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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Mark Twain #87889 11/26/2002 11:05 PM Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 wwh Carpal Tunnel wwh Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 I never heard how in happened, but Mark Twain was apparently quite fluent in German. Here's a tidbit from "engines" episode 1064; When Mark Twain's Connecticut Yankee at King Arthur's Court uttered a bogus magic spell, he used a long German word: Konstantinopelitanischerdudelsachspfeifenmachersgesellschaft. It means an "organization of bagpipe makers from Constantinople." Should we regard that as six words or just one? I like the sound of "dudelsach" much better than "bagpipes". Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Mark Twain #87890 11/27/2002 6:07 AM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 6,511 lower upstate New York AnnaStrophic Carpal Tunnel AnnaStrophic Carpal Tunnel Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 6,511 lower upstate New York I like "dudelsach" too. Meanwhile, Twain is the author of one of my favorite rants: "The Awful German Language" (from A Tramp Abroad): http://www.crossmyt.com/hc/linghebr/awfgrmlg.html Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Mark Twang #87891 11/27/2002 10:26 AM Joined: Jun 2002 Posts: 7,210 Vermont Buffalo Shrdlu Carpal Tunnel Buffalo Shrdlu Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jun 2002 Posts: 7,210 Vermont is "doodle sack" really the German word for bag pipe? and do sack and bag really mean the same thing? formerly known as etaoin... Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Dudelsach #87892 11/27/2002 11:38 AM Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Faldage Carpal Tunnel Faldage Carpal Tunnel Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 the German word for bag pipe? I bleeve it is. Sache means thing. Whether Sach means sack I'll have to report back later. Nothing on Dudelsach in my Stilwörterbuch. Whether sack and bag are the same thing you're going to run into lots of regional variation. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Mark Twain #87893 11/27/2002 11:03 PM Joined: Feb 2001 Posts: 387 Hartsville, New York. jimthedog enthusiast jimthedog enthusiast Joined: Feb 2001 Posts: 387 Hartsville, New York. "The Awful German Language" I like the bit about swearing. I asked a foreign exchange student what verdampt meant, working on Twains premise that German swearwords are weak. I don't recall what she said. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary

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