German expressions in recent Trek novels

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Back on topic:

What's the deal with Graylock in 'Gods of Night'? What fellow is he? Is he Austrian, is he German? He is being named both, an austrian and a german. There the book is inconsistant.

And what was that about there being no funny german caberatists? That's just plain wrong.

 

[Una McCormack]

Hi! Did it take a while to train yourself to the alternate spellings? Has the spell checker (I keep forgetting there are US/UK English, but it makes sense as there is FR and... QUE French I think) ever changed something you've never heard of into a US spelling? Did it ever surprise you?

I think the only time I was surprised was when I typed 'glamor' and it turned out not to spelt like that in US English, at least not by Microsoft.
Oh, "forward" instead of "forwards" is the one I always forget.

It didn't take long to train myself to the alternate spellings: I think we're so used to seeing US English spellings (particularly with the internet) that so long as you remember to flick the switch in your head you can write in that mode relatively naturally. I did a lot of HTML at one point, and you have to use 'color' there too. And I always used the '-ize' form anyway.

It's much harder to do idiom: I'd never write something like "Be sure to..." rather than "Make sure that you..."

 

[William Leisner]

it was all '-our' and '-ise' and lorries and crisps and whatnot.

I think that's one of the funniest things I've read all week

Really? Sorry, you must have had one miserable week...

 

[Marie1]

Back on topic:

What's the deal with Graylock in 'Gods of Night'? What fellow is he? Is he Austrian, is he German? He is being named both, an austrian and a german. There the book is inconsistant.

And what was that about there being no funny german caberatists? That's just plain wrong.

You sure there's a contradiction in the books and not just posts here?
GoN page 31 "Graylock, the Austrian-born engineer" (italics added) so he could be German and just born in Austria. He's speaking German, but the two places are so close, and well, Hitler was Austrian, but he spoke German and was Chancellor of Germany...

Hi! Did it take a while to train yourself to the alternate spellings? Has the spell checker (I keep forgetting there are US/UK English, but it makes sense as there is FR and... QUE French I think) ever changed something you've never heard of into a US spelling? Did it ever surprise you?

I think the only time I was surprised was when I typed 'glamor' and it turned out not to spelt like that in US English, at least not by Microsoft.
Oh, "forward" instead of "forwards" is the one I always forget.

It didn't take long to train myself to the alternate spellings: I think we're so used to seeing US English spellings (particularly with the internet) that so long as you remember to flick the switch in your head you can write in that mode relatively naturally. I did a lot of HTML at one point, and you have to use 'color' there too. And I always used the '-ize' form anyway.

It's much harder to do idiom: I'd never write something like "Be sure to..." rather than "Make sure that you..."

Ahh! Idioms! They're so different between French and English! One of my French classes this semester was full of them!
I didn't know the UK used "forwards" instead of "forward!!"
I love this, its facinating!!!

 

[captcalhoun]

Austrians SPEAK German

 

[Cut]

Back on topic:

What's the deal with Graylock in 'Gods of Night'? What fellow is he? Is he Austrian, is he German? He is being named both, an austrian and a german. There the book is inconsistant.

And what was that about there being no funny german caberatists? That's just plain wrong.

You sure there's a contradiction in the books and not just posts here?
GoN page 31 "Graylock, the Austrian-born engineer" (italics added) so he could be German and just born in Austria. He's speaking German, but the two places are so close...

I am reasonably sure it's a mistiake of the book. It is clear that he could speak german as an austrian, but that's not my point. He is being reffered to as (broad-shouldered) austrian and then again, once he tries making a joke, one of the other characters thinks to himself, that there are indeed no funny germans (caberatists) or something like that. I think there were other references for Graylock being a German as well. It really doesn't matter to me, if he is supposed to be from germany or Austria, but it would be nice to decide for one country and stick to it.

Austrians SPEAK German

Yes, well, sort of


Ah and two nitpicks after having finished Gods of Night yesterday:
1. 'scheisskopf' is definately no german word. If it were, it had to be written with a capital S anyway.
2. The Brecht quotation has a spelling mistake as well: 'Krieg' needs to be spelled with a capital K as well.

