Dog weather or monkey heat?German will always make us chuckle with its original association of ideas.

For all those metereopathics out there, here are six of the most interesting German sayings (already cited by The Local) on the weather.

1. Das Hundewetter

Recalling the English expression “it’s raining cats and dogs”, Hundewetter is the perfect word to describe that terribly rainy day each of us experience at least once in Germany. Even the most ferocious of dogs won’t stand a chance. It is such a common expression that the German version of “Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day” was entitled “Winnie Puuh und das Hundewetter”.

2. Das Kaiserwetter

This expression takes us back to “the time of the Kaiser”, more specifically to Emperor Francesco Giuseppe of Austria’s birthday on the 18th August. Today the term is employed to describe that radiant, flooded with sunshine and carefree, without-a-cloud-in-the-sky day. Literally, an emperor’s day.

3. Die Affenhitze

“Mokey heat” reflects that kind of heat that will suffocate you and drive you to exasperation and it is usually employed in the sentence «Es herrscht eine Affenhitze». Apparently the origins of this word reside in the 19th century, when the monkey’s cage in Berlin’s Zoo was notoriously the most sultry place.

4. Etwas Sonne tanken

Literally, “to soak up some sun”. This expression conveys the need to regenerate, for instance by lying out in the sun and enjoying its warmth on our faces. The verb tanken, to refuel, associated to the sun, means to absorb and store up as much heat and light as possible (especially when stocking up for winter time in Germany).

5. Du siehst aus wie ein begossener Pudel!

Have you ever been called a wet poodle? Be sure that you will if you get caught in one of Germany’s notorious rainstorms. Although the etymological basis of poodle and puddle binds the two terms, along with the fact that poodles are notorious for being fans of these, the association of these words makes the saying «You look like a wet poodle» on of the most creative German expressions.

6. Ein Gesicht wie sieben Tage Regenwetter

If today is not your lucky day, you might as well have “a face like seven days of rainy weather”.

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Cover photo: © Bjoern Schwarz Indi Samarajiva, ,Selda Eigler, Vinoth Chandar  CC BY SA 2.0

The renowned dictionary for German language Duden, published for the first time in 1880 by Konrand Duden, recently printed its 27th edition.

This new publication covers and analyses extensively all the aspects of the German lexicon, including but not only, the grammar, spelling and synonyms. The peculiarity of the new publication stands in its introduction of 5000 new words that previously didn’t exist, building up a comprehensive dictionary of 1264 pages which reflect the influences that are shaping German language today.

The novelty: denglish and anglicisms

Gran part of the new terms included in the revised version of the dictionary emerge out of the social and political developments of this new century, defined in gran part by the entrance of social media and its impact on global communication. Peculiar is the blending of English and German, common to any english student in a German classroom, giving rise to a new language, commonly referred to as Denglish. Amongst the Denglish words that have made it in the Duden dictionary there are facebooken (to be on facebook), liken (to ‘put a like’) and emoji. Postfaktish is another interesting term which stems out of the contemporary fake news debate and the need to certify the validity and truth of a news. Other terms have instead remained in their english version, such as veggie, tablet, selfie, darknet, hashtag and Brexit.

The debate

The influence of English on the German language is a growing phenomenon, reflecting the developments of the German societal fabric. It is in fact in English that new words and terms have been coined to express global developments. Furthermore, regardless of the Brexit, it remains a commonly spoken language in Europe. Verein Deutsche Sprache, an organizations whose aim is to defend the purity of German language, had already expressed itself against the previous revised version of the Duden, which already in 2013 included different English-derived, or Denglish, words. The influence of English in German isn’t however a new phenomenon: already in 1880 Duden included 27 000 spoiled words and terms. Today, amid anglicisms and neologisms, the count has reached 145 000.

German neologisms

Amongst the new terms that have found their way in the dictionary are also German neologisms previously sought to as informal expressions, which now have been officially recognized and validated. To cite a few, Cyberkreig (virtual /online war) and Hasskriminalität (hate crime) are now new German words. Kopfkino (to daydream, or to be exact, to have an inner/mental cinema), Kopftuchstreit (the debate on the headscarf), Nachtshopping (to shop late at night) and Wildpinkler (one who likes to urinate in an outdoor setting) are other interesting terms. Also, Schmähgedicht (blasphemous or insulting poem), is a new term, coined by the comedian Jan Böhmermann in his recent ode to Turkey’s president Erdogan.
Furthermore, certain terms have received a grammatical revision. Amongst these, three English words influenced by German have been reintroduced in the dictionary in their original format. Majonäse returned to be Mayonnaise, as so has Ketschup, now Ketchup, and Anschovis, now Anchovies. With regards to the spelling, the most relevant changes consist of the introduction of dashes in words like Co-Trainer and Ex-Kanzler, and the introduction of the capital version of ß.

Cover photo  © CC0 Creative Commons

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