"German is easy." Definitely a bold statement. I don't think it's true, but there are definitely some elements of the language that make it easy for English learners:
1. Spelling
Spelling in German is straightforward. No student of German has ever had to learn a rule like "i before e except after c and in words that rhyme with..."
2. Pronunciation
I find pronunciation in German much easier than in English. Read a word just like it's written and you'll pronounce it correctly almost all of the time. The main exception to this is found in French words that have been imported into German, like Portemonnaie, a kind of wallet, or Kampagne, a campaign.
3. Vocabulary words
If you can speak English, you already know a bunch of very impressive-sounding German words.
Take any abstract term, scientific term, or political philosophy, spell it just a little bit differently, pronounce it differently, and you've got a German word, and you'll sound highly educated.
the agitation = die Agitation ah-gee-tah-zee-ohn (used mainly in a political sense)
the inflation = die Inflation in-flah-zee-ohn
anti-Americanism = Antiamerikanismus an-tee-ah-mehr-ee-kahn-ihs-moos
4. English is a Germanic language
English is very closely related to German. In addition to the above vocabulary words that have been brought back over to German, there are many similar words that stem from the common ancestor of the two languages. "Tür" and "door" and "Grab" and "grave" are just a couple of examples.
For you polyglots out there, what do you think? What makes German easy for English speakers? What makes German difficult for English speakers?
Stay tuned for the coming post "German is Hard, or "deutsche Sprache, schwere Sprache".
13 comments:
As a German teacher I am trying to lure students to sign up for German by emphasizing the close relationship between German and English. Like you said, once you know the basic alphabet, you can pronounce pretty much every word you come across. Most times you can even guess its meaning.
What my students find really hard is to stop thinking in English when they want to say complete sentences in German. Example: One of the first sentences they learn is obviously "Ich heisse...". Now almost 3 months later, when they get an assignment to write "My brother's name is", "What's your name" etc. they switch back to English and try to translate it literaly with "Was Name ist.." It seems it takes them a l o n g time to realize that you can't translate between languages word by word. The same goes for any slang expressions. They are then disappointed to hear that Germans don't say certain things the same way. I can't think of any expamples now though.
The foreign words seem to be the ones that cause the most problems - I have seen a sign for "Champions" in the produce department (mushrooms - champignons) and on the opposite side of the coin have seen a sign for "Lampignons" for "Lampions" (paper lanterns).
Of course the wallet is now officially spelled Portmonee due to the latest spelling reform.
While Trottoir (sidewalk) is *not* spelle Trottwar (I saw a sign stating that the trottwar was treated with salt).
Hi, Kevin. I came across your site when I was applying to TJ this year. Great to see your blog; I was thinking of going to DE through Congress-Bundestag as well (I'm several - two - weeks off the minimum age requirement). The blog is brilliant; please keep writing.
As to answer your questions...
-What makes German easy is the similarities of the alphabet and many cognates to English.
-What makes it difficult: some sounds are difficult for the English speakers to make, particularly the German 'r' and the umlauts. And literal translating doesn't always go very well.
Gesegnete Weihnachten und ein glückliches neues Jahr!
Mariya
Hallo Kevin!
Es ist sehr richtig, was du hast gesagt. Deutsch ist sehr einfach, und macht sehr spass. Also, die deutsch zwei Klasse hier bei TJ will wissen "Hast du Heimweh?"
Hallo,
I am in German I at TJ right now, and I have to agree that it seems pretty easy (at least for the moment). Your words are good motivation for my future with the language. Enjoy the remainder of your trip.
I just started German this year at TJ and I also agree that many words are simular to English, so it's easy to write. For me, the hardest part is pronouciation, especially with the umlauts. Some words can look like its english translation, but be pronounced completly different. That's what throws me off.
Hello Kevin,
I am also a German 1 student at TJ this year. I have heard of other festivals similar to this Christmas one that take place, such as Weinfest. I also think htat, so far, German is a pretty easy language because it's so similar to English.So far I have really enjoyed it. Enjoy the rest of your trip.
Nice blog; the layout is definitely great. I'm also a German 1 student at TJ, hence me posting at midnight. Answering some of your questions, coming from a relatively new learner of German the hardest part would be the little nuances that can't translate directly into German. The easiest part of German as you mentioned would probably be the similarities between the two. Great blog, and thought-provoking questions with reflection to get people involved. Frohe Weihnachten.
@Kretakos: Go for it! I can't recommend the program highly enough. I agree with the points you made about the German language. I'll add on to the difficulties a little more in a coming post.
@Anonymous: Deutsch ist nicht sehr einfach. Warte auf den kommenden Eintrag über die Schwierigkeiten der deutschen Sprache. Großes Heimweh habe ich noch nicht gehabt, weil es einfach so schön ist, hier zu sein. :)
@Andrew R: Thanks! German will get more difficult as you get more and more involved with the different cases, but don't let it discourage you. Frau Vaden is a great teacher and you'll have it down pat eventually.
@lisa: Yes, that can be very difficult at first. But once you get the rules down and get a feeling for the pronunciation, you'll find that the pronunciation in German is much more standard than the pronunciation in English.
@Jonathan Phillips: Yes, there are all kinds of festivals here. They're a lot of fun. Thanks for commenting!
@Jonathan Spitz: Yes, the more German I learn, the more I realize there are so many things you can't really translate well. You might be able to translate the meaning, but the exact connotation rarely translates.
But that's one of the most interesting parts of learning a language! You see what kind of ideas exist in other languages that don't exist in English. Sometimes these words are used in English because we can't express the idea with one word. Have fun trying to find good translations for these words: Zusammengehörigkeitsgefühl, Zeitgeist, and Schadenfreude.
Two of those three are now actually used in the English language. Does anybody know which two?
"zeitgeist" and "schadenfreud", of course! "zusammengehörigkeitsgefühl" is too complicated for us... I've also heard we use "Weltanschauung" and I've heard "verboten" horrendously mispronounced at me ("vayr-baht-in" or something, I nearly cried...)
I'm in Frau Vaden's German 3 class, and this is the third time she's had us read your blog. It's considerably more interesting than the 80's textbook!
I'm hoping to be in Germany for a while this summer-- I applied for the AATG/PAD trip.
This blog is really great, and I hope everything continues to go well.
English pronunciation of foreign words is a whoooole 'nother topic. I'm going to have a hard time deciding whether to use the German or American pronunciation of names of German scientists, philosophers, statesmen, and composers throughout my life.
I certainly hope the blog is a little more interesting than a textbook. That's the idea.
Good luck with your application!
-Kevin
Diese Beschreibung gefielt mir! Ich lerne Deutsch, und ich finde es manchmal einfach. Aber das schwierste Ding ist die Grammatik! Tchuess!
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