SEATTLE (Travel Writing)

I introduce a break in the usual theme of posts on the blog to bring you some much overdue travel writing. In the future I hope to post more about the places I have visited in the past, as my posts on Cologne have proved some of my most popular, but for now Seattle will have to do.

“But surely they speak English in Seattle!” I hear you cry. “What relevance would such posts possibly have on a language learning blog?”. Well, not much relevance in terms of language, but plenty in terms of culture.

I won't deny that writing about my American adventure is partly an exercise in reconnecting with the already-fuzzy, warm memories of summer just gone. These memories, however, are particularly fond as a result of the cultural assumptions that I had made about the place before travelling – most of which proved to be hideously misguided. So the following is my love letter to Seattle: my opportunity to share with you the places I found, and the many happy things that I discovered during my all-too-brief stay among the Seattlites...

As previously I will organise into (what I consider to be) reasonable geographical regions:

LOWER QUEEN ANNE

SEATTLE CENTER

QUEEN ANNE

FREMONT – coming soon

BELLTOWN – coming soon

DOWNTOWN SEATTLE – coming soon

PIONEER SQUARE – coming soon

MIKA - ELLE ME DIT (Language through song)

Thus begins a new chapter in language learning lessons from SAY WHAT?! - the opportunity to learn vocabulary and grammar via your favourite French songs using Memrise.

You can skip straight to the Memrise course by clicking HERE

....or you can start by viewing the music video below.  Feel free to suggest songs for future lessons in the comments.

Feel free also to ask any grammar questions in the comments section, or in the forum attached the the memrise lesson.

As a short course, my personal favourite vocabulary items are as follows:

une chanson - song
tout le monde - everyone
secoue-toi! - pull yourself together
secouer - to shake
danser - to dance
vas-y! - go on!
finir comme quelqu'un - to end up like someone (literally: to finish like someone)
tant pis! - never mind
s'en vouloir - to blame oneself
nul - hopeless; useless; rubbish.
sors de ta bulle! - get out of your bubble!gâcher - to wasteça va pas bien dans ta tête - you are not right in the head
un truc - a thing

Episode 2056: "Flucht" ("Escape") - German Soap Update

It's been a while since my first Alles Was Zählt post, and a lot's gone on since then.  But let's just focus on the very best storyline for now...

The Hostage Situation

From left to right:

Letizia, Vanessa, Maximilian

Now...greasy-haired half-hispanic Maximilian has now been dead for over a year...but has he?

His half-brother Rafael, former lover of his mother, and the fella responsible for Maximilian's demise now wants to...erm...find him!  To aid in his efforts he has kidnapped Maximilian's half-sister Vanessa and his illegitimate long-lost daughter Letizia.

Because Maximilian has not yet surfaced Rafael tells Letizia that she must be to him scheissegal (she must mean nothing to him) but nonetheless he will not let her go (freilassen).  They are both essentially done for; finished (fertig). Letizia urgently needs a strong Schmerzmittel(painkiller)on account of having been shot in the foot.  Did I mention that she was a dancer?  Oh the cruel irony!

Oh well..no point in sitting around crying/screaming in agony (heulen) when there's an escape hatch in the making!  Will they make it (schaffen)?

The short answer?  No.  Although they have no time (keine Zeit) left before Rafael's return the two girls decide to make a break for it anyway.  Letizia pleads to be left behind but Vanessa stands firm: "nicht ohne dich, Knackarsch!  Beeil dich!" ("Not without you, sexy ass!  Hurry up!")  Vanessa gets her clothing caught and is captured by Rafael whilst Letizia runs out into the road crying "Hilfe!"("Help!") at the first car she comes across.

Who is driving?  None other than Rafael! 

#FML

You can watch Alles Was Zählt here

Musical Interlude...

If there's one thing that I love in a song it's a story.

...Introducing "Guter Freund" by Ganz Schön Feist!  A lovely ditty about a guy who is hopelessly in love with his best friend and will do anything for her.

This is a great song to get you started in German for several reasons:

1. The language is relatively simple
   
2. Because it tells a story, it is very clearly and grammatically laid out, so you won't pick up many bad habits with this one, and you won't become the German-speaking equivalent of Vanilla Ice.
   
3. Because this is an A-capella style song the pronunciation is very clear, making the words easier to pick out

All that aside, this really is a catchy little ditty that should prove charming even to those who consider the A-capella style a little passé.

