{"id":20496,"date":"2013-06-16T18:13:03","date_gmt":"2013-06-16T22:13:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=20496"},"modified":"2013-06-16T19:16:30","modified_gmt":"2013-06-16T23:16:30","slug":"sonderling-sunday-exploring-eldritch-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=20496","title":{"rendered":"Sonderling Sunday – Exploring Eldritch City"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s time for Sonderling Sunday<\/a>! That time of the week when I play with language by looking at the German translation of children’s books. I’ve always found phrase books funny. Imagine situations where you really need to say those things. So, why not start with a situation, a story, in fact, and look at how they would translate?<\/p>\n

Today, for the first time, I’ve brought my laptop out on my balcony, and I’m enjoying all the bird song. Life is good!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Today it’s back to the book that inspired Sonderling Sunday, Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge<\/em>, that is, The Order of Odd-fish<\/a><\/em>, by James Kennedy<\/a>. You do not have to have read the book to enjoy this unusual “phrase book.” In fact, it might be extra fun to try to imagine a story that uses these phrases. I bet you can’t come close!<\/p>\n

It strikes me that it would be really fun to make a language learning recording (or podcast) with these phrases. But I think it would be much better with a native German speaker reading the German. Any volunteers?<\/p>\n

This week, we’re beginning Chapter 14, Kapitel 14, which begins on page 169 in English, Seite 214 in the German edition. Jo is exploring Eldritch City, so we’ll need to learn some handy phrases for a tourist.<\/p>\n

“soaked” = durchtr\u00e4nkt<\/em> (“through-drank”)<\/p>\n

“the wet breath of plants” = dem feuchten Atem von Pflanzen<\/em><\/p>\n

“the sweat of strangers” = dem Schwei? von Fremden<\/em><\/p>\n

“brackish seawater” = fauligem Meerwasser<\/em><\/p>\n

“rotten cheese” = verschimmeltem K\u00e4se<\/em><\/p>\n

“melted manure” = geschmolzenem Dung<\/em> (Aren’t you glad you know how to say that now?)<\/p>\n

“the sweet fruity thrill of ten thousand flowers” = dem s\u00fc?en, fruchtigen Duft von Zehntausenden von Blumen<\/em><\/p>\n

“thronged” = wimmelte<\/em><\/p>\n

“centipedes” = Tausendf\u00fc?lern<\/em> (“thousand-footers”)<\/p>\n

“shimmering pantaloons” = schimmernden Hosen<\/em><\/p>\n

“chromium walking sticks” = Gehst\u00f6cke aus Chrom<\/em><\/p>\n

I like saying this:
\n“precariously tall hats” = gef\u00e4hrlich hohe H\u00fcte<\/em><\/p>\n

“tipping” = l\u00fcpften<\/em><\/p>\n

“swampy bottom of the mountain” = sumpfigen Fu?es des Berges<\/em><\/p>\n

“gray eel-like creatures” = aalartige graue Kreaturen<\/em><\/p>\n

“twitching worms” = windenden W\u00fcrmern<\/em><\/p>\n

“propped up by scaffolding” = gest\u00fctzt von Ger\u00fcsten<\/em><\/p>\n

“variety” = Vielfalt<\/em> (“much-diversity”)<\/p>\n

“boisterous” = l\u00e4rmende<\/em><\/p>\n

“peephole” = Guckloch<\/em><\/p>\n

“kicking around hairy, jeweled animal skulls”
\n= haaarige, juwelengeschm\u00fcckte Tiersch\u00e4del herumkickten<\/em><\/p>\n

“hide-and-seek” = Versteckspiels<\/em> (“hiding games”)<\/p>\n

“whale-god” = Walgottes<\/em><\/p>\n

“floating mountain” = schwebender Berg<\/em><\/p>\n

“incense” = Weihrauch<\/em> (“Christmas-smoke”)<\/p>\n

“notoriously clumsy flame-spurting double-sided lance”
\n= ber\u00fcchtigten, etwas sperrigen, zweiseitigen, Flammen spuckenden Lanze<\/em><\/p>\n

“weapon of choice” = Lieblingswaffe<\/em><\/p>\n

“ostrich” = Strau?<\/em><\/p>\n

“old haunts” = alten Spielgr\u00fcnde<\/em> (“old play-grounds”)<\/p>\n

“swamp neighborhood” = Sumpfgebiet<\/em><\/p>\n

“flower-dripping” = von Blumen \u00fcbers\u00e4te<\/em> (“with flowers over-sowed”)<\/p>\n

“stilt legs” = Pfahlbeinen<\/em><\/p>\n

“most distinguished eelmen” = respektabelsten Aalmenschen<\/em><\/p>\n

“bubbling iron pot” = blubbernde Eisenkessel<\/em><\/p>\n

“sweaty, fish-smelling smoke” = muffigen, fischigen Rauch<\/em><\/p>\n

“throbbing” = hervorstehenden<\/em><\/p>\n

“delighted gargles” = entz\u00fcckte gurgelnd<\/em><\/p>\n

“brittle” = spr\u00f6der<\/em><\/p>\n

“blobs” = Knubbel<\/em><\/p>\n

“declared” = deklamierte<\/em><\/p>\n

“boiled cabbage” = gekochter Kohl<\/em>
\n.
\n“flared her nostrils” = weitete ihre Nasenfl\u00fcgel<\/em> (“widened her nose-wings”)<\/p>\n

“weight-lifter” = Gewichtheber<\/em><\/p>\n

That’s the end of a section. Now I challenge you to use some of these phrases in a sentence! May you be blessed this week with dem s\u00fc?en, fruchtigen Duft von Zehntausenden von Blumen<\/em> and not with dem Schwei? von Fremden<\/em> or even gef\u00e4hrlich hohe H\u00fcte<\/em>. But if you’re ever in Germany and you want to describe sweaty, fish-smelling smoke, you’ll know how to do it!<\/p>\n

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