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| -Short Attention Span Theater- | |
| Germany's most beautiful word? | |
| 2004-08-02 | |
Entries for a competition to unearth the most stunning example - organised by the German language council - have been flooding in. More than 20,000 words, ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous, have been sent in by email and letter. German, for example, has a word to describe that niggling melody you just cannot get out of your head - "Ohrwurm", literally "earworm". "Eisenbahnknoten" is a "knot of rail-lines" or, in other words, a railway junction. The competition comes at an interesting time for German scholars, with renewed controversy about changes to spelling rules introduced a few years ago, says the BBC's Ray Furlong. These are widely detested and ignored by the leading newspapers. So will it be a simple word like "Liebe" - love, or the more involved "Geheimratsecken," which means receding hairline? Sunday is the deadline for submissions, with the jury expected to make its decision by October.
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| Posted by:Steve |
| #23 LOL, Zenster - haven't seen that one in years. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2004-08-02 6:16:02 PM |
| #22 Ancient Audio Visual Department sign: Achtung! Alles lookenpeepers, das instrumenten is nicht fer gerfingerpoken und hittengrabben. Ist easy schnappen der springerverk, poppen corken und blowen fusen mit spitz und sparken. Ist nicht fer geverken by das dumbkopf, alles rubbernecken sightseeren keepen hands in der pockets, relax und vatch der blinkin lights! |
| Posted by: Zenster 2004-08-02 5:11:58 PM |
| #21 Many, many great words in Deutsch...... |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-08-02 3:48:20 PM |
| #20 Schutzengrabenvernichtungpanzerkampfwagen.* (Okay, it may not be the most beautiful, but it's the coolest. :-p) *Panzer (tank) |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2004-08-02 3:43:23 PM |
| #19 ed - You've opened the floodgates now, bro... HeidiKlum (in the same one-word style, heh...) |
| Posted by: .com 2004-08-02 3:39:29 PM |
| #18 ClaudiaSchiffer |
| Posted by: ed 2004-08-02 3:30:41 PM |
| #17 Kamerad, Amerikanner! |
| Posted by: Anonymous5972 2004-08-02 3:21:58 PM |
| #16 or Loess |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-08-02 3:10:13 PM |
| #15 luft |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-08-02 3:09:29 PM |
| #14 Why is it that the world never remembered the name of Johann Gambolputty de von Ausfern- schplenden-schlitter-crasscrenbon-fried-digger-dingle-dangle-dongle-dungle-burstein-von-knacker-thrasher-apple-banger-horowitz-ticolensic-grander-knotty-spelltinkle-grandlich-grumblemeyer-spelterwasser-kurstlich-himbleeisen-bahnwagen-gutenabend-bitte-ein-nürnburger-bratwustle-gerspurten-mitz-weimache-luber-hundsfut-gumberaber-shönedanker-kalbsfleisch-mittler-aucher von Hautkopft of Ulm? [/MP] |
| Posted by: Zenster 2004-08-02 3:03:54 PM |
| #13 Shiesse-kopf. Pimmel-kopf. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2004-08-02 2:47:22 PM |
| #12 Does German have any beautiful words? It looks to me like German love poetry would sound like a threat. |
| Posted by: Formerly Dan 2004-08-02 2:31:21 PM |
| #11 Two words come to mind. (1) Schaudenfraude (joy at someone elses misery) which is just so useful when describing my opinions of Germany and France these days (2) Shitzkopf (shit head, forgive the spelling) the word that got the taunting Parisian morons "American, McDonald's Sucks!" to run like little cowards back in 1987. |
| Posted by: yank 2004-08-02 2:12:50 PM |
| #10 Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgaben- übertragungsgesetz Gesundheit. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2004-08-02 1:48:34 PM |
| #9 I like Fred's entry. |
| Posted by: Laurence of the Rats 2004-08-02 1:46:37 PM |
| #8 kindersportswagon = baby stroller My all-time fav. At some point, the Germans must have decided that they had all the words they needed and would just combine words if something new came up. |
| Posted by: Kentar 2004-08-02 11:42:12 AM |
| #7 Pilsner. |
| Posted by: Fred 2004-08-02 11:06:18 AM |
| #6 There was one that youngsters used to dread getting on their spelling test. Something about a Rhein River Steamboat Company Captain. |
| Posted by: eLarson 2004-08-02 11:01:36 AM |
| #5 Unsurprisingly, it's a bureaucratic word, meaning (very roughly): beefqualityapprovalstampingsupervisorytaskstransferlaw |
| Posted by: Lux 2004-08-02 10:12:02 AM |
| #4 Translation? |
| Posted by: Howard UK 2004-08-02 10:02:23 AM |
| #3 Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgaben- übertragungsgesetz Best said before "Hefe-Weissbier" |
| Posted by: Lux 2004-08-02 9:37:53 AM |
| #2 Currywurst mmmmmmmm.. |
| Posted by: Howard UK 2004-08-02 9:34:22 AM |
| #1 Schlampen. |
| Posted by: Howard UK 2004-08-02 9:32:20 AM |