the most great literature of any language just because it's so complicated and has so many nuances. We borrow words from other languages when they are the best ones to describe something that was explained in that language. Besides Schadenfreude, an even better example is the French word deja-vu. We use it all the time, so much so that we don't even think of it as being French anymore. At the same time, let me bet that all your computer words over in Germany are English words. :wink:
I thing Texas or a other staate was in the history the quastion what the Official language is. And one answer has need to be german. But the answer wasn't.

ANd the computers are english because the english people creat the computer. ANd exacöy. The computer isn't of english but of on and off 1 and 0. When a german people createt the computer the computer is of german. ANd the Sovjet computers are fo russian. no of english of russian. Two language are of the world, wich program the computer. Egnlish and Russian.

Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 6:45 pm
by CptRaccoon
Might I add that English has more than thrice as many words as the second most word-filled language, German.
Hm... But you kann in german make many new words. I doesn't think all german words are in the "Duden".
And deja-vu is a word wich use in german to. We have also some french words.

Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 6:49 pm
by Rievan
English is a flexible language. By changing a single word or even grammar the entire meaning changes. I would also say English is nonlinear. I think I asked you about his when you first joined.