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Let's discuss the German culture in three chunks, language, people, and their holidays and vacations dates.The German language is Germanic. This is probably no surprise to the average reader but it might surprise you that English is Germanic too. Much of what is now England at one time in the dim light of history (ca. 600CE to 1066CE) was occupied and run by a group called Anglo-Saxons. They were the Angles and the Saxons. These are two different tribes that came from the north and northwest of what is now Germany and they spoke a version of Old Low German. Anyway, as you probably know English is like a sponge soaking up words from Latin, French, German, Japanese, and any other language it bumps into. Well, German does too. Both languages are changing rapidly today. Each year we visit, I notice that German uses more words that are English in everyday vocabulary. I recently heard my sister-in-law use a common English swear word (the one that starts with “s”), and she only speaks German. The reason she chose that expletive is interesting. German has a very good s-word of its own that she knows very well how to use but she feels the foreign word has a nicer and softer connotation in her language. Go figure. German assimilates foreign words as fast or faster than English does. Maybe someday, linguistic experts will refer to German as an “Englic” language (unfortunately, they will probably use the term “Anglican” but it is not as fun as my word). Generally, Germans are somewhat put aback by how their language is changing. Especially how it is absorbing English words. They call the resulting mishmash of languages Denglish. They discuss implementing laws that require strict use of traditional German like the French have done but it never gets very far. Germans are a progressive bunch and they don't want to be slowed down by traditionalists. There is a faction that makes fun of using foreign words as if they were real German. A few years ago they criticized the chairman of DB, the almost privatized German Train System. He introduced words like Service Point, Ticket, etc. German, of course, has very good words for those terms. German is prone to combine terms into one word. Sure, we do that in English too, like guidebook and mountainside, for example. But in German, words can go on for ever. Mark Twain said of the German language that, "German words are so long they have perspective." On verb conjugation, he says, "If a cat gets a hold of a German irregular verb, goodbye cat!" Mark Twain also commented on one of Germany's foremost composers by saying, "Wagner’s music is better than it sounds." By the way, it might be edifying to point out that in German, all nouns are capitalized. It's a really good idea. It helps those of us who struggle with any second language separate words that modify stuff (adjectives and adverbs) and do stuff (verbs) from the names for things (nouns). But still we wonder about the correctness of, "Er ist ein amerikanischer Bürger." compared to, "He is an American citizen." Just as in English, you have more than one way of making word plural in German. For example, in English, it is one car/two cars, and in German it is ein Auto/zwei Autos - just like most English plurals. There are words that don't change at all like the English of one sheep/two sheep. For example girl/girls is ein Mädchen zwei Mädchen. Whereas sheep/sheep becomes Ein Schaf, zwei Schafe; train station/train stations is ein Bahnhof, zwei Bahnhöfe; tree/trees is ein Baum, zwei Bäume; and flower/flowers (flowers are feminine) is eine Blume and zwei Blumen: And it gets complicater and complcater as you go - to paraphrase Alice in Wonderland. It is certainly true that German has some very long words. In our language, these words are more like terms. Lets start simple. In English we say "train station." In German that term becomes one word Bahnhof; a combination of one of the words for train, Bahn, and the word for a large building, Hof. Similarly, a bicycle becomes a Fahrrad; a traveling wheel. Now the next step, the word Übernachtungsmöglichkeit, for example, directly translated is overnighting possibility (a hotel or similar). But you can not always depend upon being able to study a word and break it down into parts that can be understood in English. Take the word Erdbeeren. That should be something to do with dirt (Erde is earth) and something to do with beer. Right? Except it means strawberries because Beeren is plural for berry while Bier is beer. Oh, well. Descriptions of modern clothing frequently use a few English words. But an English-looking word may not be English at all but authentic Deutsch. Be careful in assuming that you know what these words mean, they can easily change the meaning and pronunciation of the English sounding words. In fact, some English sounding words are actually German words that we English speakers have changed the pronunciation and meaning of when we borrowed the term from German. “Hosen” is not something women wear on their legs; it means “pants.” A “Slip” is panties but a “Schlips” is a necktie and a “Gürtel” is a belt and both genders wear Gürteln. Be careful about what you ask for – you might be embarrassed. But that is all in the fun of travel after all. Umlauts and s-sets: Some of the letters in German words and place names have umlauts (two little dots over some vowels). If your keyboard does not have these characters one is allowed to use an “e” following the vowel. For example, the name Günter becomes Guenter and Köln becomes Koeln. Or, you can use the Insert option from the menu and choose Symbol. Germany has a strange character that looks for all the world like a capital B. They put it right in the middle or on the end of words. A very strange place for a capital B indeed. Actually, it is an s set ("ss"). The character is "ß." A few years ago in 1996, the official keepers of the language decided to do away with it in every instance following a short sounding vowel. However, that idea went over like a lead balloon with the population. That said, the language will probably conform with the new rules in a generation or two. Today anyway ess (eat!) sometimes looks like eß. And, Gruss (greeting) sometimes looks like Gruß (don't say "grub" - you'll sound way too American). A reader points out that you cannot willy-nilly exchange a double s for an ß because some words are only spelled with a double s. She, the reader, gives the example of "Maße" (meaning "measures") that is pronounced with a long a juxtaposed with "Masse" (meaning "mass") that is pronounced with a short a. German is very confusing to a Native English speaker. But then, so is English confusing to a native English speaker. And, my British