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17.03.2021, 11:09
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| | Re: German/French creeping into your English
When I first met my husband (Swiss) he’d sometimes say his English numbers backwards 56 = Sixty five. After we lived in the U.K. for a few years he started saying his German numbers backwards 56 = Fünfundsechzig | 
17.03.2021, 11:40
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| | Re: German/French creeping into your English
When I 1st met my US ex-hb, he used to say "chimbly", "fambly", "libary"...  To see if he could wreck my pronunciation.
French is a tough competition - double negatives in CZ and FR are big pollutants. Then "I ain't got no time" comes easy.
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17.03.2021, 11:41
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| | Re: German/French creeping into your English | Quote: | |  | | | I have a Hungarian friend who peppers her German speech with very odd words. I initially assumed they were Hungarian words but have since worked out that they are not . So one day asked her and she insisted that it was all correct German. So I checked the dictionary and every single one of those peculiar words was actually German . So shame on me for assuming otherwise. | | | | | Oh yeah. I remember correcting someone re "you like?", saying that was an Indian thing. And a facebook thing but not proper English.
Then I read books and articles and things and the "you like?" was all over the place 
And if it takes 50years until I meet her again, I will apologize. | Quote: | |  | | | I make a photo. | | | | | That's a tricky one around here. Although I wouldn't use it myself, I had to think for a sec. = I would probably not notice if someone said it. | Quote: | |  | | | I think my Aussie English is being affected by German in the following ways:
* In typical Aussie fashion I will always choose a German word if it is shorter than the English one (eg "genau" instead of "exactly")
* Swiss think I'm British when I talk English
* I swear in Swiss-German
* My English grammar is twisting to the extent that some people think I'm quoting Shakespeare. | | | | | Keep dreaming | This user would like to thank curley for this useful post: | | 
17.03.2021, 11:59
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| | Re: German/French creeping into your English | Quote: | |  | | | When I 1st met my US ex-hb, he used to say "chimbly", "fambly", "libary"... To see if he could wreck my pronunciation. | | | | |
I get fambly and libary, but what is (a) chimbly?
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17.03.2021, 12:16
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| | Re: German/French creeping into your English | Quote: | |  | | | I get fambly and libary, but what is (a) chimbly? | | | | | Chimney. The ways to incorporate "chimbly" in a regular convo were hilarious. Creative.
My boss used to say "ice-box", it so comes back anytime I look at our "frigo"
We purposely mis-pronounce some stuff just for kicks, but I think all multi-language people do that.
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17.03.2021, 12:50
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| | Re: German/French creeping into your English
Sympa.
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17.03.2021, 16:58
| | Re: German/French creeping into your English | Quote: | |  | | | Sympa. | | | | | That's a good one that we use not infrequently, not because of accidental language creep but because there is no absolute equivalent word in English, nor in German as far as I know, given that I've heard it used by German speakers too.
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17.03.2021, 17:07
| | Re: German/French creeping into your English | Quote: | |  | | | But I couldn't help noticing, that your handle crčme brűlée misses three "accents", an accent grave, an accent circonflexe and an accent aigu.
Does happen, doesn't it.  | | | | | It certainly does, as you so amply demonstrate, given that in English the last two are called a circumflex and an acute accent.
And user names haven't been able to use anything other than standard alphabetic characters for some years now, although TBF they could have done back in 2007 when cremebrulee first joined.
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17.03.2021, 17:43
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| | Re: German/French creeping into your English | Quote: |  | | | It certainly does, as you so amply demonstrate, given that in English the last two are called a circumflex and an acute accent.
And user names haven't been able to use anything other than standard alphabetic characters for some years now, although TBF they could have done back in 2007 when cremebrulee first joined. | | | | |
I'm beginning to empathize with the pain of the French and their worry for their language.
I just learnt, the Germans - although first time I see this and on wikipedia - even made "Zirkumflex" out of it.
Gosh, my ears literally hurt after all this.
acute accent. LOL. As in acute ear-bleeding or as in you have a cute accent? 
As the translation of aigu is actually high notes, high-pitched, sharp, squeaky, skirl. Which reminds me it's been a long time since I heard and English-speaker speak French. Must be painful? | 
17.03.2021, 17:56
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| | Re: German/French creeping into your English | Quote: | |  | | | 
I'm beginning to empathize with the pain of the French and their worry for their language.
