A Disadvantage of German.
You can do much with German language, but you cannot really swear in it, as you can in English and Italian. There is nothing much beyond a Thou and Pots or Thunder and Lightning, which are not wicked enough for comfort. So we may excuse the evening contemporary which quoted in all seriousness the letter to the “Times” as from one Colonel Donner and Blitzen. The good man was doing his best to swear in English print; but when it comes to swearing, the German language is not in it. The fact is the Germans have wasted their profanity in ordinary conversation, and use it on the most ordinary occasions. “Du lieber Gotti’ “Ach, Herr Jesus!” and so forth are the common exclamations of the Germans. Translated into English they grate on the reverent consciousness—until the moment comes when something calls to the profane substratum of the enraged man. And then the Englishman has his reserved stock of swearing.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZGRAP19110628.2.15
Bibliographic details
New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLV, Issue 26, 28 June 1911, Page 8
Word Count
163A Disadvantage of German. New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLV, Issue 26, 28 June 1911, Page 8
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This material was digitised in partnership with Auckland Libraries. You can find high resolution images on Kura Heritage Collections Online.
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