How they say German

[Dennis Preston]

Ron,

Some people derive "niemcy" (Germans" from "nie mowic" ("not speak"),
but the derivation is disputed.

dInIs



>---------------------- Information from the mail header
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>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       RonButters at AOL.COM
>Subject:      How they say German
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>
>In a message dated 6/20/07 6:29:19 PM, preston at MSU.EDU writes:
>
>
>>  Colleagues,
>>=20
>>  "Po niemiecku" does not mean "German" (neither
>>  the people nor the nationality) in Polish; it is
>>  an adverbial which means (roughly) "Germanly" or
>>  "in the German manner" and means to speak German.
>>  The so-called phonetics, or whatever bullshit
>>  truespel is, is laughably off since the glide
>>  onsets to the first two vocalic segments of
>>  "niemiecku" (which are the same except for
>>  stress) are not indicated, and, even sillier,
>>  they are shown as segmentally different, but they
>>  are not.
>>=20
>>  The phonetics are, of course, roughly (a kind
>>  word actually; they are simply incorrect)
>>  phonemic, not phonetic at all.
>>=20
>>  Who is Tom Zurinskas and what is this crap? I've
>>  been off the list for a while plying my trade in
>>  the old Country.
>>=20
>>  dInIs
>>=20
>>=20
>>=20
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>>  >header -----------------------
>>  >Sender:=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0=C2=A0 American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSER=
>V.UGA.EDU>
>>  >Poster:=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0=C2=A0 Tom Zurinskas <truespel at HOTMAIL.COM>
>>  >Subject:=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 How they say German
>>  >
>>  --------------------------------------------------------------------------=
>-----
>>  >
>>  >Germans don't call themselves German.=C2=A0 Its ~Doich.=C2=A0 Strange tha=
>t we call
>>  >other people by names they don't use themselves.
>>  >
>>  >Below are words for "German" in other languages as heard on travlang.com
>>  >Word of the Day.=C2=A0 Phonetics are in truespel.
>>  >
>>  >http://us.f528.mail.yahoo.com/ym/ShowLetter?MsgId=3D4841_3551761_48469_
>>  1373_4029_0_208154_15790_1603225941&Idx=3D105&YY=3D92900&y5beta=3Dyes&y5be=
>ta=3Dyes&inc=3D25&
>>  order=3Dup&sort=3Ddate&pos=3D0&view=3Da&head=3Db&box=3DTrash
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >Arabic Alalmania=C2=A0=C2=A0 ~Elelmanneeyu=C2=A0=C2=A0 (double
>>consonant=20=
>starts a stressed
>>  >syllable. ~u is "uh".
>>  >Dutch Duits ~Duts
>>  >English German=C2=A0 ~Jermin
>>  >French allemand ~Elmun
>>  >German Deutsch=C2=A0 ~Doich
>>  >Japanese Doitsugo ~Doitsuegoe'=C2=A0 (~ue is long u.=C2=A0 ~oe is long o.=
>=C2=A0 Ending
>>  >apostrophe is glottal stop.)
>>  >Korean Dok-il-o=C2=A0 ~Doekkeedoe=C2=A0 (~ee is long e)
>>  >Mandarin d=C3=88 yuv.=C2=A0 ~Doiyeu=C2=A0 (~eu is the vowel in "her" with=
>out the "r".
>>  >Polish po niemiecku ~Poe Neemmitskue
>>  >Portuguese alem=E2=80=9Co=C2=A0 ~Elummun
>>  >Russian Nemetsky=C2=A0 ~Nemyeski=C2=A0 (~i is short i)
>>  >Spanish alem=C2=B7n=C2=A0=C2=A0 Aaleemman=C2=A0 (~aa is "ah", ~a is short=
>  a)
>>  >Swahili Kijerumani=C2=A0 ~Teefermmaanee=C2=A0=C2=A0 (I hear ~t for the K,=
>  Maybe poor=20
>>  audio)
>>  >
>>  >
>>  >
>>=20
>>=20
>The [t] is pronounced in the Russian, I'm pretty sure. Both the Russian and=20
>the Polish mean, literally, 'the dumb ones', right?
>
>
>
>
>
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--
Dennis R. Preston
University Distinguished Professor
Department of English
Morrill Hall 15-C
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48864 USA

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