friends, Neil and Judith, would point out that I don't really speak English well to begin with. That same reader points out that the ß was originally a mark for the combination of s and z and that therefore its sound is more of a hissing sound than the buzzing sound of the soft s or double s. She writes like a professional linguist so she is probably right. And my native German speaking wife thinks so too. As a general rule, in German words you pronounce every letter the same each time you see them. Unfortunately, German also has words from other languages like English and French so occasionally you don't pronounce every letter. Another rule I have found to be true is that if a vowel has an umlaut, Americans can't pronounce it. We also have trouble with R's and L's and the "ch" sound. Hey, if it was easy, all the translators would be unemployed. You can find a few key words and phrases by clicking on this underlined link. The list does not have everything you need, but almost. Add some numbers, left & right, and a few days of the week, and you're there. Germans are not, contrary to stereotypes, stubborn. They are just argumentative. Things have to be logical to them or they will argue about it until they find the logic. Now that logic does not have to be based in physics or math, but it does have to fit with their view of what is the correct way to live. For example, they know instinctively that drafts cause colds and therefore drafts are bad. They only accept modern medicine’s finding that bugs cause colds with the part of their brain that has nothing to do with behavior. (I probably inherited that particular gene from my Great Grandmother Schmidt.) They like ventilation in their homes, just not when they are in the room. Another example is they have deduced that things that are too cold cause digestion problems. Therefore, you cannot find a glass of ice water in the whole of Germany. If you happen to come from Seattle and have a hankering for an iced latte, you will be surprised at what you get when you order an Eiskaffee in Germany. It is coffee and ice cream (Eis is ice cream not ice). I must say Eiskaffee is a happy improvement over what I expected. On the other hand, imagine the disappointment a German experiences when after ordering an ice coffee in Latte-land (Seattle) and they get only coffee, milk, and ice cubes. Germans are passionate about lifestyle and politics – an expensive combination from a societal perspective. They enjoy laws that encourage family values to a depth never dreamed of by American lawmakers. For example, many of the shops and stores close early Saturday and remain closed on Sunday so the workers can be with their families. This is not only inconvenient for the shoppers, but also expensive to the society in that there are fewer jobs in retailing. It is also common for other types of firms to close early on Fridays. Again, this gives the workers more time at home. Of course, the unions request many of these practices. Germany is one of the most highly unionized countries in the western world. This fact is causing their labor cost to skyrocket. Fortunately, this high labor cost is held partially in check by their ability to keep their productivity high through ingenuity and technology. But using technology also reduces the number of laborers needed to accomplish a task. This and reunification has lead, in recent years, to high unemployment. They are only recently working their way out of economic recession. The average German knows more about American politics than the average American. Moreover, they know about the politics in other countries in Europe. (The exception is Italy. Italians change governments so often, no one bothers to keep up - not even the Italians.) The German political system has at least five major political parties. Most Americans have trouble keeping up with two. They also cherish a good time. After work, you will find them gathered in the local drinking establishment enjoying one another’s company. Song is to be broken into whenever you feel like it. Chances are others will join you in the song. They like gatherings of any kind. There are clubs for all types of activities like sports, singing, shooting, and "Kegel" (a kind of bowling). Stadtfests (community festivals), for example, are always well attended. Another example of how some Germans cherish a good time is Frühschoppen. Translated it means an early drink. A shoppen is a measurement of liquid and Früh means early so it's like an "early pint." In some families, Frühschoppen is a Sunday tradition and the men gather at their favorite Kneipe (pub) after church for a convivial beer with their friends. Said another way, Sunday is for Frühschoppen but church comes first. If I had my way, I'd substitute Frühschoppen for church and I'm sure many do. Speaking of church, Germans are mostly Christian but other religions are also evident. Looking at the Christians, they divide themselves about evenly between Catholic and Protestant. Remember, Germany is the homeland of Martin Luther. There are more protestants in the north and more Catholics in the south but one cannot be categorical in this age of free movement of people. The German government is secular for the most part - although religious holidays are observed.
I once heard humorist Dave Barry (Miami Herald) comment that Europeans frequently get 53 weeks a year of vacation. I can tell you he is wrong; a year only has 52 weeks. Otherwise, ... If you are bicycling in Germany, it might be good to think about making hotel reservations ahead if you will be under way during a holiday weekend. These dates can be easily found on the internet. Just type in "German holidays, 2007" into your search engine window. For example, I found a list in a reliable site http://www.germany-info.org/relaunch/culture/life/holidays.html or if that isn't up to date, try http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/index.html?year=2008&country=8. Note that holidays falling on a Thursday, are frequently interpreted as a four-day weekend. Here is a list of the holidays for the year 2008:
School vacation is another consideration. Many families plan vacation trips around the school breaks. German schools let out for only about 6 weeks during the summer. They also take a two-week break around Christmas and New Years and a second two-week break around Easter. In the fall, they frequently take a one-week break that many classes use to take class trips. Most states coordinate their shorter breaks with other states so the whole country is not on the road, trying to find lodging at the same time. So, from state to state, the timing of the breaks will vary widely. More about biking in Germany can be found in these pages:
• Revised: March 30, 2008 |