I won't ruin the punchline as there is so much more pleasure to be had in unlocking the meaning to a song, bit by bit, by yourself.  There is a tongue-in-cheek sense of humour to be found in "Guter Freund" though,  and the ending is refreshingly cynical.

Some useful vocabulary:

Ich bin immer für dich da = I am always there for you

brauchen = to need

ausgehen = to go out

ins Kino gehen = to go to the cinema

Ich fahre dich nach Hause = I'll drive you home

Ich liebe dich = I love you

Liebeskoma = heartache

guter Freund = good friend

nur = only

Milchkaffee = coffee with milk

in Gedanken = in my mind

ich wär = I wish that I were (literally "I would be")

gerne = gladly

Why Watch a Foreign Soap? (Alles Was Zählt episode synopsis)

Storyline #1: The love quadrilateral

left to right: Bea, Ben, Julia, Ingo

Bea is trying to get her almost-ex-husband Ben and her sister Julia (I know, ick!) back together in the most embarassing fashion imaginable.  Bea's boyfriend, Ben's former best friend Ingo (guess what happened there!), is trying to stop her from getting in the way and making things worse.  Ben has agreed to host Julia's modelling after-show party in his club so that she doesn't miss her dance exam.  Ingo manages to foil Bea's drunken match-making by pulling an acoustic guitar out of his ass and ad-libbing a serenade for Bea.  Vomits all round!  Bea finds it all rather sweet though (she is drunk) and Ben follows Ingo's lead and tells Julia that he loves her.  We'll have to wait until next week for her answer!

Key Vocabulary:

der Schicksal - fate

die Liebeserklärung - declaration of love

zusammen sein - to be together

die Liebe - love

eine Beziehung - a relationship

ich liebe dich - I love you

du fehlst mir - I miss you

retten - to save

Storyine #2: The love triangle

left to right: Melanie, Deniz, Letizia

Melanie is in trouble with Deniz for failing to inform a model about a change of location for a shoot.  Because she is totally in love with Deniz, Letizia takes the blame and suggests that Melanie fulfil her modelling dream by doing the shoot herself.  Incidentally these three are only recently reconciled.  Letizia having been cast out for having a one-night-stand with Deniz (reason: both were just...angry...with Mel).  But when Letizia became voluntarily homeless (her family is stinking rich) they decided to let bygones be bygones somehow and are now inseperable.  Melanies shoot is a resounding success and Letizia tries to take her mind of Deniz' pecs with a spot of weight-lifting.

Key Vocabulary:

eine Probeshooting - test shoot

eine Wiedergutmachung - compensation/amends

die Freundschaft - friendship

Storyline #3: A Dead Body in the Leisure Center

left to right: Jenny, Simone, Isabelle, Richard, Erik

Jenny, her mother Simone and Isabelle (a particularly vicious breed of blonde married to Richard, Simone's ex-husband and Jenny's father) come to work in the leisure center they own to find that the foundations of the center have been dug up following damages.  The reveal:  a dead body - Blackmailer extraordinaire Mr Rainer Velten.  All three are implicit in his murder.  Erik, Jenny's boyfriend, is the presiding police officer on the case and he is not happy.  Richard is also not happy as he is certain the three women in his life have been lying to him.  Isabelle is trying to convince Jenny to testify that it was all Simone so that the two of them can get off scott free.

Key Vocabulary

die Lösung - solution

das Alibi - alibi

der Imageschaden - damage to one's image

tragisch - tragic

die Presse - The Press

der Tod - death

jemanden Opfern - to sacrifice someone

etwas aufs Spiel setzen - to gamble something

verschweigen - to keep quiet

der Mord - murder

Tacky, dramatic and informative!  You can watch Alles Was Zählt here:

http://rtl-now.rtl.de/alles-was-zaehlt.php

Cheb Rayan feat. Rima - Dana Dana (Arabic Music Video)

Tryo - L'hymne de nos campagnes (French Music Video)

Mickey 3D - Respire (French Music Video)

Superbus - Butterfly (French Music Video)

Raphaël - Caravane (French Music Video)

Music video by Raphaël performing Caravane (French Music Video)

Téléphone - Cendrillon (French music video)

And now for something really retro (apologies for the sound quality!) More French: Téléphone.

Indochine - Un Jour Dans Notre Vie (French)

Let me hug you (German)

Below is a screen shot shared by a follower on our facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/saywhatblog

Can't say the phrase in itself is one I'm familiar with.  I'd have to agree with the translation software over the human on this one...word for word.

