Blah, blah - 2

I am not the only person to note the growth of blah, blah in modern English. The Guardian and Daily Telegraph now have lists of such rubbish on their on-line papers. I also noted that a number of  dictionaries collect and publish such rubbish online.

I know I have more non-native speakers of English who read this blog so please do NOT think you have to learn such rubbish. Be aware that it exists, but please do not add to your active vocabulary. The source of this list is BBC Radio 4: Politicians and business people being interviewed on news programmes.

The first one is my favourite and earns the speaker an operation to find his brain. Yes, it was a man who said it. Actually most of them were said by men! Off we go:-

an uptick/ hugely costly/ magic up/ collecting inputs/ may be minded to/ sth. is being taken forward/ a genuine reservoir/ some upsetment/ engage with concerns/ to ramp up/ to weaponise a voice/ shrinkflation/ to better manage/ benchmarking/ a built in opportunity/ evolve your targets/ a raft of legislation. 

I think I shall take these books (from Aldi) with me to teach the English how to speak English on my forthcoming visit. Perhaps I shall then earn an uptick from the Ministry of Education in Brexitland :-))

Latest weather report: It rained all day yesterday then what a surprise - the sun shone this morning. Not for long for it is now gray, overcast and threatening more rain. Some weather pundits said summer will arrive here from mid-August! I jest not!

Das Wetter

Berliners are still waiting for summer. We've had single days, or even a few days, of blue sky, sun and high temperatures. But that does not make a summer! Who said that? The local tabloid newspapers. They all filled their front pages with photos and stories about rain, storms, flooding and asking where summer was.

Here is a photo of my garden last Saturday. I'm not sure you can see the heavy rain falling but you can see the flooding of parts of the garden. Meetings were cancelled and I stayed indoors except for rushing to a supermarket under a large umbrella in the afternoon.

Meanwhile, Holger was relaxing in his garden south of Bremen. See the photo he sent. No storms or flooding there. I was in the wrong place! I also got a nice message attached to an E-mail and in perfect English. Thanks for the news Holger and looking forward to seeing all the family there at the end of August.

The forecast for this week is not good here in Berlin. I planned to have breakfast in my garden on Wednesday with my Kowalke-Gang, but it looks like we shall have to postpone it. Perhaps we'll have a sunny day next week when we can relax in the garden and catch up on news over a lazy breakfast.

Lübbenau

Welcome to new readers in Brazil, Portugal, Ukraine and Chile. Now get out your maps of Berlin and area to help you with this post. Last Tuesday I went to Lübbenau. I can hear you asking 'Where?'. Put your Berlin area map next to your computer and one finger on the centre of Berlin.

Move it slowly to the south east of Berlin, continue into the Federal State of Brandenburg and keep in a south east direction. You should find an area called Spreewald. In the middle is the town of Lübbenau which is home to about 18 thousand people. It is 85 km from Berlin and you can reach it by three different train service or a regional highway.

There is evidence of a settlement there by Slavic speaking people from the 8th century. Germanic  speaking tribes slowly moved into the area hundreds of years later and recorded what was then a small fortress as Burg (castle) Lubenowe in 1301. Local people still speak Sorbisch, which is a  'niedersorbischer (wendischer Sprache) language. They have their own style of dress which they like to show at festivals and other special occasions. See the painting.

From 1621 to the 1900s, the town/area was the property of the Earl of Lynar and you can now visit the family palace. The area changed hands a number of times. For example, it was part of the Kingdom of Bohemia from 1364 to 1635, then became part of the Electorate of Saxony until 1815 when it became part of the Kingdom of Prussia until 1918.

This is in addition to lots of local history which you will find in a museum - see the photo - which was built as part of a gate-house in 1850. It has sets of exhibitions showing how people lived. See the shop photo as an example. Others include a bakery, butchers, clothes shop, shoe makers in addition to two old trains in the basement. Certainly worth a visit when you are next in the Berlin area.

I went there with my SPD Oldies. It was my second visit with them. We set off from Berlin in three cars and our first stop was the museum. We were all impressed as I am sure you will be. We then moved into a restaurant specialising in local fish dishes. Very tasty, and I washed mine down with a glass of Radeburger beer. Well it was a hot day!

