[davidmanze]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muP_pP3Em2o

I'm going to write those down and memorize them ..... I know quite few french wordsmiths .....

Longest french word:

Anticonstitutionnellement ..... 25 letters ........

[toni-a]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muP_pP3Em2o

I'm going to write those down and memorize them ..... I know quite few french wordsmiths .....

Longest french word:

Anticonstitutionnellement ..... 25 letters ........

not anymore longest french word is intergouvernementalisation  with  26

if you go to our medical world and our bizarre words then 26 letters that's nothing 

[davidmanze]

The times they are a changin ........ good old bob

[Klaus]

Great one, David, (censored) inf..kingcredible!

Technically there is no limit on the size of a German word. But I reckon at some stage you may have forgotten already where you started. ;-)

Not only on the size of words, but sentences, too The habit of putting the subject and verb at the opposing ends of a sentence, while also embedding a truckload of additional clauses and sentences in-between, regularly drives translators nuts

Recommended read for those interested in more details: Mark Twain's essay "The awful German language"

---

Btw., there is a german word that describes the fear or phobia of (using) long words:

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobie

I do fully agree - German IS an awful language. It's just way more complicated than it needs to be.

[davidmanze]

Great one, David, (censored) inf..kingcredible!

Technically there is no limit on the size of a German word. But I reckon at some stage you may have forgotten already where you started. ;-)

Not only on the size of words, but sentences, too The habit of putting the subject and verb at the opposing ends of a sentence, while also embedding a truckload of additional clauses and sentences in-between, regularly drives translators nuts

Recommended read for those interested in more details: Mark Twain's essay "The awful German language"

---

Btw., there is a german word that describes the fear or phobia of (using) long words:

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobie

I do fully agree - German IS an awful language. It's just way more complicated than it needs to be.

  Damn it you got me singing      .... Marche diche mein hertz rein......now !

  the only German I know ! .....

[wim]

Great one, David, (censored) inf..kingcredible!

Technically there is no limit on the size of a German word. But I reckon at some stage you may have forgotten already where you started. ;-)

Not only on the size of words, but sentences, too The habit of putting the subject and verb at the opposing ends of a sentence, while also embedding a truckload of additional clauses and sentences in-between, regularly drives translators nuts

Recommended read for those interested in more details: Mark Twain's essay "The awful German language"

---

Btw., there is a german word that describes the fear or phobia of (using) long words:

Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobie

I do fully agree - German IS an awful language. It's just way more complicated than it needs to be.

One of the text books we used at varsity was a book on genetics by a German professor, in German. I well remember a sentence of over 1 1/2 pages long in smalliish print, set close together, where you basically had to analyze the structure and grammar in order to even vaguely understand what he was saying.

Reminded me of some of the Latin stuff we had to translate at high school. I honestly do think that Germans did take their inspiration there, as some of the best translations of, e.g., Virgil (Vergilius), were in German I found, and preferably in gothic print, of course .

Kind regards, Wim

[mst]

I do fully agree - German IS an awful language. It's just way more complicated than it needs to be.

I agree that it's not as simple and clean as let's say COBOL for example And I'm sure that to most foreign ears it sounds quite harsh. On the other hand, as with any other language, complexity opens the door to creativity and the freedom to use it in whatever way is required or wanted, be it for endlessly long complicated sentences in scientific books or papers, as Wim mentioned (also any kind of legal text or law) or something subtly beautiful. Also, complexity and beauty is optional... as anyone having to deal with growing up teenagers will likely confirm

"Voll am regnen ey!"
Kevin

"Der Regen strickt diesem Tag mit leisen Nadeln ein graues Kleid."
Martin Walser

[Brightcolours]

Alter Verwalter! Du gehst mir auf den Keks! Du must mich nicht das Blaue vom Himmel versprechen... Alter Schwede!

[toni-a]

أخاف أن تُمطر الدُّنيا ولستِ معي

فمنذ رحتِ وعندي عقدةُ المطرْ

كان الشتاء يغطيني بمعطفهِ فلا أفكر في بردٍ و لا ضجرْ

وكانت الريح تعوي خلف نافذتي

فتهمسين: تمسَّك ها هنا شعري

و الآن أجلسُ والأمطارُ تجلدني

على ذراعي.. على وجهي.. على ظهري

فمن يدافع عني.. يا مسافرة مثل اليمامة بين العين والبصرْ

وكيف أمحوكِ من أوراقِ ذاكرتي

وأنتِ في القلب مثل النقشِ في الحجرْ


نزار قباني

[mst]

@BC: let's make this the default template for an admin note when discussions get out of hand again

@toni: ok, you win

At some point, the thread got a little bit OT