Free Writing My Way Back To You.

What do I think of the term grammar Nazi? Seems a tad over stated does it not? And yet we know exactly what is meant by the term. It's an example borrowing for effect. In  this case we see a political ideology which has an obsessive - if historical -  strict adherence to a set of arbitrary rules and added  to a far less significant referential description: one that irks rather than destroys people.   So, why have I started this blog with this? The answer is that there is no answer. I'm free writing again - although to claim that this opening is the result of a technically accurate free write - a riff of words thrown onto a blank canvass that have only been accorded fleeting thoughts rather than considered contemplation - would be disingenuous to say the least. I have play with the opening because I feel rusty.  Very rusty, that's why I'm free writing. But is free writing in a free wheeling way the only way? No it isn't. A focused free write yields results too. In some respects better results.  Whereas the true free write might be the device that throws up a one piece of original magic in an otherwise morass of inanity and madness (and believe me this happens, and believe me it's really worth it - one idea of astounding originality can change a whole life), the focused free write which won't create a shimmering originality from the unplumbed depths of creativity  - can at least drive you forwards in your search for structure, twists turns characters ideas and language. And you won't have to plow through hundreds of pages of a madman's ramblings born of a thousand disconnected thoughts and dreams to find stuff that can be used. Stuff that sets you up. Stuff, that matters when you know or think you know, where you want to go. 

I have been asked to help write a children's book. I know nothing of children's writing or children' literature - if that is what is wanted, what is being sought. But at least I know how to do a focused free write and that's what I'm going to do - that is how I'll start. 

jemand muss ihr Bier geben

I can't seem to get beyond phase 6 out of 8 in Memorize beginner's German. This is partly because I can't get to the end of what has been a huge backlog of watering requirements - with all the stutters and slip ups that go with the revision process. I'm not sure but I believe I have to complete phase 6 to the website's satisfaction before phase 7 is revealed.

I'm struggling with the spelling, not good at getting the verbs in the right order, and memory seems to be failing in terms of recalling the phrases - even without too much recourse to the grammar. There are to be fair some sentences of surprising awkwardness that are really difficult to commit to memory - many of them presented in slightly different ways and popping up as if to catch you out, just to make things that little bit more difficult it seems.  I can see why the course writers would do this - but if it only succeeds in hammering my confidence so far into the ground that I don't feel like doing the course because of this impasse, this inability to get a series of corrects and all the good feelings that engenders - I'm not sure if the idea is successful.

Like with any language I suspect, it's about getting a hook onto things.  If the verb always goes on the end, then fine, I start thinking in terms of that being a greater probability as I progress through the phrases. If through mixing up the phrases with tricky variations that aren't typical, I don't necessarily think that to be a good strategy as it is difficult for the language student (me) to feel that they are making normal progress.

Ich gebe  is 'I give'.  ich sollte nach Berlin gehen means 'I should go to Berlin'. But interestingly, perhaps infuriatingly I should go to Alexanderplatz is very different: Ich sollte den Alexanderplatz bechuen. If I have these two right and I will have to check - they couldn't be more different.
wir geben ihm Kaffe translates to 'we give him coffee.' Quite an odd sentence to select for a beginners course I would think. I reckon I could visit Germany a hundred times and never have to construct that sentence. It sounds like something you might utter if you worked in a hospital or care home (not likely) in Germany (difficult to imagine) and that you were talking to a German relative of a German pensioner who just happens to be in your care/is given coffee by you/ and its worth saying - none of which sounds very likely.
Anyway the sentence at least is interesting in that we notice that we is wir, geben in this context is geben (gebe is more akin to gave) ihm is him (which is usefully memorable) and Kaffee could easily be said without any knowledge of German orthography. Jemand muss ihr Bier geben means 'someone must get her a beer!' Again you have to say what are the chances of needing to construct that utterance? The scenario might have to be that you enter a bar with a woman whom you don't wish to demonstrate gallantry or generosity of any kind and declaim to the folk drinking within the establishment that someone, I don't mind who, but someone, must (presumably if they don't there will be a fight or a death or both) must get or buy this lady (notwithstanding that she's with me) must buy her a drink. Again forgeting that for the moment: jemand (someone) muss (must - how I love these little international dopplegangers) (to) her ihr Bier geben 'Someone must her beer give.' Which although sounds charmingly eccentric and odd beyond imaginings tells us something about German. You can imagine shouting it with an exuberant perhaps even aggressive German accent as beloved of actors playing German soldiers in films about one of the wars.  Someone must her beer give!! or rather: Jemand muss ihr Bier geben!!