We then went to the harbour to see the traditional boats - flat bottomed punts - taking tourist off to see the area from the water. We also took the opportunity to have Kaffee und Kuchen - no surprise there - before making the return journey. Looking forward to my next visit.

Nice Presents

Daniel arrived on Monday afternoon for an English session. He was very relaxed and told me all about his recent trip to Croatia. He went with other students from his college and really enjoyed his time there.

He speaks English very naturally and even self corrects. English is his fifth language! He is working with me to prepare for the First Certificate Examination.

Speaking is no problem and his grammar work is also good. His weakness is writing. We are going to focus on this when he returns from his summer holiday.

Tomorrow he is flying to Moldova to spend a month with his mother, grandparents and a certain lady called A. He is really looking forward to seeing them and relaxing there. We decided he should use my old(ish) MacBook when he returns to check grammar and spelling. He liked that and immediately called it 'his' laptop as he opened it to see what he could do with it.

Before he left, he gave me two bottles of some special 'liquids' for my collection. I shall taste them with members of my various gangs on my return in September. Have a great time Daniel and many thanks for your generous presents.

Mehr Grillen

Last week ended with more 'grillen'! I had a relaxed week with less meetings and appointments than usual, but then we are starting the holiday period. The breakfast in my garden on Thursday did not take place due to weather, and arrival of the gardeners with machines.

That evening I met my Kowalke-Gang for supper, drinks and interesting conversation. On Friday I went to Kerstin's Training for Oldies (as usual) then to my Photoshop Gang. It was our last session before the summer break. We made changes to a series of photos we had taken earlier. We shall present them at an exhibition later in the year.

In the evening Bro2 arrived to pick up the last 2 CDs about the Harry Potter saga. He really enjoys the films and uses them to learn English. He also identifies with young actors growing up in the series of films - just as he is!  I gave him some clothes for the family I had been given. He tried on two summer pullovers with the words 'Pierre Cardin' on the chest. He looked very good in them and decided to go home wearing one!

And so to yesterday. Grill Party time at 4.00 pm at my Fitness Centre. I jumped onto a tram and entered the grilling area at the Centre. I saw Kerstin with some of her Training Oldies and joined them.  The area filled up and the grilling got under way. On offer was beer, fruit juices, grilled steaks, mixed green salad and the hit of the event ---- grilled sausages!!

I got a Berliner Beer then filled my plate with salad and a grilled sausage and tasty mustard. Mmmmhh....really nice, so after a short break I had another one :-)) I later snapped a few photos and shall give them to the Boss when I go there next Friday.  Here are just four of them.

The first is of Kerstin. She is the leader of three Senior Training classes. I am in her Friday group. The next one is of the Boss. His name is Birk and he owns the centre as well as being the trainer.  In addition, he still enters bodybuilder competitions and wins prizes. Another is of a very friendly student I know who trains there and clearly enjoyed his food! The final shot is of some members who came along just to enjoy the event - like I did!

Guten Appetit

It's lunchtime here. The Kowalke Gang should have had breakfast in my garden this morning but recent rain, and the arrival of the gardeners and machines, stopped that. We are meeting for Abendbrot this evening. Some of the gardeners are now sitting at the table and tucking into lunch.

In German you say Guten Appetit to friends when you start a meal. In French you say Bon appetit and in the UK people now say 'Enjoy your meal'. This takes me back to lunch in Buckow - see my last post. I also thought it might be informative for my Silsdeners!

Imre and I arrived in Buckow last Sunday and found his favourite restaurant next to a stream and water wheel.  No room in the garden so we settled into the restaurant and the waiter brought the menu. The restaurant offered 'traditional' German dishes which I really like.

They are simple but solid meals such as the one I ordered. It is called Kohlroulade which means stuffed cabbage. Kohlblätter means cabbage leaves and they are wrapped around a piece of minced meat (with seasoning) which forms a filling. It is served with potatoes and gravy. That is it - simple and very tasty!

