English Adoptions of Eight German Terms
In an unexpected twist, a British individual has found a unique way to enrich their daily conversations by adopting several German words. This individual, who now resides in Germany, has embraced the language and culture, integrating German phrases into their English speech.
One of the most notable German words the individual uses is "Unverschämt," which means "shameless" in English. This word is often used to describe someone being rude or out of order. Another common phrase is "ne," which is short for "nicht wahr" and is used in the way that English speakers use "right?" or "isn't it?" at the end of a sentence.
The individual also uses "Mensch" extensively, not just in the Jewish sense of an upstanding or honorable person, but also to express surprise, frustration, or empathy. "Mensch" can also be used as an expletive in response to bad or incredible news. The word adds emphasis to a statement, similar to "Ahh man" or "Dude!" in English.
The individual's love for the German word "Kiez" is evident. This term, mostly associated with Berlin and Hamburg, carries a strong sense of community and local identity. The individual finds it difficult to describe "Kiez" as just a "neighbourhood" or "area" to people who have never heard the word before.
The individual's German has become fluent, and their native language has been influenced by their adopted tongue. They use phrases like "Geht nicht" to express impossibility or unfeasibility in their English-language conversations about logistics. "Geht" is also used to express feasibility or possibility.
In conversations with old friends in England, the individual has started using the German word "Quatsch" – a term that can be translated as "nonsense" or "bollocks" in English. The individual finds the word satisfying to say, and it adds a touch of German charm to their speech.
The individual often begins conversations with the word "Na" in English, meaning "So," "Well," or "Hey." They also use "Doch" to value someone's input and contradict them gently. "Doch" is used in German to contradict a negative sentence and to offer friendly encouragement.
These German words enrich English by providing terms for ideas or items with no exact English equivalent or by describing cultural concepts and everyday objects from German life. English has absorbed approximately 6,000 words of German origin, showing the strong lexical influence of German on English vocabulary.
From "Unverschämt" to "Quatsch," this individual's adoption of German words not only reflects their love for the language and culture but also adds a unique flavour to their daily conversations.
The individual's English conversations are enriched with expressions like "Mensch," which conveys surprise, frustration, or empathy, similar to "Ahh man" or "Dude!" in English. Additionally, the individual uses "Kiez," a term that signifies a strong sense of community and local identity, much like the inability to describe it as just a neighborhood or area to those unfamiliar with the term.
