Page 4 - GC-Mar-Apr-2023
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German Leckerbissen – Part 10


          by Daniel Schwarz                                                                       interested in researching the geneal- code (Ländervorwahl) which is di-
             ne  of  the  closest  words  to                                                      ogy or family history of people from aled as +49 or 0049 (for Germany);
             tidbit in German is Lecker-                                                          the German-speaking part of Europe secondly  the  city  area  code  (Vor-
      Obissen. Literally Leckerbis-                                                               who have emigrated over the centu- wahl)  XXX,  sometimes  4  digits;
      sen means tasty morsels or bits. The                                                        ries  and  settled  in  England,  Scot- and  thirdly  the  local  individual
      following may include some tidbits                                                          land, Wales and Ireland (N and S), phone number which can have 4 or
      of  German  culture,  foods/drinks,                                                         and  the neighboring islands.” They 5 digits. When phoning within Ger-
      traditions,  history,  language,  and                                                       are a self-help group with consider- many, add a zero in front of the area
      current events.                                                                             able expertise and resources includ- code 0XXX, and drop the interna-
         Katzenjamma Kids – Do peo-                                                               ing  a book shop, quarterly journal tional country code. When phoning
      ple  still  read  the  Comics  in  the                                                      with member articles, and gives op- in  Germany  within  the  same  city,
      newspaper,  or  as  they  used  to  be                                                      portunities to seek advice from oth- you can omit the int’l country code
      called, “The Funnies”?  Perhaps the                                                         er  members,  of  which  there  are and  area  code,  just  dial  the  local
      bigger  question  is,  do  people  still                                                    thousands  in  the  UK  and  world- individual  phone  number.  To  save
      get the newspaper? Well, many do,                                                           wide.  Their  website  is:  https:// money on your cell phone bill, there
      but  are  no  longer  able  to  read  the                                                   www.agfhs.com                  is another option, which is to use the
      comic strip Katzenjammer Kids that                                                             Phoning to and in Germany – free  messaging  app  WhatsApp,
      started in 1897, and ended in 2006.                                                         When phoning to a German landline when  phoning  /  texting  /  videoing
      The creator Rudolph Dirks who was                                                           (Festnetz),  or  mobile  cell  phone from and to a Handy using Wi-Fi.
      German,  allowed  his  characters  in                                                       (Handy)  from  abroad,  there  are Germans in Germany almost all use
      the comic strip stories to stereotype                                                       three  parts  for  the  phone  number. this app with their Handy, but it is
      German accents. He wrote the dia-                                                           They are: the international country not available for a landline use.
      log  phonetically,  where  the  “W’s” Dick Tracy, etc.   It has been written das Mädchen, which is the word girl
      became  “V’s”,  for  example,  and that  even  during  the  comic  strips’ and is assigned a neuter article Das.
      even  put  in  some  German  slang long reign that began in 1897, many Ugg!
      words, such as Dummkopf. Even the found its humor disturbing and even  Fear  not.  There  is  some  logic
      title of Katzenjammer is a German offensive.  Perhaps  eventually  this and rules to better understand which
      word meaning “cats wailing or cats lead to its demise in 2006, or maybe article  has  been  assigned  to  each
      complaining”.                  it was just a lack of readership for noun. Here are some basic rules that
         The  story  line  was  about  two comic strips. In any event, this strip should help. If a noun ends in –or,
      young  mischievous  twin  boys opened an era of short story comics -ling, -ig or -smus, it is masculine
      named  Hans  and  Fritz.  They  re- that are still being created and print- and prefixed by the article der. If a
      belled  against  authority,  mostly ed in newspapers today.   noun  ends  in  -ung,  -ie,  -ei,  -keit,
      their  Momma  Katzenjammer,  and  Der, Die, and Das – In German -heit, -schaft, -tät, -ik or –tion, it is
      played pranks on The Captain a sail- grammar,  each  noun  (a  person, feminine and is prefixed by the arti-
      or,  and  The  Inspector  who  was  a place  or  thing)  is  assigned  one  of cle die. And if a noun ends in –chen,
      long-bearded  school  official.  This these  three  articles.  This  is  a  new -lein, -ment, -tum, -ma or –um, it is
      does sound very much like an earli- concept for English speakers learn- considered  neuter  and  prefixed  by
      er  German  story  with  two  rascal ing  German,  because  we  just  use das.  This  should  help  understand
      boys named Max and Moritz. May- “The”  for  nouns,  and  the  British why  Mädchen  was  assigned  the
      be they were his inspiration. How- drop  articles  just  because  they  do. neuter article das. Lastly, Germans
      ever, one of the biggest difference Typically in German, nouns have a have  many  compound  words,  and
      was that Hans and Fritz were pun- gender  (soziales  Geschlecht)  such when they are nouns, the rule is that
      ished  by  their  Momma  with  a as masculine (männlich) which uses the  gender  is  assigned  to  the  last
      spanking at the end of each prank. the article Der, feminine (weiblich) word. Oh yes, the plural for nouns is
      Since it was the first comic strip, it which  uses  Die,  and  neuter die  for  all  genders.  So,  this  takes
      set the stage for future comic strips.  (sächlich)  uses  Das.  Almost  all  of care of the nominative cases. That
         In  1995  the  U.S.  Post  Office the time it is logical to know which made it easy, right? Hopefully yes.
      issued a sheet of 20 different stamps article to use based on the gender of  AGFHS - This is the acronym
      commemorating  historical  comic the  noun,  however,  grammatically for  Anglo-German  Family  History
      strip  classics,  which  included  the the article is assigned to the WORD, Society, which is a genealogy soci-
      Katzenjammer Kids, as well as oth- which sometimes is not logical, but ety headquartered in London, Eng-
      er popular comics, such as Popeye, it’s the way it is! A good example is land.  “It  welcomes  members
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