I washed it down with a half-litre of Radeberger Pils, one of my favourite German beers. It is based on the Czech brewing tradition in an area called Pilsner, hence the short form 'Pils' . Radeberg is a town near the border to Poland and The Czech Republic. Drinking good beer knows no borders and so in 1872 a brewery was founded in Radeberg by a certain Gustav Philipp. The rest is history!

It is now sold in 87 countries in all continents of the globe. In Germany there is a law from the Middle Ages which does not allow any chemicals to be added to beer for home consumption. This is not the case for export beer. The Radeberger I like and drink is just made from water and hops. Try a simple traditional dish for lunch and a good beer the next time you visit Germany. Prost!!

Sunday in Buckow

Yes, from the title you know I went to Buckow last Sunday. It was Imre's wish. Regular readers of my blog will know who Imre is. He called me to say the weather looked good for that day and would I go with him to Buckow. I immediately said yes.

He arrived on the latest of his three bicycles and a large bag of fresh strawberries. In my kitchen he cut them up, added sugar and Mmmmddddd his way through the bowl. So refreshed, off we set for Buckow.

If you have a map of the Berlin area then put your finger on the centre and move it to your right in a straight line. It will take you into the eastern districts of the city and then out into the rural areas and villages of Brandenburg. If you continue you will eventually come to the Polish border.

On the way you will arrive at Strausberg. There are three S-Bahn stations so get out at No.2. As you can see from the photo, Imre and I did just that. From there it was 16 klm on our bicycles to our destination. Imre really likes the landscapes. He says they remind him of the area where he was born in the south of Hungary.

On the way out of Strausberg, Imre suddenly burst out laughing and wobbled on his bike. I thought he was going to fall over. We had arrived at a Vietnamese Restaurant with this classic example of Denglish. Instead of 'Coffee to go' we saw a sign for 'Box to go'. What on earth does that mean? I thought that perhaps I could buy one to put my brain in ..... to go!! Where is this language rubbish going to?

As we pedaled further, he stopped to take photos of the landscape. He brought three of his four cameras for this task! I wondered what else he had in his bicycle bags and later discovered there were three bottles of fruit juice and plastic cups.

We finally got to Buckow, had lunch and walked around the small town. He took more photos and then on the way back we stopped at the beach area. Here you can see that many other people had the idea to visit Buckow and enjoy the sun and water. A very interesting day and one with lots of laughs.

Special Party

Last Friday I went to a special party. I cycled to the main road, turned left and continued to cycle. I arrived at an S-Bahn station, turned right and later right again. I arrived at the very nice home of our hosts. They were Inge and Micha. Why the meeting?

It was the 20th anniversary of their founding a language school called Dialogica. Yes, it happened in 1997. Birgit  Gast started teaching there and told me about the school. It was then on Ku-damm in a nice area and easy to reach by public transport. Birgit told I & M about me, I had an interview and started teaching there.

What an interesting time it was with wonderful memories. I also liked meeting teachers of other languages. Very multi-cultural and multi-language. Most of my teaching was preparing students for the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry examination. Lots of success and the school and I got a good report in an evaluation about our work.

This all came flooding back as I arrived and greeted our hosts and other guests. Unfortunately, the clouds gathered as we settled into the garden and then we had to flee indoors to escape the rain. Even so, grilling continued, glasses were refilled and lots of catching up on news took place.

I noted that we all looked a little older but the vitality of the group was the same as ever. Here are photos of our hosts and of the house and garden. Looking forward to the next gathering. Thanks I & M for a very special evening and party.

Aldi vs Lidl

I got some interesting comments and feedback about my last post. Thanks family and friends for that.  A few asked for more examples of Denglish in Berlin. Here goes with words selected from last weekend's adverts from Aldi and Lidle.

I know there is an Aldi in Silsden but not sure if Lidl has opened a store in Cobbydale yet. The Carlsberg and underpants ads come from other large stores in Germany, but they well illustrate the spread of Denglish.

Lidl Denglish: Minispray/ Hygienespray/WC-Slimline-Sticks (What on earth do you do with these things in the toilet?) /Beauty-Artikel/ Design-Powerbank/ Packbandset/ Rollerballs (No comment!)/ Outdoor-Citronellakerze/ Handmixerset.

