this post was submitted on 17 Sep 2025
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[–] qevlarr@lemmy.world 53 points 3 days ago (1 children)

There's a word for what is happening: Gleichschaltung

[–] thatKamGuy@sh.itjust.works 11 points 3 days ago (4 children)

The Germans really do have a fucking word for everything, don’t they?

[–] prosecute_traitors@lemmy.zip 18 points 3 days ago

I mean... In this context it is easy for, since we seen this one through already.

[–] glorkon@lemmy.world 14 points 3 days ago (1 children)

We do, because it's very easy to construct new and rather specific nouns in the German language.

The famous "Schadenfreude" is nothing else but a combination of "Schaden" (damage) and "Freude" (joy).

Wanna mildly insult someone...

  • by saying he's not man enough to take a cold shower? Call him a "Warmduscher" (warm + person taking a shower).
  • by saying he used to be the stupid kid at school who always forgot his gym bag? "Turnbeutelvergesser" (gym bag + person who forgets)
  • by saying he's too scared to swim in the center of a swimming pool? "Beckenrandschwimmer" (pool's edge + swimmer)

There are countless synonyms like that, it even used to be some kind of trend inventing new ones.

In short, I think we Germans are expert "Wortneuschöpfer" (creators of new words).

[–] thatKamGuy@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

There’s an English idiom that states; “If it’s stupid and it works, it’s not stupid”.

Something similar to that can be said about the German language’s ability to form compound words.

Now, could you please humour me and let me know if there is one word that could describe a person who is too afraid to swim in the centre of a pool, can only take hot showers, always forgets their gym bag, and takes joy in the misery of others? 😆

[–] glorkon@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Ah, I'm afraid that's where even the German language reaches its limits.

As soon as you try to convey several separate notions in one word and you're forced to use "and" in it, it breaks the word. A fine example is the word previously mentioned in this thread:

"Rinderkennzeichnungs- und Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz"

It's a law (Gesetz) on the assignment (Übertragung) of tasks (Aufgaben) concerning the supervision (Überwachung) of cattle identification (Rinderkennzeichnung) AND the labelling (Etikettierung) of beef (Rindfleisch). Hence the "und" in there.

In other words, German compound words are very specific and usually don't carry more than one meaning, I'm sorry to say. :)

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 5 points 3 days ago

they have experience in these matters.

[–] merdaverse@lemmy.zip 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)
[–] glorkon@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

German kids like inventing nonsensical words like that.

My favorite one I remember from my childhood is "Bettdeckenbezugsschonersonnenblumenmusterwebfehler". Which roughly translates to: A weaving flaw in the sunflower pattern on a bed sheet cover.