Posts in January 2009

Schwäbisch Alltag Dialekt

Posted by Nathalie
Jan
23
2009

Guten Tag! or as you would say in  Swabian: Grüss Gott!

Over the next few Wochen, we’ll explore some of the major German dialects. Today, I’ll introduce you to some expressions in the Schwäbisch Alltag (everyday/daily life), Swabian dialect. The Schwäbische Mundart is considered an Alamannic Upper German dialect. Nächste Woche, I’ll compare it to another dialect, and so on… this will show you the similarities and differences between all the diverse dialects. Für mich ist das sehr interessant because as an Alsatian dialect speaker, I notice many commonalities zwischen diesen beiden Dialekten – I’ll write about them when I introduce you to my dialect; a Germanic dialect with a long history.

Below, you will see some examples that will show you the differences between German and Swabian:

Deutsch
Schwäbisch Alltag
English
Auf Wiedersehen Adee  Goodbye
Es tut mir leid! Deesch mr abr arrg! I am sorry!
Durcheinander Vrwurschdeld Mixed-up
Moment! wardad se! One moment!
Kopfschmerzen Schäädelwaih Headache
Langsam laufen Däbbla Dawdling
Meinst du nicht auch? Isch nedd so? Don’t you think so?
Würdest du? Dädsch? Will you? or would you?
Jetzt langt es aber! Jetz ischs Hai hônda! That’s enough!

Swabia/an is known both as a dialect, and as a historic region in Southwestern Germany. This region - once a medieval duchy - encompassed the Southern part of Baden-Württemberg, the Southwestern part of Bavaria, Eastern Switzerland, and the Alsace region; now a part of France.

To the Romans this region was known as Alamannia. It was named after its first settlers, a Germanic tribe called the Alamanni. In 5 AD, the Suevi — Germanic migrants originating from the Baltic Sea area — migrated to the region and joined the Alamanni people. Eventually, the Alamannia region became the Swabia region; named after the Suevi tribe. Suevi may also be called Suebi.

Today, the name Swabia is occasionally used to denote the district formerly occupied by the Duchy, but the official use of the name is now confined to a province in Bavaria.

Vocabulary:

  • Nächste Woche - Next week
  • Wochen - Weeks
  • Oberdeutsch - Upper German
  • Schwäbische Mundart - Swabian dialect
  • Für mich - For me
  • Sehr - Very
  • Zwischen - Between
  • Beiden - Both

If you want to learn more about the Swabian dialect I recommend you check out this informative website:  http://www.schwaebisch-englisch.de/

Next time, I’ll introduce you to Franconian German. 

Adee,

Nathalie

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How an iPhone Can Help You Learn German

Posted by Evan Quinlan
Jan
22
2009

Byki German for iPhoneiPhones may be shiny toys good for showing off to your friends, but they’re also good for another thing: changing the way you solve problems. What’s your first instinct when you encounter a problem or question you can’t respond to immediately? Now think about how that would change if you had a small, expandable, Web-enabled computer in your pocket. You might reach for that first. The number of problems an iPhone can solve increases every day as more and more applications are added to the Apple App Store. (For instance, one of my colleagues was putting up a shelf and needed a level, so he downloaded a free level application.) Because there seems to be no limit to what they can do, iPhones and other, similar devices are becoming our first instinct when we’re faced with a dilemma.

Here’s a new dilemma you can solve with your iPhone: how to keep yourself in the habit of learning German. Transparent Language has released Byki German for iPhone and it’s been very well received, just like its French and Spanish siblings. People like it because it makes quick, frequent study sessions fun and engaging.

One of the hardest parts about following through with learning a foreign language is creating a study habit for yourself. When I learned 200 words and phrases in Czech I made a habit of studying at lunch or directly after work. With an iPhone, you have a much wider range of options for when and where you create your study habit, without the restriction of needing access to a PC. It becomes easy during any 10 minutes in line at the supermarket, waiting for the train, or between dinner and dessert to fit a few new words into your vocabulary. And no matter how little you learn during any given 10-minute session with Byki German, you’re still doing something critical to learning a foreign language: supporting the habit of frequent study. Like going to the gym, the less often you do it, the harder it becomes. iPhones and other advanced mobile devices, beyond being a lot of fun, can tear down the barriers that stopped us from doing what we want, where we want, when we want. Like learning German at Dunkin’ Donuts at 7am, waiting for that tasty hazelnut Kaffee.

Visit Transparent Language at the Apple App Store

 
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Der Wetterbericht mit Lupin!

Posted by Nathalie
Jan
11
2009

Hallo!

Vor ein paar Tagen, sah ich diese Geschichte an den Nachrichten (news) ; I loved it! Ich finde dass this story eine gute Angelegenheit für Sie ist to be exposed to some German Wetter (weather) terms and more! 

Here is what Jörg Kachelmann, the weather man, had to say about Lupin die Katze and how it snuck into the studio during his forecast:

 “I don’t know how he got into the studio,” Kachelmann said, adding Lupin belonged to a weather studio colleague who was out of town. “I noticed him when he rubbed against my leg and thought people might wonder what was happening. I figured it would be easier to control the cat by picking him up. Cats get annoyed if they feel ignored. So I made sure he didn’t feel ignored. I know the English have a saying about raining cats and dogs but unfortunately I couldn’t make that joke in Germany.” (as reported by Telegraph.co.uk)

*Katze is a generic term for cat but, depending on the gender of the cat, you might say: Die Katze (feminin), or der Kater (masculin). Kater is also slang for hangover.

