[Ads-l] Clausewitz Quote

[Jonathan Lighter]

Part of the problem is that any literal translation is likely to result in
clumsy English.

Clausewitz's underlying idea is clear: War is no more than a continuation
of what governments do otherwise, just with additional methods,

JL

On Sun, Jan 22, 2017 at 3:50 PM, Joe Salmons <jsalmons at wisc.edu> wrote:

> Well, the key is probably the policy/politics thing and the broader
> context was what we needed there.
>
> > On Jan 22, 2017, at 2:48 PM, Amy West <medievalist at W-STS.COM> wrote:
> >
> > On 1/22/17 12:00 AM, ADS-L automatic digest system wrote:
> >> Date:    Sat, 21 Jan 2017 22:24:44 +0000
> >> From:    Joe Salmons<jsalmons at WISC.EDU>
> >> Subject: Re: Clausewitz Quote
> >>
> >> That’s how I know it, in both languages. A closer translation would be
> something like “war is nothing other than the continuation of politics by
> other means.”
> > Not that Herr Doktor Professor Salmons needs any concurrence, but, yes,
> I prefer this translation over yours, Fred, because of the use of the
> "other" and "by": your use of "with" is too literal.
> >
> > Amy West (Queen of Too Literal German Translations)
> >>> On Jan 21, 2017, at 4:21 PM, Shapiro, Fred<fred.shapiro at YALE.EDU>
> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> I am having trouble with a very famous quotation and am hoping that
> some military historians or persons knowledgeable about the German language
> (or, ideally, military historians who are knowledgeable about the German
> language) can help me.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> In the Yale Book of Quotations I have the following:
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Der Krieg ist nichts anderes als die Fortsetzung der Politik mit
> anderen Mitteln.
> >>>
> >>> War is the continuation of politics by other means.
> >>>
> >>> Karl von Clausewitz, On War bk. 8, ch. 6 (1832-1834)
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> My first question is, is this particular sentence the best-known
> version of this thought by Clausewitz (I believe he stated it more than
> once in his writings)? or is there another better-known version?
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> My second question is, is this the most accurate translation? if there
> is another passage that is the best-known version, what is the most
> accurate translation of that?  I suspect a better translation of my version
> above is "War is nothing but the continuation of politics with other means."
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Fred Shapiro
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> ________________________________
> >>>
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> >>> The American Dialect Society -http://www.americandialect.org
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



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