English or Denglish?

The Saloon
1

These are ten words from a list published on the net – in German - with ten ‘English’ words that do exist in German, but not in English itself. I’ve added some comments to the terms. Some of them were new to me, I hope I got all meanings right.

The German article can be found here: http://www.loadblog.de/allgemein/top10-englische-worter-die-es-nur-im-deutschen-gibt-von-evergreen-bis-jumpnrun/

* Handy
In German this is a cell phone or a mobile. In English it usually means something like practical or convenient to handle or use (that will come in handy). Some people here, have assured me it means something completely different in some part of the States. But hey, Germans, does this mean that there’s no Germanized form if ‘mobile’? Even in Arabic they have their own form, it’s more or less pronounced ‘moobile’ (with the ‘oo’ from ‘goose’). In Italian a mobile is ‘cellulare’ or ‘telefonino’ (literally: little telephone); ‘mobile’ exists, but means something like ‘changeable’, ‘unstable’ (Verdi: La donna è mobile)

* Catchen
Apparently German for wrestling. In Dutch the form of wrestling practiced by Hulk Hogan and the likes, used to be called ‘catch-as-catch-can’. I think it’s called something like professional wrestling in English.

* Jump’n’Run
According to the site, German for what is called ‘platformer’ or ‘platform games’ in English. Don’t know anything about it. Apparently a rock ‘n roll babe, so to speak.

* Oldtimer
In English: vintage car. We use the word Old Timer (usually written in two words) in Dutch too.

* Beamer
A sort of large video projector. Used in Dutch too. I don’t know the English word for it.

* Smoking
A classic. A German or a Dutchman might say, when speaking English and not paying attention: I’m wearing a smoking tonight. Correct would be: a tuxedo.

* Public Viewing
In German: watching a football game, especially during a Word Cup, on a large screen.

* Egoshooter
(Video games) In English: First person shooter.

* Casting-Show
In English: talent show

* Evergreen
Used in Dutch too, and actually the biggest surprise for me that it means something different in English. When talk about an ‘evergreen’ in German or Dutch, we’re talking about a song that has always remained popular (always remained ‘green’), so a song like ‘Always on my mind’ or ‘Yesterday’. Apparently this meaning doesn’t exist in English. Odd. In Italian they say ‘sempre verde’, which literally means ‘evergreen’.

2

Isn’t Public Viewing used in England also for watching football on big screens?

Jump and Run is used for certain video games like Super Mario in which the hero does his job this way.

3

Funny and interesting Thread!

Mobiltelefon would be the correct word of Handy but I don’t know anybody who use Mobiltelefon instead of Handy. :wink:

4

Beamer is slang for a BMW in america. The beamer you’re referring to we call projectors. No one would know what a handy is here. Only known as a cell phone. :slight_smile:

5

From Wikipedia:

Entstehung der Bezeichnung „Handy“

Zur gängigen Bezeichnung für die neu eingeführten GSM-Mobiltelefone bürgerte sich ab etwa 1992 in der deutschen Umgangssprache der Begriff „Handy“ ein. Zur Entstehung des Begriffs gibt es zahlreiche widersprüchliche Erklärungsansätze, die bislang nicht schlüssig belegt werden konnten.[8][9] Im Zweiten Weltkrieg produzierte Motorola erstmals neben dem Walkie-Talkie SCR-300, das auf dem Rücken getragen wurde, das Handie-Talkie SCR-536, das man wie ein Telefon in der Hand halten konnte. Bis heute gibt es Nachfolgemodelle diesen Namens, der seit 1963 auch in englischen Wörterbüchern geführt wird.[10] Das erste D-Netz-Mobiltelefon, das den Begriff Handy im Namen führte, war das 1992 von Loewe vorgestellte HandyTel 100.

In (deutschsprachigen) CB- und Amateurfunker-Kreisen gab es die Bezeichnung Handy schon vor 1992; gemeint war damit ein hand-held transceiver also ein in-der-Hand-gehaltener Sender-und-Empfänger; meist waren damit die kleinen, so ähnlich wie ein Telefon aussehenden, Funkgeräte für die UKW Bänder 2 m, 70 cm und 23 cm. gemeint, wie das YEASU FT23. Dieses Funkgerät war wesentlich kleiner und konnte mit einer Hand bedient werden, im Gegensatz etwa zum YAESU FT290, welches wesentlich größer war und welches man in der Regel mit zwei Händen bedienen musste.

Da im englischsprachigen Raum das Wort „Handy“ nicht als Bezeichnung für ein Mobiltelefon verwendet, sondern als Adjektiv „praktisch/bequem/handlich“ übersetzt wird, wird es in der deutschen Sprache als Scheinanglizismus eingeordnet. Die traditionellen englischsprachigen Begriffe für Mobiltelefon lauten im amerikanischen sowie südafrikanischen Englisch cell(ular) phone, im britischen Englisch mobile phone oder kürzer nur portable oder mobile. In Slang-Wörterbüchern wird jedoch auch schon das Substantiv „Handy“ in der deutschen Bedeutung aufgeführt.

6

a Public Viewing in the US usually refers to a funeral.

a Smoking appears to be a shortened version of Smoking Jacket which is something different than a tuxedo in the US as well.

7

Public Viewing…keep thinking I am in my coffin ( vampire at night you see ), and you all come to see ENNIOO…well that was the dream I had :smiley: .

8

Evergreen is used here in Britain in the same context as you mention (i.e. the song is still “evergreen” - it’s an ageless song that doesn’t date for example).

9

Smoking (or smokin’) is also hip speak, I believe, for something exceedingly good (wasn’t it The Mask’s catchphrase?).

10

That’s what I know

Are you sure it isn’t used in the UK (sometimes?) like described in the first post?

11

Yes it caught on after that annoying movie.

12

Public viewing is generally only used here (in the UK) to refer to an event or demonstration of some kind that is open to the public. But I think it does occasionally get used in a sporting-broadcast context, too.

13

Is it used as a noun too? So: ‘Yesterday’ is an evergreen

14

Yes, sometimes, although it’s not a term that’s used very often (it is quite an old fashioned word).

15

I think the word oldtimer is used quite often in English,not necessarily for an old car it could be an old person.

16

correct.

17

Yes, but we use it specifically for old cars

Here’s a website about oldtimers. You’ll notice that most of them maybe old, but therefore not cheap:

http://www.autozone.be/auto_j2ee/alg/pag/a_home_oldtimers.jsp?locale=nl_BE

18

That’s the meaning here. Sporting broadcast on great places for thousands of fans. Also called in real denglish Fanmeile (Fan mile). That goes for the real big viewings e.g. in Berlin with 100 000 fans or more during the World Cup.

19

I’ve only ever heard “smoking” in reference to a really hot (i.e. sexy) woman.

20

Man, she’s hot, she’s even smokin’ !

(Sounds logical)