LL-L "Grammar" 2011.05.02 (05) [EN]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 02 May 2011 - Volume 05
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From: M.-L. Lessing <marless at gmx.de>

Subject: LL-L "Grammar" 2011.05.02 (01) [EN]

 Now I am again digressing, but German has a special syntax for jokes too.
Of course it is present tense, but in addition the words change places:
"Kommt ein Mann zum Arzt" is the correct beginning for a joke, not "Ein Mann
kommt zum Arzt". (I almost think nobody could laugh at the latter, however
funny it might go on!) Does anybody know why? -- I have not heard this
change of word order reliably in any other context; only in a very much
abridged way of relating: "Komm ich nach Hause: sitzt da die Katze im
Spülstein. Sach ich: Was soll das? Sacht mein Mann:..." usw. But this is
rarely used. Are there other uses I have overlooked?

Hartlich!

Marlou

 As for the historical present, it’s the typical way to tell a joke or
relate a humorous incident:



A priest, a rabbi, and a horse walk into a bar. The bartender says, “What is
this? Some kind of joke?”

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From: R. F. Hahn
<sassisch at yahoo.com<http://uk.mc286.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=sassisch@yahoo.com>>

 Subject: Grammar

Hi, Marlou!

It seems to me that thisconstruction (VSO) is what you might call the
"narrative construction" that survives only (?) in German jokes. In frozen
form it can still be found in German folk-songs (e.g. *Kommt ein Vogel
geflogen* instead of *Ein Vogel kommt geflogen*, or *Zieht der Bursch die
Straß entlang* instead of *Der Bursch zieht die Straß entlang*).

This narrative construction is still widely used in Yiddish (whose roots are
in Middle Central Frankish), and it can be used in both present tense and
past participial tense (the latter of which covers the simple past as well);
e.g., *Gey ikh arayn inem gortn* ... (גײ איך אַרײַן אינעם גאָרטן "Go I in in
the garden ...") 'I enter(ed) the garden ...'; *Hot geentfert di mame
...*(... האָט געענטפֿערט די מאַמע "Has the mother answered ...)
'Mother answered
...."

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
Seattle, USA

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