This is not my Mother Language
April 7th, 2008 | by Detlef |This is not my mother language - but I like it. Perhaps I am making a fool of myself building sentences nobody understands - or even sentences everybody understands - everybody but me.
I will never understand English punctuation. I will never get into my head (and keep it there) which words are capitalized in a headline.
On the other hand: no English speaking person could up to now pronounce my name right: “Detlef Cordes”. So I called this blog “The Hamburger”, as I am living, writing and singing from Hamburg Sankt Pauli, Germany. Every English speaking person is familiar with the word “Hamburger”.
I know, it’s a rather cheap pun, but I enjoy it anyway. It reminds me of one of the greatest expieriences of my youth (3 ofs in 1 sentence, sorry): a delicious hamburger I ate at the American festival in Berlin. I never enjoyed any hamburger so much for the next 30 years.
Today I never eat hamburgers. I give my best to be a vegetarian, but if on occasions hunger for meat overcomes my better self I run to the Schnellimbiss (greasy spoon, take-out? There seems to be no translation for the word) to have a currywurst (pork sausage with curry).
But what on earth has that got to do with me not blogging in my mother language?
2 Responses to “This is not my Mother Language”
By Sol on Apr 22, 2008 | Reply
Hi Detlef, I came to your site via the song Hop hop hop Pferdchen lauf Galopp, which we sing in the Babyschwimm lessons with my one-year-old here in South Tyrol.
I think you have an amazing voice and I wanted to ask if you happen to have a CD of children’s songs in German you could sell to me.
Anyway, it was nice to read your blog. The currywurst looks heinous. ;)
By Leo on May 29, 2008 | Reply
I believe it is “mother tongue” in English.
“Mother language” is OK, and it is a direct translation of “Muttersprache”, but I do not think a native English speaker will say “mother language”; he is more likely to say “mother tongue” or often in America “first language”.
Best,
Leo