I'm taking the liberty of reproducing the following lesson in Bona Fide German Words here, just because the lesson is too funny not to! (HT: Marginal Revolution.)
The words you see below are genuine words. True, they are not words you would find in every-day German, but they are lexically and syntactically legitimate. Theoretically, there is no limit to the compounding of nouns in German. There is a practical limit though -- you run out of breath and you lose sight of the beginning before you reach the end.1) Donaydampfshiffahrtsgesellschafts- kapitaenskajuetenschluesseloch
[The keyhole of the door of the cabin of the captain of a steamship company operating on the Danube]
2) Gesundheitswiederherstellungszusammen- mischungsverhaeltniskundiger
[One who knows the mixture ratio of a concoction that is sure torestore health]
3) Ueberseedeutschlehrerinternetmailing- listenfragenstellundantwortkundigen
[People well versed in asking questions and supplying answers on the Internet Mailing List of German teachers abroad]
But that's not all the fun! The author goes on to create some more:
There follows a small collection of pseudo-compound nouns together with their English equivalents, which illustrate the process of compounding as it occurs naturally in the German language.
German Lesson #7
Dog: Barkenpantensniffer Dog Catcher: Barkenpantensniffersnatcher Dog Catcher's Truck: Barkenpantensniffersnatcherwagen Garage for Truck: Barkenpantensniffensnatcherwagenhaus Truck Repairman: Barkenpantensniffensnatcherwagen- mechanikerwerker Mechanic's Union: Barkenpantensniffensnatcherwagen- mechanikerwerkerfeatherbedden- gefixengruppe Doctor: Chestergethumpenpulsentooker Nurse: Chestergethumpenpulsentookerhelper Hypodermic Needle: Chestergethumpenpulsentooker- helperhurtensticker Backside: Chestergethumpenpulsentooker- helperhurtenstickerstabbenplatz Piano: Plinkenplankenplunkenbox Pianist: Plinkenplankenplunkenboxgepounder Piano Stool: Plinkenplankenplunkenboxgepounder- spinnenseat Piano Recital: Plinkenplankenplunkenboxgepounder- offengeshowenspelle Fathers at the Recital: Plinkenplankenplunkenboxgepounder- offengeshowenspellensnoozengruppe Mothers at the Recital: Plinkenplankenplunkenboxgepounder- offengeshowenspellensnoozen- gruppenuppenwakers Automobile: Honkenbrakenscreecher Gasoline: Honkenbrakenscreecherzoomerjuicen Driver: Honkenbrakenscreecherguidenschtunker Auto Mechanic: Honkenbrakenscreecherknockengepinger- sputtergefixer Repair Bill: Bankenrollergebustenuptottenliste
No wonder the Germans are such a fun-loving people!
Labels: none really
Welcome to the blogosphere's toolchest! Here, unlike other blogs dedicated to analyzing current events, we create easy-to-use, simple tools to do the math related to them so you can get in on the action too! If you would like to learn more about these tools, or if you would like to contribute ideas to develop for this blog, please e-mail us at:
ironman at politicalcalculations
Thanks in advance!
Closing values for previous trading day.
This site is primarily powered by:
CSS Validation
RSS Site Feed
JavaScript
The tools on this site are built using JavaScript. If you would like to learn more, one of the best free resources on the web is available at W3Schools.com.
Other Cool Resources
Blog Roll
