Facts about the German language and stuff
We continue our german week and i feel like I might do 2 more languages weeks and then focus on teaching how to learn languages after anyways some interesting facts and stuff... Okay, so when you think "German," you might picture lederhosen-clad dudes yodeling in the Alps. And hey, that's cool. But German is SO much more than that! It's the language of: โข Thinkers and Dreamers: Einstein, Marx, Nietzsche, Kafkaโฆ These brainiacs were all slinging German. It's a language that's been used to ponder the universe and question everything. (Fun fact: "Fernweh," the opposite of "homesickness," is a German word for the longing for far-off places. Deep, right?) โข Classical Music: Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Wagnerโฆ Yep, all German speakers! Their music still moves us today. If it wasn't for German you would have never felt that intense music playing from the classics. โข Cars (and Engineering!): Ever heard of Mercedes-Benz, BMW, or Volkswagen? German engineering is a global powerhouse, and knowing the language can give you a serious edge in that field. (Fun fact: "Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzung" is a German word meaning "speed limit." Try saying THAT five times fast!) Where's German Spoken? It's More Than Just Germany! Obviously, Germany's the heartland. But German's also an official language in: โข Austria: "Guten Tag" and strudel, anyone? โข Switzerland: (along with French, Italian, and Romansh). โข Liechtenstein: The tiniest, richest country you've probably never heard of! And there are significant German-speaking communities in places like: โข Northern Italy (South Tyrol) โข Belgium โข Luxembourg โข Even in parts of the United States (Pennsylvania Dutch country, anyone?) Fun Facts to Impress Your German-Speaking Friends: โข German is VERY precise: They have a word for everything, even feelings you didn't know you had! "Schadenfreude" (the pleasure derived from someone else's misfortune) is a classic example. โข Long Words are the Norm: German can create insanely long words by stringing smaller words together. The current record holder? "Rindfleischetikettierungsรผberwachungsaufgabenรผbertragungsgesetz" (law concerning the delegation of duties for the supervision of cattle marking and beef labeling). Good luck fitting that on a T-shirt!