For AMD 6 I decided to record and watch a show I'd seen on my TV guide periodically all semester, but never actually watched. It's called Fokus Deutsch and it's a educational German show put on by the Goethe Institute.
I understood a lot more than I thought I would! I'd recommend this show to anyone who has this channel (CTNED channel 18 on Comcast). It's a little outdated and not the most exciting thing, but it's a really good opportunity to listen to people speak German. Since it's meant for education, the host, a professor at Miami University in Ohio, talks slowly and clearly as he introduces each segment and the topics that are going to be discussed. The people being interviewed, however, speak more quickly and naturally which is good practice for hearing and eventually speaking more fluent German.
The show is made up of mini segments about 15-20 minutes each, all covering a different topic. The three segments in the episode I recorded were about typical German families, German youth, and school in Germany.
The first segment, about families, was the easiest to understand. The people interviewed were all different types of families, who talked about their choices to get married, when they got married, how many kids that have or want to have. There was a woman who had lived alone for the past two years, since she was not in a relationship and decided she no longer wanted to live with roommates. This vocab I was obviously very familiar with and I got to hear the use of conversational past and verb kickers.
This segment, about German youth, was a little tougher to understand. There was quick history lesson about German youth, their political battles and struggles as well as triumphs, their culture, what was cool and the new trends to replace it. For this one, it was really helpful to be watching the video along with it because I wasn't as familiar with most of the words they used, though I could pick out a good amount.
The final segment was about the Gymnasiums in Germany and their history. Like the first segment, I understood the majority of this one, because school and school culture is obviously something we discuss in class! The bit followed also followed a girl, Caroline, around her typical school day, which was much like American high school. She had Math, German, French, lunch and a Science class.
I liked this program, though around 45 minutes into it I started to get a little antsy and found myself wishing it was over, but if I see it on over break, I'll probably flip to it for a few minutes to get a German fix!
Posts mit dem Label Gwen Schaller werden angezeigt. Alle Posts anzeigen
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Montag, 10. Dezember 2012
Dienstag, 4. Dezember 2012
Kultur 6
Finally! Tübingen is no longer just the mystery destination of Anna Adler. I'm glad we got to read more about Tübingen this week. I never knew it had a partnership with Ann Arbor! Like most of Germany it seems to have quite a rich history, which of course wouldn't fit in a Brennpunkt Kultur, but I'm sure independent research would turn up some interesting results.
I found it strange that Germany doesn't provide much housing for its students. In America, getting into student housing is rarely a problem, as housing students is a major planning factor in most universities across the country. Personally, I was never a fan of student housing and got out as quickly as possible, but that doesn't mean I don't greatly appreciate the option.
As far as the online articles this time around, they didn't really spark my interest. I appreciate Germany's environmentally friendly attitude and their waste sorting efforts that they make, but I'm really glad Ann Arbor doesn't make you sort trash or even really recycling for that matter.
I found it strange that Germany doesn't provide much housing for its students. In America, getting into student housing is rarely a problem, as housing students is a major planning factor in most universities across the country. Personally, I was never a fan of student housing and got out as quickly as possible, but that doesn't mean I don't greatly appreciate the option.
As far as the online articles this time around, they didn't really spark my interest. I appreciate Germany's environmentally friendly attitude and their waste sorting efforts that they make, but I'm really glad Ann Arbor doesn't make you sort trash or even really recycling for that matter.
Montag, 19. November 2012
Kapitel 5 Kultur
These readings didn't quite peak my interest as much as others in the past have, despite some of the attention grabbing headlines! Of course there's always something to be learned and a few points did stick out to me.
First of all, I didn't like the depiction of the U.S.'s prudishness in the "German Erotica: The Land of Beer, Sausage and Sex Shops" article. I understand where these stereotypes come from, those who are very conservative are pretty vocal about it, but in cities, sex shops are not nearly as rare as this article makes them out to be. Ann Arbor has Bongz and Thongz as well as the Safe Sex Store, and I'm sure that's not it. When I lived in Chicago there was no scarcity of erotica supply shops. Of course, in the suburbs things are a little different, but I'm sure the same can be said about Germany's cities vs. their more rural areas.
I really love the idea of the Klofrau. I'll give her all of my spare change in exchange for a clean bathroom. Public restrooms are some of my most feared and avoided places in most cases, so to have the assurance of a recently cleaned toilet is a great idea to me. It breaks my heart to hear that the profession dying out.