There are many other more approved way to ask for a hug in German though.  Just a few of those below:

Lass mich dich drücken (drücken meaning "to press")

Lass mich dich in die Arme nehme (let me take you in my arms)

Lass uns umarmen (let us hug one another)

Lass mich dich knuddeln (knuddeln = "cuddle")

Mark Forster feat. Sido - Au Revoir (German)

Language Mishaps! (Lonely Planet)

Lost in translation, or a watersports call-to-arms? Image by Ajay Tallam / CC BY-SA 2.0

Read more: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/blog/2014/07/11/lost-in-translation-your-ultimate-tongue-tied-travel-moments/#ixzz39BLqMN9H

My own pronunciation error: I once asked at a Christmas market in Germany for a Hot Chocolate "mit Zähne" (with teeth) instead of "mit Sahne" (with cream)

A friend of mine had a similar french vowel stumble, telling an undesired suitor "léche-moi" (lick me!) instead of "lâche-moi" (leave me alone

...pronounce "merci beaucoup" (thank you) wrong and you'll be telling a french chap/lass that they have a "beau cul" (nice ass).

MIA. - Fallschirm (German)

Bénabar - Tu Peux Compter Sur Moi (French)

Bénabar is a personal favourite of mine.  Whilst the music can sound a little "middle-of-the-road" there is an incredible depth to his lyrics which is often very amusing and paints a vivid portrait of a character or makes light of relationship problems.

Tu peux compter sur moi is a song about a rather fickle chap who promises to be there for you no matter what, but then goes on to list times and places that are inconvenient for him.  Some such contradictions are below.  Enjoy!

Helpful Bénabar:

si tu as besoin de moi... - If you need me...

peu importe le problème - No matter what the problem

tu peux compter sur moi  - you can count on me

je serai toujours là pour toi  - I will always be there for you

Si tu as perdu le chemin... - if you have lost your way...

Si tu te sens seul... - if you feel lonely...

si t'as besoin d'une épaule... - If you need a shoulder (to cry on)...

t'hésites pas, tu m'appelles  - don't hesitate, call me.

Flaky Bénabar

j'ai des obligations - I have duties/obligations

il faut pas que ce soit trop loin - as long as it's not too far away

je prends pas l'avion j'ai trop peur  - I won't fly I have a fear of it.

je prends pas non plus le bateau parce que j'ai le mal de mer  - I won't take the boat either because I get seasick 

Le week-end ça m'arrange pas  - weekends are no good for me

la semaine j'suis pas trop joignable  - During the week I'm not very reachable

Je peux je crois en juin, mais vaut mieux que je vérifie - I think I can in June, but probably best that I check

il faut choisir le bon jour - you'll have to pick the right day

Smile and Say Cheese/Marmoset/Aubergine!

In English we don't really have too much need to question the phrase that we use to encourage folks to smile when we are taking a photo:

Say Cheese!

This is probably because we also have the associations with "cheesy" and our smiles.  And a cheesy smile makes for a great photo.

In reality, though, the two are most likely not linked, and cheese is just a word with an elongated vowel that makes us smile as we say it.

There are some great foreign language examples in this Wikipedia entry :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Say_cheese

A couple of my favourites, though - checked via other sources - are as follows:

French: Marmoset

ouistiti

Chinese: Aubergine

茄子

qiézi (sounds like cheese)

A Christian Genocide Symbolised by One Letter (National Review)

Language can be very powerful, but it works both ways. See how a single Arabic letter has become symbolic for both persecution and solidarity:

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/383493/christian-genocide-symbolized-one-letter-christine-sisto

Foreign Soap Addiction

Getting addicted to a foreign soap is a great addition to more formal study.  It is more relaxing than hitting the books and you'd be surprised what you can understand of melodrama simply from the "acting" alone.

Some soaps can be difficult to get hold of online.  There is an excellent French soap - Plus belle la vie - but it is not available to stream free online.  German learners, however, are spoilt for choice.  There are several available to stream online for free on RTL-now.  As well as a number of other programmes along the lines of "The Farmer wants a wife" (Bauer sucht Frau).

My personal favourite is Alles Was Zählt.  And it can be watched here:

http://rtl-now.rtl.de/alles-was-zaehlt.php

It is basically Dallas - a soap centred around a rich, manipulative family - except the cast has come straight off the set of Hollyoaks...and there's dancing.  Lots of dancing.

