Sorry Chuck. Your wikipedia article doesn't contain a cited source. If you're going to lob monkey poo in a flame war, at least have the sense to not cite a wikipedia article that itself does not contain a verifiable citation. While there may be <i>something</i> to the origin of the word, I'm forced to consider it unsubstantiated none-the-less. <br>
<br>That doesn't mean I don't like it. In fact, I love it. <br><br>Can we come up with a long, ridiculous german word for "flame war on the proper use of german on the internetz as it pertains to schutzengrabenabwehrvernichtungskraftfahrwagen?" I bet that would be hella-long. <br>
<br>-Rob <br><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Jun 30, 2010 at 4:20 PM, Chuck Cole <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:cncole@earthlink.net">cncole@earthlink.net</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">
Check the web and correct those sources. This is not my invention: I used several web references to refresh my memories from German and linguistics. This is prevalent, if not entirely precise and accurate.<br>
<br>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Archives/Language/2006_December_11" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Archives/Language/2006_December_11</a><br>
<br>
<br>
My German teacher back in college is where I first heard this, and later in linguistic refrences. Perhaps you don't have enough gray hair. This *is* a linguist's issue, and you say that is not your strength. Long concatenations were common German usage 40 or more years ago, but I would not be surprised to find that modern usage has moved away from that as technology lingo became more commonplace and concatenation too cumbersome.<br>
<br>
Sorry, but yours is the specious and undocumented bullshit.<br>
<br>
Chuck<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
> -----Original Message-----<br>
> From: <a href="mailto:tclug-list-bounces@mn-linux.org">tclug-list-bounces@mn-linux.org</a><br>
> [mailto:<a href="mailto:tclug-list-bounces@mn-linux.org">tclug-list-bounces@mn-linux.org</a>]On Behalf Of Munir Nassar<br>
> Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 9:44 AM<br>
> To: TCLUG Mailing List<br>
> Subject: Re: [tclug-list] What distros do you no longer use?<br>
><br>
><br>
> On Tue, Jun 29, 2010 at 18:39, Chuck Cole <<a href="mailto:cncole@earthlink.net">cncole@earthlink.net</a>> wrote:<br>
> > Language perspective, not argument: The old German WWI word<br>
> for a military<br>
> > tank was "schutzengrabenabwehrvernichtungskraftfahrwagen". That was a<br>
> > Guiness record for word length. Is there any wonder why it wasn't long<br>
> > before people more often used "tank". Even Germans often used a shorter<br>
> > term "panzerauto" by WWII. I'm among those that prefer the shorter term<br>
> > Linux and find GNU adequately embedded, as are Torvald, open source<br>
> > operating system, etc.<br>
><br>
> I call bullshit, i am not a linguist, but i speak german. Contrary to<br>
> popular belief stringing together any number of words does not work,<br>
> they have to make sense. "Schutzen Graben" is a defensive ditch,<br>
> "Abwehr" is counter fire or defence, "vernichtung" is destruction,<br>
> "kraft" is power, usually a prefix to a machine. ("LKW", or "Last<br>
> Kraft Wagen" is heavy load power automobile or what we would call a<br>
> truck, tractor trailer) "fahr" is drive, and "wagen" is wagon/car. As<br>
> you can see stringing these words together is rather nonsensical, at<br>
> best i can translate it to mean: the destruction of the defence(noun)<br>
> in the defensive ditch with a drivable powered wagon.The german<br>
> wikipedia article calls the first german tank: "schweren Kampfwagen"<br>
> or Heavy Combat Wagon.<br>
><br>
> as for the 2nd word, the pre-WW2 german word for tank was "Schwerer<br>
> Schlepper", which means Heavy Tractor. the reason being is that<br>
> Germany was forbidden from building any sort of offensive military<br>
> equipment and the soldiers and everybody who knew about these<br>
> "tractors" was most likely sure to be told to keep their mouths shut<br>
> to keep the secret in(not that it really was a secret). in any case<br>
> the official name for tank in German before and during WW2 was "Panzer<br>
> Kampf Wagen", Armoured Combat Wagon, and would most likely be<br>
> shortened to Panzer or PanzerWagen or referred to by their military<br>
> designation (Panzer III, Tiger I, Panther). PanzerAuto would refer<br>
> more to an armoured car.<br>
><br>
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</blockquote></div><br>