I didn't take much from the "Women of Germany" excerpts. I read through it, but I think it was just too many dry stats in a row for me to handle.
The "Bekannte oder Freunde" bit from the book was the most interesting to me out of all the readings we had for this chapter. It's just strange to me that forming a friendship is so formal, when to me, friends are some of the most informal people in my life. The idea that there is even a ceremonial drink to mark the occasion is so odd! I like it though, as I've always had a few very close and important friends and I feel like German culture places emphasis on the importance of the few people that are considered Freunde, not Bekannte.
First of all, I didn't like the depiction of the U.S.'s prudishness in the "German Erotica: The Land of Beer, Sausage and Sex Shops" article. I understand where these stereotypes come from, those who are very conservative are pretty vocal about it, but in cities, sex shops are not nearly as rare as this article makes them out to be. Ann Arbor has Bongz and Thongz as well as the Safe Sex Store, and I'm sure that's not it. When I lived in Chicago there was no scarcity of erotica supply shops. Of course, in the suburbs things are a little different, but I'm sure the same can be said about Germany's cities vs. their more rural areas.
I really love the idea of the Klofrau. I'll give her all of my spare change in exchange for a clean bathroom. Public restrooms are some of my most feared and avoided places in most cases, so to have the assurance of a recently cleaned toilet is a great idea to me. It breaks my heart to hear that the profession dying out.
I didn't take much from the "Women of Germany" excerpts. I read through it, but I think it was just too many dry stats in a row for me to handle.
The "Bekannte oder Freunde" bit from the book was the most interesting to me out of all the readings we had for this chapter. It's just strange to me that forming a friendship is so formal, when to me, friends are some of the most informal people in my life. The idea that there is even a ceremonial drink to mark the occasion is so odd! I like it though, as I've always had a few very close and important friends and I feel like German culture places emphasis on the importance of the few people that are considered Freunde, not Bekannte.
Sonntag, 18. November 2012
AMD 5
For AMD 5 I read the wikipedia article on Denglish -- English creeping in on the German language. I find it interesting that German seems to be more susceptible to adopting foreign words than other language and cultures seem to be. As the article says, and as we read about in past Kulture readings, and of course as we encounter as we learn new words, German has a lot of words borrowed from both French and English.
It's interesting to me that most of this English influence appears in technology and advertising. If they borrow an item from America -- Microsoft computers, fast food, even facial cream -- they borrow the name, too, rather than coming up with something new. And a lot of it seems to do with convenience, for example, using "gedownloadet" rather than "Aktualisierungen werden heruntergeladen". It's easier to write and easier to say.
I can understand those who are upset about these changes, though. As a native speaker of English, I've always felt some sort of strange connection with the language and I've taken the time and effort to learn how to use it correctly, and I appreciate when others do the same. It also kind of breaks my heart when people don't do the same, (u, ur, 4, 2, r, etc. all kill me) so I definitely get why some people are resisting the change. Change in language, however, has and will always be occurring, no matter how much myself and others may want to resist it.
I also found this article amusing because I find the opposite happening in my own life as I'm learning German. The best way for me to make things stick is by using those words or phrases frequently. I refer to my cat as kleine Katze always, and my boyfriend hates when I litter my sentences with new German words he doesn't understand.
The two language, although very different, have enough similarities to really lend themselves to integrating unintentionally with each other.
It's interesting to me that most of this English influence appears in technology and advertising. If they borrow an item from America -- Microsoft computers, fast food, even facial cream -- they borrow the name, too, rather than coming up with something new. And a lot of it seems to do with convenience, for example, using "gedownloadet" rather than "Aktualisierungen werden heruntergeladen". It's easier to write and easier to say.
I can understand those who are upset about these changes, though. As a native speaker of English, I've always felt some sort of strange connection with the language and I've taken the time and effort to learn how to use it correctly, and I appreciate when others do the same. It also kind of breaks my heart when people don't do the same, (u, ur, 4, 2, r, etc. all kill me) so I definitely get why some people are resisting the change. Change in language, however, has and will always be occurring, no matter how much myself and others may want to resist it.
I also found this article amusing because I find the opposite happening in my own life as I'm learning German. The best way for me to make things stick is by using those words or phrases frequently. I refer to my cat as kleine Katze always, and my boyfriend hates when I litter my sentences with new German words he doesn't understand.