You'll be surprised at the wonderfully dramatic vocabulary you can pick up watching soaps such as this:

Lovesick - Liebeskoma

Heart attack - Herzinfarkt

Blackmail - Erpressung

...so much more interesting than colours, pets and days of the week!

Cro - Traum

Black M - Sur Ma Route

Jour/Journal

Cheb Mami feat. Zaho - Halili (Arabic/French)

This is a great song for anyone interested in Arabic.  I'd consider it fairly accessible for a Western audience (probably because Zaho is better known for French R&B) and its a great tune to work out to at the gym!

Music is a great way to connect with a language.  You can practice your pronunciation, test your comprehension, and it is easy to pick up and remember vocabulary as music is repetitive in itself, and if we like a song then we want to listen to it again and again.

Arabic has always presented me with problems, though, as a western speaker who is trying to self-teach.  I have, however, picked up one interesting grammar point through looking the Arabic transcript of this song, studying translations, and searching on google.

You can state personal ownership of a noun in Arabic simply by added the letter ي [i:] to the end of it

قلب  (heart) > قلبي (my heart)

حنين (longing, yearning, nostalgia) > حنيني (my longing, my yearning, my nostalgia)

It's a small lesson.  But it's a step in the right direction.  And so gratifying to have seen it myself within the lyrics of a song I enjoy.

Language Tools: Lexilogos

http://www.lexilogos.com/english/index.htm

I'm positive that this website has a multitude of gems for any language learner.

What interests me, though, isn't there language dictionaries - it's the multilingual keyboards

I have been using these to assist in typing Arabic and Mandarin Chinese and I don't know how I would get by without them.

The arabic keyboard is fairly simple - it allows you to select the phonetic characters quickly, they then collect in the text box and can be easily copied and pasted.

The chinese keyboard, though, is a wonder to behold.

Simply enter your pinyin, and all the available characters will appear below.  Simply pick the one you need!

Was JFK a Doughnut?

On June 26th 1963 U.S. President John F. Kennedy spoke to the people of West Berlin in a statement of solidarity.  The result has become a much derided phrase:

"Ich bin ein Berliner"

 What JFK actually intended was to declare "I am a citizen of Berlin".  Ein Berliner, however, is a popular variety of doughnut.  The implication of this being that he should have said:

"Ich bin Berliner"

Nationalities are not treated as "countable" in German.  You can't individually be many citizens of Berlin - unless you have split personality disorder - so this makes sense.  The limit is set by the personal pronoun rather than the noun's article, so the article is removed and the noun treated more like an adjective.

I've never had any reason to question this...until recently.

Listening to a BBC Radio 4 podcast I was casually informed by a translation expert that this little joke at the expense of the late President Kennedy was actually utter nonsense.  "Ich bin ein Berliner" means exactly what was intended.  JFK was not claiming, in a moment of madness, to be a doughnut - metaphorical or otherwise.

Now, I'm not one to argue with the BBC.  So I'm calling for debate.  Can anyone shed light on this claim?  All I see is doughnuts, but my ears and eyes are wide open.

The Etymologicon

If you invest even the slightest interest in the workings of language and the origin of words then this is a must read.

Why?

Well firstly it's not a difficult read, neither is it a patronising one.  I won't claim to follow absolutely every thread, but I didn't feel like I was missing the point as a result.  Where possible this is written in plain terms that pretty much anyone could follow

The Etymologicon is also neatly arranged into short, manageable sections, making it ideal to pick up and read when you have a couple of minutes spare.  These sections, moreover, link neatly to one another, so if you feel like a more substantial session your read won't feel stilted by the segregation.

We also have humour and pedantry in the same place, which Eats, Shoots and Leaves demonstrated is a viable, and wonderful combination.  The Etymologicon is better than Eats Shoots and Leaves though, as there is no hint of accusation in its pedantry.  This is the pedantry of a person who has a passion for language, not a bee in their bonnet about folks misusing apostrophes.

Mostly though it's a great lesson about the misguided assumptions we make about our own language.  I was fascinated to learn that so much of our language was actually bought back from exotic climes by explorers (you'd be astonished at the number of arabic and indian influences on our language), and that so much of it was simply invented by creative authors with sufficient influence.

...and then so much more is the result of butchering, laziness, and misunderstandings through the ages that have evolved our language.

WARNING:  This book may cause you to bore the crap out of your loved ones, without even understanding why.

GERMAN VOCAB - EYES TO REMEMBER

EINE AUGE - AN EYE

DIE AUGEN - EYES