Aside from this, intersting story, and well done cliffhanger. Mere Mortals is on its way to be as I write this

 

[MichaelS]

Austrians SPEAK German

Yes, well, sort of

Care to rephrase that, laddie?

 

[Cut]

Austrians SPEAK German

Yes, well, sort of

Care to rephrase that, laddie?

As much as I like to hear an austrian speak, you simply have a (different) accent. That just sounds 'funny' to us, as we are used to our version of german, as it is most probably sounding funny to you, when you hear us talking. Am I right?

So, please, no hard feelings

 

[MichaelS]

Well, if you put it like that, I can hardly disagree. I simply get a little testy when I hear people say that what we speak isn't "real" German.

 

[Sci]

Well, if you put it like that, I can hardly disagree. I simply get a little testy when I hear people say that what we speak isn't "real" German.

I think it's safe to say that the entire world has had more than enough arguments over what is or is not "true" German.

 

[Una McCormack]

it was all '-our' and '-ise' and lorries and crisps and whatnot.

I think that's one of the funniest things I've read all week

Really? Sorry, you must have had one miserable week...

Well, I'll admit it was a disappointing end to Strictly Come Dancing. But I only need to think "lorries and crisps and whatnot" and I'm chortling again

 

[DimesDan]

Well, I'll admit it was a disappointing end to Strictly Come Dancing. But I only need to think "lorries and crisps and whatnot" and I'm chortling again

Oh yeah that finished last night, thank god for that.

I think it's safe to say that the entire world has had more than enough arguments over what is or is not "true" German.

Regardless of the winking eye icon, this joke is not big, clever and most especially NOT funny.

Hi! Did it take a while to train yourself to the alternate spellings? Has the spell checker (I keep forgetting there are US/UK English, but it makes sense as there is FR and... QUE French I think) ever changed something you've never heard of into a US spelling? Did it ever surprise you?

I think the only time I was surprised was when I typed 'glamor' and it turned out not to spelt like that in US English, at least not by Microsoft.
Oh, "forward" instead of "forwards" is the one I always forget.

It didn't take long to train myself to the alternate spellings: I think we're so used to seeing US English spellings (particularly with the internet) that so long as you remember to flick the switch in your head you can write in that mode relatively naturally. I did a lot of HTML at one point, and you have to use 'color' there too. And I always used the '-ize' form anyway.

It's much harder to do idiom: I'd never write something like "Be sure to..." rather than "Make sure that you..."

Ahh! Idioms! They're so different between French and English! One of my French classes this semester was full of them!
I didn't know the UK used "forwards" instead of "forward!!"
I love this, its facinating!!!

Yes it is that.

 

[Cut]

Well, if you put it like that, I can hardly disagree. I simply get a little testy when I hear people say that what we speak isn't "real" German.

That I can completely understand. Your german is of course as real as ours here.

 

[captcalhoun]

Well, I'll admit it was a disappointing end to Strictly Come Dancing.

Lisa fan?

me = Tom fan.

 

[Defcon]

2. The Brecht quotation has a spelling mistake as well: 'Krieg' needs to be spelled with a capital K as well.

Yeah, I already pointed that out in another thread, although since it's a quote and he made the same "mistake" in an interview I did with him, I guess it could be how it was spelled in his version of the text. *shrug*

 

[captcalhoun]

are there any German comedians?

I'm the only Iranian comedian in the world. That's three more than Germany!

 

[Defcon]

Since a German comedian has the world record for the largest attendance for a stand up programm I guess so.

 

[Baerbel Haddrell]

It was a very long time ago but I enjoyed the work of the comedian Otto Waalkes very much. I also watched his first movie. After moving to England I lost track of what he did since then.

 

[Defcon]

More movies, occasional TV shows, but mostly the same old jokes.

 

[captcalhoun]

i was looking at German humour on Wikipedia. i don't think it translates well...