Introduction.

It was always going to happen one day. I was always going to create a blog that followed my stumbling efforts at language learning. Throughout my life I have tried and failed to learn French and have always had a passing interest in languages generally so perhaps the time is right to create a language learning blog. Now I'm trying to learn basic German on-line - and finding it predictably hard.

The thinking behind this blog is that I could perhaps practice some of the stuff I am being exposed to over at duolingo and memorise in particular - together with various foreign language words of the day web sites that fill up one of my Twitter accounts. 

Perhaps the first thing I need to do is to switch off the spelling assist setting so that I'm not bombarded by annoying corrections that won't be, strictly speaking errors at all - merely words that have never entered the English language so that I can write for instance: Früher habe ich ein Tagebuch geführt which fell gratifyingly into my email inbox this morning informing me that Tagebruch is German for diary and at the same time informing me that although it translates as 'I used to keep a diary' in German 'I used' is converted into 'formally' as in once upon a time. 'Formally have I a diary managed' seems to be the literal translation which although slightly odd to our ears (or eyes) makes perfect sense. Analyzing the translation further helps one make sense of some of the notable differences of language construction and alerts one to this changing order when learning to make sense of foreign language sentences later.  

It's about interrogating meaning more fully. 'I used' is a very English language thing to say. But if we can recognise how parochial that kind of opening statement is - and that more correctly the words once/formally might have taken precedence - we can start imagining foreign language words that represent them rather than vague constructions like 'I used' I used to keep a diary, I used the tenon saw to cut that wood. That item is not new it's a used item. Easy perhaps to see why it would be particular to English and not considered in German for example. Kepts is another of those words I think one would have to inculcate a sceptical awareness of. Kept from keep - but looking harder at it very ambiguous. Kept - in what way? Stored in a drawer - never being brought into the open. More consideration into the word kept and we understand it means to do something with it it in this context.  Add something to it daily - manage it covers this. And it's being managed in English as well as German - not just kept. Fruher (formally/once/in time gone by: I managed a diary or tagebuch (day book) on a daily basis. Why is managed at the end? That's how they like it - so accept it. This is what makes languages different. That's one answer and I believe a good one. The other would be more explanatory: the verb in German often goes at the end. So 'I walked to work' might be 'to work I walked.'  or something like:  Ich bin durch Rome gebummelt. I wandered around Rome. I am (by means of or in a way of speaking)  in Rome  (where I) wandered. 'I had a stroll around Rome.' One can see that the 'around'  wouldn't make universal sense - around? as opposed to squared/circled/triangulated.  If you did walk a complete circle then maybe - but a casual, unstructured wander or stroll does not insist on being described or denoted as being  'around.' I wandered (in the manner of a wander) in Rome gets to the nub of the activity. 

Finally for this post: 'durch' as discussed, looks useful (in the manner of).  I can imagine it popping up often, and, I now have a hazy handle on it. 'Fruher' for formally might also be useful when I start learning my German verbs and maybe I can avoid the past tense conjugations (if German has them - at the moment I have no idea) such as in the 'I used' 'he used' 'she used' to do this or that etc. 'Fruher' instead - and we're away! Maybe. And gebummelt. Any word with bum in it is already memorable. It's easy to imagine according a memorise style image for some some geezer bumming around in the sun as his ass melts away. but I'll cover that sort of arcane notional learning on the next blog.