The two language, although very different, have enough similarities to really lend themselves to integrating unintentionally with each other.
AMD 4
For AMD 4, I decided to follow the suggestion and check out livemocha.com. I set up an account and started clicking around and immediately fell in love.
I chose the "study" option rather than the "conversation" option to start, but I'm definitely interested in checking out their conversational resources later. The first thing I noticed and really liked are the additional tips in English that accompany each new word or phrase. These little one or two sentence bits are really helpful, especially to clarify any confusion that may arise from interpreting the phrase from the given photo. I really like the method of associating a picture with a word or phrase. I also really like that you can pick and choose vocab from each section once you've completed it to sort and save into different flashcard decks. This makes it super easy to study smart by being able to focus on only the words I'm really struggling with, which is the only complaint I've had about the ctools flash cards.
The review lessons were also really helpful. The cover the vocab in every way! There are questions where you hear the phrase in German and have to match the correct picture and questions where you hear the phrase in English associated with a photo and have to choose the correct German phrase. There are questions where you have to read the German phrase and choose the correct photo. Making all of these different associations and practicing seamless translation has really helped these words and phrases stick, which is great because I feel vocab has always been my greatest struggle. I understand how to put sentences together in theory in my head, but I sometimes have trouble finding the words to say it!
The writing section is also really helpful. Its great to get feedback from native speakers and other people learning on the website! Unfortunately I couldn't figure out how to record the speaking part, but I did practice the phrases, which was nice practice, but it would be better if I could figure out how to get some feedback!
Overall, I really like livemocha.com and would recommend it to anyone trying to learn a new language. The social aspect of it makes it a really efficient way to practice within a community, which is super helpful if you're learning a language independently and great additional practice to formal instruction.
I chose the "study" option rather than the "conversation" option to start, but I'm definitely interested in checking out their conversational resources later. The first thing I noticed and really liked are the additional tips in English that accompany each new word or phrase. These little one or two sentence bits are really helpful, especially to clarify any confusion that may arise from interpreting the phrase from the given photo. I really like the method of associating a picture with a word or phrase. I also really like that you can pick and choose vocab from each section once you've completed it to sort and save into different flashcard decks. This makes it super easy to study smart by being able to focus on only the words I'm really struggling with, which is the only complaint I've had about the ctools flash cards.
The review lessons were also really helpful. The cover the vocab in every way! There are questions where you hear the phrase in German and have to match the correct picture and questions where you hear the phrase in English associated with a photo and have to choose the correct German phrase. There are questions where you have to read the German phrase and choose the correct photo. Making all of these different associations and practicing seamless translation has really helped these words and phrases stick, which is great because I feel vocab has always been my greatest struggle. I understand how to put sentences together in theory in my head, but I sometimes have trouble finding the words to say it!
The writing section is also really helpful. Its great to get feedback from native speakers and other people learning on the website! Unfortunately I couldn't figure out how to record the speaking part, but I did practice the phrases, which was nice practice, but it would be better if I could figure out how to get some feedback!
Overall, I really like livemocha.com and would recommend it to anyone trying to learn a new language. The social aspect of it makes it a really efficient way to practice within a community, which is super helpful if you're learning a language independently and great additional practice to formal instruction.
Sonntag, 4. November 2012
Kapitel 4 Kultur-Texte
My first thought after reading this Kulture-Texte was "Endlish! Jemand versteht die Bedeutung von die Fahrräder!" I'm a big bike fan myself, so I was excited to learn about the Germans' love
biking, too. My favorite part is how much they cater to bikers. My home town doesn't have much traffic, so
even though it wasn't particularly bike friendly (we didn't have our own lanes, and the designated "bike path"
was equally as welcoming to pedestrians) there weren't many other that were there sharing the road. Since
moving too Ann Arbor I've had to learn to share the road with a lot of people. I've been spoiled, and I don't
like it, so I've taken to walking a lot more. In a dream world, bikes would have their own road. Deutschland
ist das Land meiner Träume!
