Speaking Dinglish

Language -- Learning, loving, loathing and living with it --

In writing this article, I am not trying to teach you to speak German. While perhaps not practical, what I offer is simple reading enjoyment with amusing explanations as to why few Americans ever bother to learn it and a few worthwhile tips for anyone still determined to try. Truth be told, I’m writing this to teach myself, or at least clarify some of the finer points that I continuously don’t get, thereby avoid some of the blunders which I am continuously making.

I’ve lived in Germany just over five years and I’d like to say that I speak german fluently now. That I understand everything I hear on the news and can listen raptly while the radio DJs amuse us or the tv personalities dazzle. I follow current events and am prepared each day for changes in the weather. I laugh at jokes and “get” puns and subtleties of the language. That I can tell right away when the thickly accented speaker at the train station is providing a courtesy announcement in english as to our location at the next stop.

I could actually tell you that I speak german fluently. But I’d be lying like a rug. There are lots of reasons but no good excuse for it. One reason is my penchant for colorful expressions -- foreign ones can be learned over time but the english ones seldom translate directly. The first year I was forever asking my husband, “how would you say...” to be answered, “germans would never say that.” If a german is “lying like a rug,” then they’re on the floor, perhaps in need of medical attention...