![]() Example: die Fremdscham (literally: the foreign shame). The words which open up whole new worlds of abstract understanding and are actually used in German.The words which open up whole new worlds of abstract understanding - and are already used in English! Examples: der Ohrwurm, die Schadenfreude, der Weltschmerz, der Zeitgeist and die Wanderlust.Example: die Nacktschnecke (literally: naked snail), meaning: slug. The words which ambush you dressed in comic obviousness.These words fall into a few different categories, which I just made up: Allow me to serenade you with nine of the most fascinating words in the German language. On second thought, don’t agree with me just yet. Compare that to Weltschmerz (the sensation of melancholy and world-weariness) and I think you’ll agree, once and for all, that German is the incontrovertible victor of one-wordiness. The astute among you will chorus, “But English does that too!” You’re not wrong, but “wallpaper” is probably our most exciting compound noun. Even Twain admitted to being charmed every time he understood one such word. Yes, this is where German wins: when it comes to encapsulating a nuanced but recognizable concept within one single word. ![]() While Schmetterling (a German butterfly) may not be as euphonic as farfalle (an Italian butterfly) or mariposa (a Spanish butterfly), Schadenfreude (joy in other people’s misfortune) certainly has the upper hand over the Spanish vergüenza ajena, or the Italian gioia per il male altrui. “I can understand German as well as the maniac that invented it, but I talk it best through an interpreter.”Īnd yet many of the same people who poke fun at the consonant-filled mania of the German language also marvel at the German compound word as they learn German. Twain reckoned the language must have been invented by a maniac: According to Moran, it sounds like typewriters eating tin foil being kicked down the stairs. Everyone from Mark Twain to Dylan Moran has launched into tirades on the German language.
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