I also found it interesting how closely followed the pedestrian cross signs are. I've lived in both Ann Arbor
and Chicago, spending the majority of my time as a pedestrian, and in both cities jaywalking is not only
common but almost expected (to my irritation as a driver, but I love it when I'm on foot).
biking, too. My favorite part is how much they cater to bikers. My home town doesn't have much traffic, so
even though it wasn't particularly bike friendly (we didn't have our own lanes, and the designated "bike path"
was equally as welcoming to pedestrians) there weren't many other that were there sharing the road. Since
moving too Ann Arbor I've had to learn to share the road with a lot of people. I've been spoiled, and I don't
like it, so I've taken to walking a lot more. In a dream world, bikes would have their own road. Deutschland
ist das Land meiner Träume!
I also found it interesting how closely followed the pedestrian cross signs are. I've lived in both Ann Arbor
and Chicago, spending the majority of my time as a pedestrian, and in both cities jaywalking is not only
common but almost expected (to my irritation as a driver, but I love it when I'm on foot).
Montag, 22. Oktober 2012
AMD 3
For this AMD I read the article on how language impacts the way we think. I found this article really interesting. Like people on the opposite side of the debate, I had previously thought that all humans thought the same for the most part, and that differences in thought we have are due to cultural differences, no difference in language. After reading this article, however, I now believe language has a great effect on how we think.
This article got me to examine how my thought process has changed now that I'm learning a new language. I'm still pretty fresh in my learning of German, but I'm already noticing changes in the way I think. For example, the gender of the article in German is something English doesn't have and therefore I haven't really considered before. It also seems to be one of the things I'm struggling with most because we don't have it in English. Another change I've noticed is because of the German case,
I now consider where the noun is in the sentence and how it functions. Had I learned German earlier in life, my lessons in English class about subjects and direct objects maybe would've gone a little smoother the first time around.
These are just mild changes I've started to notice as I work on learning German. I'm looking forward to noticing more changes in the way I think as I get a better grasp on the German language.
This article got me to examine how my thought process has changed now that I'm learning a new language. I'm still pretty fresh in my learning of German, but I'm already noticing changes in the way I think. For example, the gender of the article in German is something English doesn't have and therefore I haven't really considered before. It also seems to be one of the things I'm struggling with most because we don't have it in English. Another change I've noticed is because of the German case,
I now consider where the noun is in the sentence and how it functions. Had I learned German earlier in life, my lessons in English class about subjects and direct objects maybe would've gone a little smoother the first time around.
These are just mild changes I've started to notice as I work on learning German. I'm looking forward to noticing more changes in the way I think as I get a better grasp on the German language.
Mittwoch, 17. Oktober 2012
Kapitel 3 Kultur
The three articles I chose to read were "An Obsession Explained: Beer, Brewskies and Liquid Bread", "Eco-Centric Germans: Organic Food Obsessions", and "German Fast Food: Forget the "Mett," Try a "Frikadelle."
From these articles, plus the information from "Mealtimes in German-speaking countries", it's pretty obvious to me that I'd have a hard time eating much in Germany as a vegetarian. However, since the Germans are also so into organic food and sustainable eating, I feel like I'd have less of a moral struggle giving up my vegetarianism for German eating than I would for meat eating in America.
I love how much the Germans love organic food. Here, I still get eye rolls and scoffs for my organic preference, although since moving to Ann Arbor I have way more people on my side than I did at home. I've often dreamed of living somewhere where everyone else shares my love of all things organic and where organic is the norm. It seems Germany is the place of my dreams!
I also know how the Germans must feel, having people think they're not funny just because their humor is missed. I, much like the people in north Germany, love dry wit and deadpan humor. I appreciate understated humor, and I know what a disappointment it is when its missed and mistaken for a lack of funny bone.
From these articles, plus the information from "Mealtimes in German-speaking countries", it's pretty obvious to me that I'd have a hard time eating much in Germany as a vegetarian. However, since the Germans are also so into organic food and sustainable eating, I feel like I'd have less of a moral struggle giving up my vegetarianism for German eating than I would for meat eating in America.
I love how much the Germans love organic food. Here, I still get eye rolls and scoffs for my organic preference, although since moving to Ann Arbor I have way more people on my side than I did at home. I've often dreamed of living somewhere where everyone else shares my love of all things organic and where organic is the norm. It seems Germany is the place of my dreams!
I also know how the Germans must feel, having people think they're not funny just because their humor is missed. I, much like the people in north Germany, love dry wit and deadpan humor. I appreciate understated humor, and I know what a disappointment it is when its missed and mistaken for a lack of funny bone.
