第 4 节
作者:
指点迷津 更新:2024-05-15 20:29 字数:9322
and the inventor of them ought to have been killed。
They are compound words with the hyphens left out。
The various words used in building them are in the dictionary;
but in a very scattered condition; so you can hunt
the materials out; one by one; and get at the meaning
at last; but it is a tedious and harassing business。
I have tried this process upon some of the above examples。
〃Freundshaftsbezeigungen〃 seems to be 〃Friendship
demonstrations;〃
which is only a foolish and clumsy way of saying 〃demonstrations
of friendship。〃 〃Unabhaengigkeitserklaerungen〃 seems
to be 〃Independencedeclarations;〃 which is no improvement
upon 〃Declarations of Independence;〃 so far as I can see。
〃Generalstaatsverordnetenversammlungen〃 seems to be
〃General…statesrepresentativesmeetings;〃 as nearly as I
can get at ita mere rhythmical; gushy euphuism for
〃meetings of the legislature;〃 I judge。 We used to have
a good deal of this sort of crime in our literature;
but it has gone out now。 We used to speak of a things as a
〃never…to…be…forgotten〃 circumstance; instead of cramping
it into the simple and sufficient word 〃memorable〃 and then
going calmly about our business as if nothing had happened。
In those days we were not content to embalm the thing
and bury it decently; we wanted to build a monument over it。
But in our newspapers the compounding…disease lingers
a little to the present day; but with the hyphens left out;
in the German fashion。 This is the shape it takes:
instead of saying 〃Mr。 Simmons; clerk of the county and
district courts; was in town yesterday;〃 the new form put
it thus: 〃Clerk of the County and District Courts Simmons
was in town yesterday。〃 This saves neither time nor ink;
and has an awkward sound besides。 One often sees a remark
like this in our papers: 〃MRS。 Assistant District Attorney
Johnson returned to her city residence yesterday for the season。〃
That is a case of really unjustifiable compounding;
because it not only saves no time or trouble; but confers
a title on Mrs。 Johnson which she has no right to。
But these little instances are trifles indeed; contrasted
with the ponderous and dismal German system of piling
jumbled compounds together。 I wish to submit the following
local item; from a Mannheim journal; by way of illustration:
〃In the daybeforeyesterdayshortlyaftereleveno'clock Night;
the inthistownstandingtavern called 'The Wagoner' was downburnt。
When the fire to the onthedownburninghouseresting Stork's
Nest reached; flew the parent Storks away。 But when
the bytheraging; firesurrounded Nest ITSELF caught Fire;
straightway plunged the quickreturning Mother…Stork into
the Flames and died; her Wings over her young ones outspread。〃
Even the cumbersome German construction is not able to
take the pathos out of that pictureindeed; it somehow
seems to strengthen it。 This item is dated away back
yonder months ago。 I could have used it sooner; but I
was waiting to hear from the Father…stork。 I am still waiting。
〃ALSO!〃 If I had not shown that the German is a
difficult language; I have at least intended to do so。
I have heard of an American student who was asked how he
was getting along with his German; and who answered
promptly: 〃I am not getting along at all。 I have worked
at it hard for three level months; and all I have got
to show for it is one solitary German phrase'ZWEI GLAS'〃
(two glasses of beer)。 He paused for a moment; reflectively;
then added with feeling: 〃But I've got that SOLID!〃
And if I have not also shown that German is a harassing
and infuriating study; my execution has been at fault;
and not my intent。 I heard lately of a worn and sorely
tried American student who used to fly to a certain German
word for relief when he could bear up under his aggravations
no longerthe only word whose sound was sweet and
precious to his ear and healing to his lacerated spirit。
This was the word DAMIT。 It was only the SOUND that
helped him; not the meaning; '3' and so; at last; when he
learned that the emphasis was not on the first syllable;
his only stay and support was gone; and he faded away
and died。
3。 It merely means; in its general sense; 〃herewith。〃
I think that a description of any loud; stirring;
tumultuous episode must be tamer in German than in English。
Our descriptive words of this character have such
a deep; strong; resonant sound; while their German
equivalents do seem so thin and mild and energyless。
Boom; burst; crash; roar; storm; bellow; blow; thunder;
explosion; howl; cry; shout; yell; groan; battle; hell。
These are magnificent words; the have a force and magnitude
of sound befitting the things which they describe。
But their German equivalents would be ever so nice to sing
the children to sleep with; or else my awe…inspiring ears
were made for display and not for superior usefulness
in analyzing sounds。 Would any man want to die in a
battle which was called by so tame a term as a SCHLACHT?
