Below are a few things I learned tonight while researching for my paper on Bonhoeffer:
- Indexes are the most awesome thing ever when writing a topical research paper
- You know you will probably get something out of the book when the index is over 50 pages long
- It is even better when the whole first page is an index of Greek words used in the text
- When half or more of your sources were originally written in German (last paper it was Russian; at least my life is not boring!)
- Scanning the index brings up: Garnisonsverwendungsfähig (fit for limited military duty), Roosevelt's New Year's address, Othello, pneumonia, Egyptian priests, skiing and swimming, Red Army, reverence, Sabellianism, Synod of Carthage, Tegel prison, Vistula River, and the YMCA
- I'm pretty sure German words are actually phrases with all the spaces taken out and the words smashed together. I can find no other explanation for why any word would be so long
- For general information, the longest non-technical word in the English language commonly in dictionaries is supposedly floccinaucinihilipilification. However, in English, such words are the exception, whereas in German it seems that you get them every page or so ...
I'm sure you've seen this, but I laugh every time: http://www.c4vct.com/kym/humor/german.htm
ReplyDeleteWow! No, I had not seen that before, but I laughed so hard that my roommate commented something about me finally snapping and going completely crazy :D thanks for passing it along!
DeleteHahaha!! You are so funny :) And I know what you mean about German words - it wouldn't be easy to learn that language :)
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm glad you posted again so soon!! <3