Re: GEN-DE word definition

On Sep 4, 6:07 pm, Klaus Gebhardt <klausgebha...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
I think, all writers here explained "Erdbirenland" very good but they
assumed, that it was written correctly. What about the following scenarion?
A bunch of German farmers arrived in NY and fell in line at the
immigration office. Our farmer is the next in the row.
The writer (he understood a bit German, this is why he is sitting there)
asks: "Where are you coming from?" The farmer is not yet familar in
English and answered in German "Erdbeerenland". But his pronounciation
is so bad, that the writer asked again ... and again. Finally the
supervisor (English is his mother tongue) ask the farmer to write it
down. The farmer did it and the English supervisor dictated it to the
writer. In this case, an english speaking person would read "Erd bee
renland", pronouncing the middle part like a "bee". Our German writer,
who thought, he is listening to a German word would now write
"Erdbirenland".

Sorry to confuse everybody :-) Maybe the probability of this scenario is
low, but what we always need to know for a good translation
is the context of the document: WHO wrote it and WHAT are the sources
of the writer?

Greetings
Klaus Gebhardt

Klaus Beutel schrieb:



Joe Pessarra schrieb:

"Klaus Beutel" <kabe...@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:5k1ssoF1oaobU1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Joe Pessarra schrieb:

<johnillenber...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1188790256.766349.275110@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I'm hoping someone can tell me what Erdbirenland means? I can't find
it in any of my dictionaries.

John

Believe the word is spelled Erdbeerenland. Erdbeeren is strawberry.
How about strawberry land?

Joe in Texas

In dialekts of Southgermany (Württemberg, Schwaben) the words
"Erdbir(a), Erdbiren, Bodenbir(a), Bodenbiren, Grundbir(a),
Erdapfel(-aepfel)" are used for "Kartoffel" = potato(es).
Depending on the contex, "Erdbirenland" may be the farmland, field,
ditrict or a province where potatoes are cultivated.
Strawberry is pronounced "Erdber(a)" with an "e" instead of an "i".
Slight difference, but big effect :-)

Regards Klaus
(surrounded by Erdbira, Erdbera, apples, pears and plums)

Thanks to Lutz, Klaus, and Erika, I have learned something new. I had
thought the spelling might have been a phonetic spelling for a word that
John had heard. However, it was a written word in a book, I found later.
Here is what John emailed me.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Thanks, Joe. The spelling Erdbirenland is used in the Heimatbuch for
Nattheim and Oggenhausen, but I think you're correct. It probably means
strawberry patch.

John"
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Not the first mistake I have made this year.

Joe

Don't worry about that mistake.
Somebody who is not familiar with dialekts and pronounciations of words
in the southern parts of Germany, it was very difficult to crack the
nut-shell.
First it is quite unusual to write a dialect-word in an official book.
Then one has to know that a dialect-word is written the way the writer
pronounces the word. And there is only a slight difference between the
pronounciaton of "Erdbir" and "Erdber".
"bir" is pronounced in German similarily to the English word "beer".
"ber" is pronounced in German similarily to the English word "bear".

As long as there are still some "locals" in this group who may work as
nut-crackers, those problems may be solved to everybodies' satisfaction.
:-)

Regards Klaus

-------------------------------
To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to GEN-DE-requ...@xxxxxxxxxxxx with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Perhaps I ought to give the context in which Erdbirenland was used
here. It is a quote from an early 19th century contract between a
Mother and her son in Nattheim. It is part of the discussion of my
Illenberger Family included in the "Heimatbuch von Nattheim und
Oggenhausen" by Albrecht Ritz, published in 1951.
My Illenberger ancestors were from Nattheim. I've found it quite
fascinating.

John

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: GEN-DE word definition
    ... all writers here explained "Erdbirenland" very good but they ... Our farmer is the next in the row. ... The writer (he understood a bit German, this is why he is sitting there) ...
    (soc.genealogy.german)
  • Re: GEN-DE word definition
    ... A bunch of German farmers arrived in NY and fell in line at the immigration office. ... The farmer is not yet familar in English and answered in German "Erdbeerenland". ... But his pronounciation is so bad, that the writer asked again ... ... The scenario you described isn't as far off reality as one should think. ...
    (soc.genealogy.german)
  • Re: Appreciating Brendel at 75
    ... >> emitted by William F. Buckley, and when he's writing in The New York ... You get the drift, of course, but the writer seems to like ... >is German and the article may be a translation from the German. ... >The NYT has fallen upon hard times of late and may just be purchasing ...
    (rec.music.classical.recordings)
  • Re: Duckie no f_ckie.
    ... How's Duckie doing? ... Stockbauer translates as "Stick Farmer" from German. ...
    (sci.physics)
  • Re: Help Decipher Name Stabeman
    ... see my other post where the name "Stabenow" came up. ... Looking at the scan once more, I don't think that's the name the writer ... > I think she was German, ... > I sort of assume she was a floozy (I don?t know how that translates into German). ...
    (soc.genealogy.german)