I just learnt, the Germans - although first time I see this and on wikipedia - even made "Zirkumflex" out of it.
Gosh, my ears literally hurt after all this.  | | | | | How do Deutschies say "circumcision"? And I bet circa stays.
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17.03.2021, 18:12
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| | Re: German/French creeping into your English | Quote: | |  | | | How do Deutschies say "circumcision"? And I bet circa stays. | | | | | Nope, sorry.
Beschneidung. And more professional (=not really German) Vasektomie.
And a "circa" in this context makes me feel very uneasy 
Where ever you saw a circa in circumcision.
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17.03.2021, 18:23
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| | Re: German/French creeping into your English | Quote: | |  | | | Nope, sorry.
Beschneidung. And more professional (=not really German) Vasektomie.
And a "circa" in this context makes me feel very uneasy 
Where ever you saw a circa in circumcision. | | | | | It is obvious.
But here: | Quote: |  | | | Word Root Of The Day: circum | Membean
#61 circum → around The prefix circum- which means “around” and the Latin root word circ which mean “ring” both are influential in making up English words. For instance, the prefix circum- gave rise to the words circumference and circumstances, whereas the root circ gave rise to circle and circulation.
| | | | | Cca -> around
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17.03.2021, 20:11
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| | Re: German/French creeping into your English | Quote: | |  | | | Nope, sorry.
Beschneidung. And more professional (=not really German) Vasektomie.
And a "circa" in this context makes me feel very uneasy 
Where ever you saw a circa in circumcision. | | | | | g'schnipsle
Yes, that wonderful German false friend "sympathisch". I tell them to use "nice" or "likeable"
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17.03.2021, 20:55
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| | Re: German/French creeping into your English | Quote: | |  | | | Nope, sorry.
Beschneidung. And more professional (=not really German) Vasektomie.
And a "circa" in this context makes me feel very uneasy 
Where ever you saw a circa in circumcision. | | | | | That‘s not completely true. Vasektomie is the procedure to sterilize males. The correct, but hardly used „Fremdwort“ is „Zirkumzision“.
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18.03.2021, 09:01
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| | Re: German/French creeping into your English | Quote: | |  | | | We purposely mis-pronounce some stuff just for kicks, but I think all multi-language people do that. | | | | |
Yes, in our house it's "knife" - we pronounce it as if it were a German word.
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18.03.2021, 10:08
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| | Re: German/French creeping into your English | Quote: | |  | | | Yes, in our house it's "knife" - we pronounce it as if it were a German word. | | | | | Buffaaaaalo! Either in tomato version or the bull.  One Romanian friend of mine in VTech always made me laugh on purpose with his Buffaaaaalos.
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18.03.2021, 10:19
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| | Re: German/French creeping into your English
Now that both my kids have passed their Cambridge exams, we have all gone back to speaking Irish English... I suppose it’s a bit different when you grow up in a place where having two names for stuff is normal and you automatically use Irish phrases in certain situations just because that’s what everyone does.
After thirty years I don’t really notice when someone speaks to me in Swiss German, it has sort of all merged into one.
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18.03.2021, 10:49
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| | Re: German/French creeping into your English | Quote: | |  | | | It worries me sometimes but for example I can't learn Spanish anymore (my first language ever although shortly) because the Italian gets in the way big time. I admire people who speak Spanish and Italian - separately  | | | | | And don't ever think of adding French to that mix... it gets nasty  . Luckily I forgot enough French in order to speak Spanish and Italian separately and semi-properly...
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18.03.2021, 12:19
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| | Re: German/French creeping into your English | Quote: | |  | | | And don't ever think of adding French to that mix... it gets nasty . Luckily I forgot enough French in order to speak Spanish and Italian separately and semi-properly... | | | | | My French is clean 
My brain seems to keep it totally separate.
Last edited by curley; 18.03.2021 at 12:41.
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18.03.2021, 12:20
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| | Re: German/French creeping into your English
I use déconcentrer in english quite a bit but my favorite is je suis calé, so calé is in my english too
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