SunBird American/German Club

 

Frank Nechvatal

Following the February meeting, we listened to 22 members tell us about their heritage, hobbies and personal special events. In addition, the club celebrated Elio Zanoni’s 90th birthday with best wishes and a cake.

For the March meeting, we showed another video about German immigration to the United States. This episode focused on the many German enclaves which appeared in the cities across our country.

Looking forward to April, we will meet on the Patio for a Potluck and the close of the 2017-2018 season. Please plan to attend and bring a dish to share.

Did you know that English has adopted many words from the German, such as doppelganger (a look alike) and schadenfreude (to feel joy at another’s sorrow)? Well, here are 10 words that are frequently used in English that are derived from German:

1. Hinterland – meaning back country – literally behind land

2. Rucksack – meaning backpack – literally back sack

3. Angst – meaning anxiety and neurotic fear – literally fear

4. Noodle – often associated with Asian Cuisine such as udon or rice noodles – comes from Nudel which is pasta or Knoedel a type of dumpling

5. Kitsch – meaning artsy crafty tacky items – literally comes from Kitsch meaning trash

6. Lager – meaning an or beer – comes from the word Lagerbier. Lager means storehouse and bier means beer, literally means a beer brewed for storing.

7. Nickel – meaning a type of metal. Comes from koppernickel, literally this refers to copper and Nicholas which is an antiquated term for a spirit that haunts caves and mines.

8. Masochism – meaning to derive pleasure from one’s own pain or humiliation, especially sexual. Derived from an Austrian fiction author Leopold von Sacher-Masoch. He wrote stories about sexual pleasure derived from pain which led to the term “Masochismus”, created by the psychiatrist Richard von Keaft in 1886.

9. Delicatessen – meaning a store where one can purchase such items as bread, pressed meats, cheese, olives, pickles, etc. Stems from the German word Delikatesse

10. Diesel – refers to a type of engine or fuel used in such an engine. Named after the inventor Rudolf Diesel. The diesel engine uses a lesser refined oil. Gasoline is a fuel from oil that is further refined for use in the reciprocating engine.

Until the next time, auf wiedersehen.