Freitag, 12. Oktober 2012
AMD 2
For the second AMD I chose to read Mark Twain's essay "The Awful German Language." I really enjoyed reading this essay; it was really funny, especially for someone trying to learn the German language. I took a stab at learning German in high school, but got frustrated with all the exceptions and cases, which were something completely new and foreign to me, and gave up pretty quickly.
This time around I'm ready for the challenge, and the way we've been learning in class is proving to be more helpful to me than the methods from my last class. This essay also helped make light of a lot of the frustrations I'm dealing with. Even Mark Twain struggled with case and knowing what "sie" actually means in a sentence.
The direct translations provided by Twain had me laughing out loud, especially the one demonstrating the separable verbs. Although I'm trying to learn not to directly translate in my head, I still do occasionally and the sentences produced from translating German back to English are rather amusing.
For the most part, even though I enjoy studying German, I have to agree with much of what Twain said, although I'm not as big a fan of Schlag and Zug as he is. I find them more confusing than useful.
AMD 1
My Trip to Germany
I spent some time clicking around the Germany page on lonelyplanet.com and found myself growing increasingly excited by the idea of actually taking a trip there. I've always toyed with the idea, but now with the resources to study abroad, toying with the idea can become putting the idea into action.
From what I read, I think I'd most enjoy Germany in the off season, traveling mid-September because how can you travel to Germany without attending Oktoberfest? I'd also love to attend the Frankfurt Book Fair. Conveniently, when I'd most enjoy Germany corresponds nicely with the school year and although I don't know where exactly I'd like to study yet, I know no matter where I end up I'll have a wonderful time and of course I'd do a lot of traveling within the country in a feeble attempt to see it all.
'An Evening at Charlottenburg Palace' Palace Tour, Dinner and Concert by the Berlin Residence Orchestra is an event in Berlin that sounds right up my alley. I'm a big fan of shopping and an even bigger fan of chocolate, so both Alexa, the giant mall and Fassbender & Rausch, the chocolate shop are on my to-do list.
I think what I'm most excited for is the natural beauty of Germany. I love spending time outside, and Germany has plenty of breathtaking nature to explore. And because the Germans work so hard to preserve this nature there are plenty opportunities for me to study Environmental Science in a beautiful, new, and exciting country.
I spent some time clicking around the Germany page on lonelyplanet.com and found myself growing increasingly excited by the idea of actually taking a trip there. I've always toyed with the idea, but now with the resources to study abroad, toying with the idea can become putting the idea into action.
From what I read, I think I'd most enjoy Germany in the off season, traveling mid-September because how can you travel to Germany without attending Oktoberfest? I'd also love to attend the Frankfurt Book Fair. Conveniently, when I'd most enjoy Germany corresponds nicely with the school year and although I don't know where exactly I'd like to study yet, I know no matter where I end up I'll have a wonderful time and of course I'd do a lot of traveling within the country in a feeble attempt to see it all.
'An Evening at Charlottenburg Palace' Palace Tour, Dinner and Concert by the Berlin Residence Orchestra is an event in Berlin that sounds right up my alley. I'm a big fan of shopping and an even bigger fan of chocolate, so both Alexa, the giant mall and Fassbender & Rausch, the chocolate shop are on my to-do list.
I think what I'm most excited for is the natural beauty of Germany. I love spending time outside, and Germany has plenty of breathtaking nature to explore. And because the Germans work so hard to preserve this nature there are plenty opportunities for me to study Environmental Science in a beautiful, new, and exciting country.
Sonntag, 30. September 2012
Kapitel 2 Kultur
I liked reading these articles particularly because I can relate them back to a German woman I worked with a few years ago while she spent a year in America. Most of these personality quirks of hers I had never thought of as being part of German culture, but rather, just how she was. The statistics thing, for instance, I thought was maybe a trait unique to her. I had no idea her encyclopedia-like knowledge was something that spanned the German culture. I had also noticed she complained a lot, but again, I thought that might just be her personality. One thing I do remember her saying to me, that is consistent with the articles, is that when she invited me to come stay with her and her family in German, she told me she really meant it. She told me German invitations were not like American invitations; that they're honest and are only extended if they mean something. Maybe I'll have to take her up on that offer.
Donnerstag, 13. September 2012
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