Or would not a comsumptive feel too much bundled up;
who was about to go out; in a shirt…collar and a seal…ring;
into a storm which the bird…song word GEWITTER was employed
to describe? And observe the strongest of the several
German equivalents for explosionAUSBRUCH。 Our word
Toothbrush is more powerful than that。 It seems to me
that the Germans could do worse than import it into their
language to describe particularly tremendous explosions with。
The German word for hellHo〃llesounds more like HELLY
than anything else; therefore; how necessary chipper;
frivolous; and unimpressive it is。 If a man were told
in German to go there; could he really rise to thee
dignity of feeling insulted?
Having pointed out; in detail; the several vices of
this language; I now come to the brief and pleasant task
of pointing out its virtues。 The capitalizing of the nouns
I have already mentioned。 But far before this virtue stands
anotherthat of spelling a word according to the sound of it。
After one short lesson in the alphabet; the student can tell
how any German word is pronounced without having to ask;
whereas in our language if a student should inquire of us;
〃What does B; O; W; spell?〃 we should be obliged to reply;
〃Nobody can tell what it spells when you set if off by itself;
you can only tell by referring to the context and finding
out what it signifieswhether it is a thing to shoot
arrows with; or a nod of one's head; or the forward end of a
boat。〃
There are some German words which are singularly
and powerfully effective。 For instance; those which
describe lowly; peaceful; and affectionate home life;
those which deal with love; in any and all forms;
from mere kindly feeling and honest good will toward
the passing stranger; clear up to courtship; those which
deal with outdoor Nature; in its softest and loveliest
aspectswith meadows and forests; and birds and flowers;
the fragrance and sunshine of summer; and the moonlight
of peaceful winter nights; in a word; those which deal with
any and all forms of rest; respose; and peace; those also
which deal with the creatures and marvels of fairyland;
and lastly and chiefly; in those words which express pathos;
is the language surpassingly rich and affective。 There are
German songs which can make a stranger to the language cry。
That shows that the SOUND of the words is correctit
interprets the meanings with truth and with exactness;
and so the ear is informed; and through the ear; the heart。
The Germans do not seem to be afraid to repeat a word
when it is the right one。 they repeat it several times;
if they choose。 That is wise。 But in English; when we
have used a word a couple of times in a paragraph;
we imagine we are growing tautological; and so we are weak
enough to exchange it for some other word which only
approximates exactness; to escape what we wrongly fancy
is a greater blemish。 Repetition may be bad; but surely
inexactness is worse。
…
There are people in the world who will take a great
deal of trouble to point out the faults in a religion
or a language; and then go blandly about their business
without suggesting any remedy。 I am not that kind
of person。 I have shown that the German language
needs reforming。 Very well; I am ready to reform it。
At least I am ready to make the proper suggestions。
Such a course as this might be immodest in another; but I
have devoted upward of nine full weeks; first and last;
to a careful and critical study of this tongue; and thus
have acquired a confidence in my ability to reform it
which no mere superficial culture could have conferred
upon me。
In the first place; I would leave out the Dative case。
It confuses the plurals; and; besides; nobody ever knows
when he is in the Dative case; except he discover it
by accidentand then he does not know when or where it
was that he got into it; o