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> but for the fact that Germans so readily identify with the idea of taking pleasure from another's misfortune that they coined a word for the term That was me
by tralarpa 6y ago
> but for the fact that Germans so readily identify with the idea of taking pleasure from another's misfortune that they coined a word for the term
That was meant as a joke, I suppose?
If not, you might remember that it is very easy in German to coin a word. For example, I have just invented the word "Papierwurst" (paper sausage). A perfectly fine German word. Die Papierwurst (sing.), die Papierwürste (plural), der Papierwurst (sing. dative),...
"It's why I love the word Papierwurst - not for what it means, but for the fact that Germans so readily identify with the idea of having sausages made of paper that they coined a word for the term."
- awillen 6y agoSchadenfreude is a word used regularly enough that it's actually in most English dictionaries now. Papierwurst is a word you just made up that doesn't mean anything. You're just here trying to let people know that you know German grammar. That's fine, but your example isn't comparable or relevant.
- apocolyps6 6y agoWhat that poster is trying to tell you is that your example term is just as likely an accident of the structure of German language than some insight into the soul of the German people. The fact that schadenfreude is a German term could very well be that it's easier to make these sorts of terms in German than for any other reason. Genocide is an English word. Does that mean that Americans in particular "readily identify" with ethnic cleansing?