3 ms·

As a native German speaker, I do appreciate the ability to join words like that. English, on the other is awesome for forming phrases that are nearly impossibl

by krylon 11y ago

As a native German speaker, I do appreciate the ability to join words like that. English, on the other is awesome for forming phrases that are nearly impossible to translate. "To go to town on somebody" is one I really like, for example. Also, English is much better for cursing, for some reason. People cursing in German always sound really, really lame (except for Bavarians).

c0l0 11y ago
You should definitely give the Viennese form a try: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd811Miduik https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd811Miduik
wingerlang 11y ago
> English, on the other is awesome for forming phrases that are nearly impossible to translate. "To go to town on somebody" is one I really like, for example. I think all languages do this. Why would English be specifically better at it than german?
- sergiosgc 11y ago
  That example, specifically, all languages do. What I find unique in English is that it is very onomatopoeic. What is a "boom box"? It's a box that does the sound "boom". When you "crash" your car, that's the sound that occurs. A staple, when applied, sounds like "staple", as much as a zipper produces the "zip" sound when pulled. It is quite unique.
  - gandarojin 11y ago
    The German word for “staple” is »Tacker«, which is onomatopoeic. If you wanted to say that two cars crashed, you could use: »Zwei Autos (prallten|krachten) gegeneinander.« Both »prallen« and »krachen« are onomatopoeic. Onomatopoeia is common in German as well.
sergiosgc 11y ago
On the other hand, from a non-german speaker perspective, German is, for lack of a better word, aggressive. Cursing in German sounds definitely more meaningful than cursing in, say, Italian. A couple of months back, a bank failed in Italy. On a news piece, a lady was cursing (really cursing) at bank owners. It was one of the most aggressive speeches I've seen. Yet, if you listened to the "music" alone, it was an incredibly sweet speech.
wazoox 11y ago
Funny that you mention English as better for cursing; as a French, I've always found the English catalogue of dirty words and insults quite limited. There doesn't even seem to have more than 2 or 3 common names for genitals of both sex, or even several dirty names for sodomy. Imaginative genitals naming coupled with religion, dirty things and weird sexual practices allow for some nice compositions :)
- krylon 11y ago
  Well, I have to admit my knowledge of French is limited to a handful of words. The only languages I know well enough to make a comparison are German and English. :-/

by krylon 11y ago

c0l0 11y ago

You should definitely give the Viennese form a try: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd811Miduik https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd811Miduik

wingerlang 11y ago

> English, on the other is awesome for forming phrases that are nearly impossible to translate. "To go to town on somebody" is one I really like, for example. I think all languages do this. Why would English be specifically better at it than german?

sergiosgc 11y ago
That example, specifically, all languages do. What I find unique in English is that it is very onomatopoeic. What is a "boom box"? It's a box that does the sound "boom". When you "crash" your car, that's the sound that occurs. A staple, when applied, sounds like "staple", as much as a zipper produces the "zip" sound when pulled. It is quite unique.
- gandarojin 11y ago
  The German word for “staple” is »Tacker«, which is onomatopoeic. If you wanted to say that two cars crashed, you could use: »Zwei Autos (prallten|krachten) gegeneinander.« Both »prallen« and »krachen« are onomatopoeic. Onomatopoeia is common in German as well.

sergiosgc 11y ago

On the other hand, from a non-german speaker perspective, German is, for lack of a better word, aggressive. Cursing in German sounds definitely more meaningful than cursing in, say, Italian. A couple of months back, a bank failed in Italy. On a news piece, a lady was cursing (really cursing) at bank owners. It was one of the most aggressive speeches I've seen. Yet, if you listened to the "music" alone, it was an incredibly sweet speech.

wazoox 11y ago

Funny that you mention English as better for cursing; as a French, I've always found the English catalogue of dirty words and insults quite limited. There doesn't even seem to have more than 2 or 3 common names for genitals of both sex, or even several dirty names for sodomy. Imaginative genitals naming coupled with religion, dirty things and weird sexual practices allow for some nice compositions :)

krylon 11y ago
Well, I have to admit my knowledge of French is limited to a handful of words. The only languages I know well enough to make a comparison are German and English. :-/