In the meantime, the newest edition of the official German dictionary is out, and that has me musing on one of the difficulties of learning the German language: the LONG words. The Germans take the concept of compound words to a whole new level!
The one that I hear the most often, that always strikes me as awfully long is the word for Speed Limit:
Geschwingigkeitsbegrenzung
After four and a half years here, I still get tongue tied trying to say it. Well, I don't really been TRY anymore. It is so much simpler to rephrase and ask something
along the lines of "how fast are you allowed to go here?"
Apparently the longest "official" German word WAS a legal term. It was never in the dictionary, but since it was on the books as law, it was still official. That one was:
Rindfleischetikettierungsuberwachungsaufgabenubertragungsgesetz
It means "Beef labeling supervision delegation act" and was part of a law regulating the testing of beef for Mad Cow Disease. The law has changed now, so the word is officially no more. One less tongue twister for all us poor ex-pats.
The longest word in the dictionary is one that I have heard several times--it is certainly not some obscure thing never uttered. It is the word for "auto liability insurance"
Kraftfahrzeughaftpflichtversicherung
Yeah, I can't get through that one either. LOL
In the reverse mentality, we are forever getting asked by Germans, with excellent English, how to say "words" that are really phrases in English. Things like:
How do you say Hallenbad in English?
Indoor swimming pool
No, how do you say just the word for it?
There isn't one word; it's "indoor swimming pool" maybe "indoor pool" if you want
Really? You have to say all those words?
and on it goes--about all kinds of things.
Here's wishing all of my readers in the USA a Happy Independence Day tomorrow.
--Hadley
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