 I transcribed most of the events chronologically; this should help you follow along once you’re ready to watch the clip:

  1. Und jetzt zum Wetter — and now onto the weather
  2. Schönen Abend, herzlich willkommen — good evening, a heartfelt welcome
  3. Schneefälle — snow showers
  4. Langsam aber sicher — slowly but surely
  5. Das ganze wird immer schwächer – the whole thing will eventually taper off
  6. Das ganze wird sich jetzt in die Nacht hinein beruhigen — the whole thing will slow down, or calm down during the night
  7. Hochdruck — high pressure
  8. Morgen — tomorrow
  9. Morgen früh — tomorrow morning
  10. Morgen Mittag — tomorrow afternoon
  11. Klare Nächte und vor allem sehr tiefe Temperaturen heute Nacht — clear nights, and above all, very low temperatures tonight
  12. Unsere Studiokatze ist auch gerade unerlaubterweise hier drin — our studio cat just happens to be in here without permission

This cat is just too much. Notice how Mr. Kachelmann never skips a beat and just goes on with the weather report.

  1. Aber ich behalt sie einfach mal — but I’ll just hold on to her for now
  2. Hören Sie noch was? — can you still hear something?
  3. Ja, das Mikrophone lassen wir frei – yes, we’ll leave the microphone unobstructed
  4. Also — all right
  5. Weniger — less
  6. Vormittag — morning or before noon
  7. Im laufe des Tages — throughout the day
  8. Sonnig — sunny
  9. MI — Mittwoch — wednesday
  10. DO —  Donnerstag — thursday
  11. FR–  Freitag — friday
  12. Zumindest noch bis zum Wochenende einiger maßen Winterlich — more or less wintery, at least until the week-end
  13. Die Katzen haben hoffentlich ein dickes Fell in die Nächten – hopefully, cats have a thick-enough coat that will carry them through the nights (?)
  14. Tschüss — bye

Bis bald!

Nathalie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP4zaMvV__4

 
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Am sechsten Januar

Posted by Nathalie
Jan
7
2009

Hallo!

Haben Sie gemerkt dass die deutschen Wörter Heute in Grün sind? I thought it might make it more interesting. Na gut, I admit it, ich habe die Farbe geändert because even though it’s only January, I am already yearning for the colors of Frühling.

Ach ja! Speaking of January… that time of year when all those holiday decorations are being packed away, stashed away to forgotten corners somewhere around the house. You must be thinking, “the holidays are over, Gott sei Dank” My thoughts exactly! Actually, in Germany and other parts of Europe, the celebration of Christmas does not end until the twelfth day after Christmas — January 6th. So yes, there is one more holiday custom I want to tell you about — keine Angst! This one does not require decorations. All you need is… a piece of chalk.

Am sechsten Januar (Gestern), it is a catholic custom to celebrate die Heilige drei Könige, or as we call it — Epiphany. It used to be the celebration of Christ’s birth, that is, until the Roman church changed the date to December 25 — Christmas.

“Warum brauche ich einen stück Kreide?” Fragen Sie. If you lived in Germany, you would need the chalk to make an inscription above your front door. “Why?” Well, because it is believed that the inscription C+M+B+ (the year) will protect your home. Sehr interessant, aber was hat dass mit den Heilige Drei Könige zu tun?

Traditionally, on the eve of Epiphany, people prayed and burned blessed dried herbs to fill the house with the scent. All doorways were sprinkled with holy water. Someone, usually the master of the house, would then write the initials C+M+B and the year above the front door and say,“Caspar, Melchior, Balthasar, behütet uns auch für dieses Jahr, vor Feuer und vor Wasser.”

Aber Achtung! Even though you might think the letters represent the initials of the three wise men; it is not so! Historically, the three letters come from the Latin phrase “Christus mansionem benedictact,” which stands for “Christ bless this home.” It is believed that many people, who still practice this custom today, are not aware of this fact. Did you know? Ich wusste dass auf jeden Fall nicht. I have seen these inscriptions on older homes, especially old farmhouses, but when I asked my friends about them, they didn’t know what they meant either!

Ich wünsche Ihnen einen angenehmen Tag.

Tschüss,

Nathalie

 
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Die Mainzelmännchen

Posted by Nathalie
Jan
3
2009

Hallo! und “Gud’n Aaamd!”Mainzelmannchen

Kennen Sie die Mainzelmännchen? Those of you who’ve watched the ZDF channel probably know who I’m talking about. Those of you who haven’t, well, let me introduce you to some cute little TV characters. There are six of them. The one in the picture heißt Det; Ist er nicht süß? I just love this little guy! Als Kind, out of all of them, liebte ich ihn am allerbesten.

Das Mainzelmännchen in dem bild on the right is my very own! Back when I lived in Deutschland, eine sehr nette Dame and a good friend of mine gave him to me. Bin ich froh das ich ihn behalten habe! Now I can share him with you.

Here is a little background information on how these cartoon characters came to be. The little goblins, Kobolde, were created for the ZDF channel in 1963, by Wolf Gerlach. He essentially created and designed them as a Werbe-Pausenfüller. Diese kleine Knaben were his claim to fame. Their little antics are fun and entertaining - a favorite with children, and some grown-ups!

Herr Gerlach retired before the Mainzelmännchen went through a major makeover. In 2003, they not only received a more modernized look, the new designers also switched from the drawing board to a computerized program. Although, there was some protest about the Mainzelmännchen’s new look, Mrs. Gerlach had this to say about them “Ich finde die jetzt sehr in Ordnung, meine waren schon sehr nostalgisch.”

http://hallodeutschland.zdf.de/ZDFde/inhalt/20/0,1872,7225172,00.html?dr=1

This clip will introduce you to the little goblins in action. It will also show you die Mainzelmännchen before the makeover.

Viel Spaβ und bis bald,

Nathalie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iotEroE6OE0

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