Aldi Denglish: Funky American Eiskrem/ Yoga Shirt-Top/ Yoga Sweatshirt/ Yoga Jumpsuit/ Jeanskleid/ Jeansbermudas/ Sommer-Pyjama-Set/ Sommer-Cargohose/ Jumpsuit-Top mit Rock/ Veggie-Snack mit Dip/ Instanttee/ Sommer Edition/ Retropants/ Peeling-Body Butter ( I wonder if you have to toast someone then spread this over them before you eat the person. The mind boggles at this one!)/Slush-Eisbereiter (I wonder if this means there are machines in the Antarctic turning slush into ice at the end of summer) And finally ...... Air Lounger mit Kopfteil.

As you can see, Aldi 'has the nose in front' for Denglish compared to its rival Lidl. Who sits in an office and creates this language drivel and how much are they paid? Come on ..... put your hand up!

I'll let you work out what is wrong with the Carlsberg advert. Meanwhile, I am still trying to work out what these underpants have to do with Australia? Do they have kangaroos in the crotch? Message to Ian and Colin - check your underwear drawer to see if they have all jumped off to Germany!

More blah, blah

Following my last post about current use of English, I found these two images. A lot of native English speakers do not know how to use the apostrophe. You will also find it being used incorrectly all over Germany. The first image is an example.

The second image shows the dangers of translating things word for word. In the bottom corner you can read the German words 'Es ist mir wurst'. This usually translates as I don't give a damn or I couldn't care less and not the words in the joke!

Yesterday I heard more 'modern' English on BBC Radio 4. I notice that on the island there is no future, only 'going forward'. 'To have concerns' has killed the structure 'to be concerned'. There are no longer any problems there are only issues. The Brits are now busy 'growing the economy'. I wonder if they are using fertilizer on this new plant!

I also heard some people say, 'to land a job' -  in my day you landed a fish! Another said, 'have agency over your life' and,'big footsteps to follow:' and 'we have to roll up a deficit'. In the UK windows still have opportunities but I can't find any hanging on my windows in Berlin. 'To deliver on something' is everywhere as is 'it's sort of....ehhhh' and.'I'm like errrrrr'. 'Absolutely' is now the first word in communication and is threatening to replace 'Well....errr'.

Did you see Germany win the football competition yesterday? I hope the team is not having concerns about going forward to grow the game but will absolutely leave big footsteps to follow if not issues in engaging with people/fans and will not have any problems to land a job. Na, prost!!

July 2017 Things

The weather has hardly improved since my last post. Perhaps a certain poet would say,'Oh summertime wherefore art thou?' if he were still around! I wonder what he would say about the spread of Denglish. This is also known as Denglisch, Engleutsch, Germish and Genglish. When  French words are sucked into German, this is called Frutsch. I really like that word:-)

Denglish is very common in advertising, computer, sales, shopping German. One teacher of German once told me there are 11,000 recorded Denglish words. For example, from the world of computers: Harddisk, computer gecrasht, ich habe gedownloadet/geupdatet. Correct Denglish for the former is, ich habe downgeloadet. It is enough to make any German teacher cringe!

In the adverts for things in my local supermarkets, which I got yesterday, I found this one. Nice hair and beard but it is all written in English and produced by 'The Great British Grooming Co.' wherever or whatever that is. I can buy Beard Oil - perhaps I can use this in a car in an emergency! There is also Beard Balm = what is that? With Beard Waschgel I can wash a beard. I wonder why the advertising agency added a German word to an English one for this product.

Who has a birthday in July? Laura B. in Yorkshire started the month with her 21st on the 1st July, followed by Jutta not far from where I live. She celebrates her 68th today with Gerald and family. On the 17th Gerald has a birthday and also celebrates 16 years of married bliss with Jutta. Adele ends the month with her birthday in Yorkshire on the 26th.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO EACH AND ALL NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE :-))

There are a few other things of note during the month. Next Monday we shall be thinking about the sad early death of David L. all of 9 years ago now, plus thinking of Jan and Arancha who married on the 3rd two years ago. My Acer laptop will by 6 next Thursday. On the 24th I shall raise a glass of sekt with friends to celebrate getting German citizenship five years ago. One of my better decisions!.