Differences between German and British manners

Post by notJim » Fri, May 27, 2011, 4:29 PM UTC

gloob wrote: post #11

VMG wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're right, but what does it say about Germans when they have to borrow the word "small talk"?

Much the same thing that it says about English-speakers when they have to borrow the word "entrepreneur".

Post by Typhon » Fri, May 27, 2011, 4:37 PM UTC

demallien wrote: post #16

Typhon wrote: post #14

« The German language doesn't even have an expression for "small talk", she says. » When will this idea that because Language X doesn't have Y, the idea Y represents is alien to X speakers finally disappear ? Although language does have an influence on one's thinking habit, this idea is a gross misrepresentation of very complex phenomena. There's no word in French for the verb "to need". There's no future tense in Fi…

'There's no word in French for the verb "to need".' Sure, but there is an expression for the idea - the article didn't just say that there isn't a word for small talk, it said that Germans don't even do small talk. The example given was that th German translation of a Paddington Bear book actually just cuts out the small talk, which does indeed seem to support the idea that you disagree with...

Post by hexxs » Fri, May 27, 2011, 4:42 PM UTC

Post by lispm » Fri, May 27, 2011, 5:03 PM UTC

geebee wrote: post #19

gloob wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Much the same thing that it says about English-speakers when they have to borrow the word "entrepreneur".

There is a slight difference, though, in that the English speaking world has taken a huge amount of its vocabulary from French. It may be less remarkable when Americans borrow a word then when Germans do this. That said, "Entrepreneur", from what I read on wikipedia, was a 19th century import, not a William the Conquerer import, so you do make a pretty good point - it does seem more of a "borrowed word" than a core p…

Post by geebee » Fri, May 27, 2011, 5:08 PM UTC

lispm wrote: post #28

geebee wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a slight difference, though, in that the English speaking world has taken a huge amount of its vocabulary from French. It may be less remarkable when Americans borrow a word then when Germans do this. That said, "Entrepreneur", from what I read on wikipedia, was a 19th century import, not a William the Conquerer import, so you do make a pretty good point - it does seem more of a "borrowed word" than a core p…

English has a huge vocabulary from German. Even the royal family was mostly imported from Germany.