Are German nipples the worst?

[Crackerofdoom]

I just learned the word for nipples in German is Brustwarzen

The literal translation is "breast warts"

Is this the worst direct translation or are there more out there?

I was thinking of the spelling reform in the 90s, but apparently that didn't change anything to do with the C/K so I must be mistaken!

I remember being quite surprised when I went to Hamburg (I think it was) and saw signs saying Centrum as opposed to Zentrum.

Then there's Cottbus, but in Berlin Kottbusser Tor.

I think because initial C in't really a 'thing' in German as such (Cottbus is a Sorbisch rather than a German place name) the spellings tend to 'wobble' according to whether the tradition has been to 'Germanify' that particular word or not.

Apropos spelling reform:
DH had this problem once:
mystery novel set in Vienna by an Austrian author
DH - proof reading / editing - spelling reform refuser (still is)
Author - had switched to spelling reform 1, when his DC started school
Publisher - insisting on new spelling reform 2

• local flavours had to be kept in - of course lots of fun was had by all

It will be - it doesn't have roots or commonalities with any other language except Hungarian. They are a little language branch all on their own (Finno-Ugrian) and are a bugger (in a nice, unique way).

This has intrigued me @SchadenfreudePersonified What is the connection between Finland and Hungary that they are their own language branch? I always think of languages that share similarities as being geographically near each other or having a shared history. Neither of which leap out in relation to Hungary and Finland!

well, there is a language 'bridge' (sort of) estonian is also an odd one out and has similarities to finnish and hungarian

@CatteStreet esprit de l’escalier is the more uncommon translation of the German Treppenwitz. More usually it is used as an irony / can’t believe this is true kind of thing in history, as in Präsident Donald Trump ist der Treppenwitz der amerikanischen Geschichte.

ésprit de l'éscalier is Treppenwitz in German, stair wit

Oooh! Thank you - I knew "esprit de l'espalier" but not the German version.

You got me thinking Jasper - I had understood from my semantics/linguistics lectures many decades ago that it was nomadic tribes which had split to the two different areas millennia ago and then settled and developed their own cultures and tongues.

But I had a little google and found this conversation. I quite enjoyed it.

www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-2073,00.html

I am saving this thread for later when I don't have to work so haven't RTFT but thank you thank you for all the contributions and to the OP for starting such a wonderful thread!

My favourite - and I'm sorry if this has already been said - is the Swahili work for roundabout - which is kipilefti.

Thanks Schadenfreude that was an interesting read - particularly once they started arguing! I have always found language development and acquisition (mainly because I don't comprehend how a language is 'made' in the first place, or how children go from listening to using words correctly without being able to read a dictionary!) but I hadn't registered how strongly people feel about language changes happening thousands of years ago.

The dialect thing is interesting. I work with Austrians and we try to have meetings in German when I am the only non-Austrian in the room.

I can only understand Hoch Deutsch and it is amazing how the meeting always slips into English because they find it easier to speak English than high German.

I have spoken to Germans who have moved here and who have really struggled with the language here

Yes, the variations in language can be pronounced. It’s always interested me where the line between dialect and a different language is. The standard version of the language are usually based on what was seen as the dominant dialect when language was being standardised for education. The standard version of Dutch is markedly different from the dialect my gran spoke - she was never able to speak the ‘standard’ version and even my mum was much more comfortable in dialect mode.
I’d imagine that speakers of dialect German close to the Dutch border probably speak something which is close to the dialect on the other side. Those country borders and standard education are relatively recent when you look at language evolution.

My humble contribution is that the Welsh for carrot is moron.

Scots for Moron is 'Farage' or 'Johnson' depending on the colour.

Re the dialect/language on the borders of two countries - my DS worked with two people from the same valley, the south side was in Portugal and the northern side in Galicia, Spain. Speaking Galician/Portuguese, they understood each other.

My favourite - and I'm sorry if this has already been said - is the Swahili work for roundabout - which is kipilefti.

dp is learning Swahili on Duolingo at the moment (and loves it) and he was amazed that there is a Swahili word for the sound a cow's hoof makes when it's pulled from mud.

Prokupatuscrakedatus

I'm a Rechtschreibreform refuser as well but I haven't lived in D for almost 26 years now and I never write German other than to friends/family I get away wth it.

Wait, the pulling hoof from mud word is in Zulu not Swahili, he says.

Re the dialect/language on the borders of two countries

Well DFs brother married a Spanish lady, and they conversed in a pidgin (or is it creole ?) and my cousins grew up speaking Italian, Spanish and English. And my DF had lots of Spanish friends (to the extend my Godfather is Spanish). And they never seemed to have a problem conversing. But DF did pick up a lot of Italian dialects doing his national service.

Meanwhile in Britain, native Welsh/English speakers are rare on the borders ...

Long way back in thread but @DGRossetti remembers "Beaches" .... re bra.. absolutely reason for my MN name! 'oh my gosh what joy what bliss... Do you buy a titsling, or do you buy a brassiere...'

I can see I'm going to have research "Beaches" - to my shame, I've not seen it.

Talking on the telephone to my cousin yesterday reminded me that in South Wales (or, at least, the bit I come from) "wuss" doesn't necessarily mean "wimp".
It can be used like "man" or "mate": "All right there, wuss?".
It's pronounced with a slightly more "uh" than "oo" sound but that may just be the accent rather than distinguishing between the two uses.
"Wus" might represent it better.

"Rubber" being different in English from American English caused problems for me when, as a shy 12 year old, I went to a school with nearly all Americans.
But my mother caused also caused a bit of a flutter when we were arranging a trip with another (American) family and she suggested that the husband knock her up in the morning.

I recall from Welsh lessons at school many years ago, that you have a cupful of tea. A cup of tea would be a cup made out of tea. Similarly you poured tea into the cup. Pouring tea in the cup meant that you were standing in the cup pouring tea.

Sounds like case endings in action Peregrina. Do you remember their technical names or were you never taught like that?

I studied Latin and the cases aren't quite the same, but I remember having to learn the difference in meaning between genitive, ablative and dative (looks as if locative too may be one of your ones).

Because we had an early start, I meant to say.

No, this was in primary school, so we were taught to speak, read and write, but no formal grammar - just like this, odd bits and pieces in passing.

As an aside, the possessive apostrophe + s in (for example) 'Sarah's dress' is the closest English has to a case ending. Genitive, in case you're wondering.

And the PP who enjoys Shakespeare translated into German but finds it incomprehensible in the original English - don't feel bad about that. Early Modern English, from the late 16th to early 17th centuries, is a difficult beast to master for native speakers. Many, many schoolchildren have tried and failed to appreciate Shakespeare's language.

Because we had an early start,

Most of us would not need this qualification because we know about being knocked up early for work and such like. There used to be people going round with long poles to knock on bedroom windows to knock them up.