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From: deb5@midway.uchicago.edu (Daniel von Brighoff)
Subject: Punning in German [was: Re: The Naming of Letters
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References: <sullivan.190.185.33D76309@osu.edu> <33d91d8a.19988317@news.eunet.ie> <33da20ca.12263925@news.cww.de> <5rled5$rla$1@csnews.cs.colorado.edu>
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 18:47:08 GMT
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In article <5rled5$rla$1@csnews.cs.colorado.edu>,
Jill Lundquist <jill@alumni.cs.colorado.edu> wrote:
>[warning: very minor spoilers for _A Close Shave_]
>[followups set to exclude sci.lang]
>
>In article <33da20ca.12263925@news.cww.de>,
>Michael Rohde <michael.rohde@usa.net> wrote:
>>Synchronizing ever is a bad thing if you wanna get the puns (or the
>>rhyme) of a language.
>
>Indeed, and I prefer subtitles for that reason.  Dubbing works
>better when the audience cannot read subtitles (as when the
>audience is young children or blind people), but when that is not a
>factor it is in my opinion a subtly richer experience to see a
>subtitled film.

[example snipped]

>It interests me that you commented on the puns.  I used to have a
>German roommate who had spent much of his life in the USA, and while
>a German citizen and fluent in the German language was not as
>familiar with German culture.  He told me once that on a trip to
>Germany he had discovered that Germans didn't use puns or wordplays
>of any kind.  He said he made some puns and everyone just stared at
>him.  Seeing you comment on the loss of puns from dubbed films makes
>me suspect he misinterpreted his experience.  Humor is so cultural,
>and even broad jokes are confusing if the listeners are unsure whether
>they understand well.  My jokes get a disproportionate number of blank
>stares when I'm in Australia for (I presume) exactly those reasons.

Actually, in _The German language in a changing Europe_, Clyne cites
studies which indicate that German-speakers generally engage in much less
wordplay than English-speakers, particularly denizens of the UK.  A
concrete example which brought home to me the contrast was a joke
concerning Chancellor Kohl that I heard more than once while over there.
Basically, three world leaders (the American president, the British PM, 
and Kohl) all arrive late to a conference.  The first gives an elabourate
excuse, the second appends only "Me too!" and then Kohl pipes up with "Me
three!"

Of course, I didn't understand the joke at first.  What the Germans
thought was a damning indictment of Kohl's English abilities, I recognised
as a bit of linguistic play so common as to be unremarkable.  Kids say "Me
three!" all the time.  I would be mildly surprised to hear it from an
adult in a formal situation, but I wouldn't be in the least dismayed.
-- 
	 Daniel "Da" von Brighoff    /\          Dilettanten
	(deb5@midway.uchicago.edu)  /__\         erhebt Euch
				   /____\      gegen die Kunst!
