So I know for sure that a lot of people wake up with random songs stuck in their heads, even sometimes ones that they haven't listened to in years. I know this because it used to happen to me. A LOT. It was quite irritating, really. It still happens every once in a while but not near as often. "Oh you're lucky!" or "I HATE that!" some of you might say but guess what?! I'm not!
Because instead of songs, now it's German words. It's strange, I know, but I'm not exactly the most typical person you'll ever meet. I take a German class at OHS and I love LOVE love it but getting those sometimes extremely annoying words riding my train of thought continuously is so irritating.
Today the two German words I have stuck in my head ever since I woke up are Zimmerpflanze (houseplant) and Bucherregal (bookshelf.) WHAT THE HECK? Why?? I haven't even said either of those words in German today, or yesterday, for that matter. I'm one of those nerdy German students that randomly spouts words and sentences in their second language just to confuse people. Yes, it's extremely amusing. But Zimmerpflanze...? Bucherregal? I mean really?
Thanks, Longhurst. Danke sehr.
Any of you know what a cognate is? It's a word in one language that sounds like one in a different one, i.e. Musik im Deutsch and Music in English. Well, sometimes cognates don't necessarily mean the same thing, i.e. Hell im Deutsch und Hell in English. Hell is an adjective in German, whereas in English it's a place, or a noun. In German it doesn't even describe or explain the English Hell. Calling someone that in German is an extremely flattering compliment.
So my point? I have a new hobby. It's called running up to people and saying "Du bist hell!" And getting crazy looks. Then not telling them what it means. HA.
But what's even more entertaining is going up to people, calling them something like "hasslig" (ugly), and then telling them it means "amazing" or something like that. Then when they don't believe you when you tell them the real meaning? So amusing.
German can also screw up what you say to people whether you'll realize it or not. For example, my big sister Lara (read her blog) used to take German. She used to say "Danke schon (imagine there's two dots above that o)" which means "Thank you beautiful" thinking she was saying "Danke schon (this time no dots above the o)" or "Thank you very much." Sure the first sentence is correct grammar in English but it'll get your German comrades saying "Oh nein, du bist nicht hell. Ich habe nicht gern fur du..."
Learn German. That's all I'm saying.
