Germans!

When he decided to remain in Britain after the end of the war my father changed his name by shortening it to “Konig”. He explained that it wasn't to hide his origins but simply because most British people ran out of patience before they ran out of his name!

And he taught me German “as she is spoke”.

As to precisely how my mum managed to conceive me while Dad was still supposedly incarcerated in a POW camp is best not examined too closely as I was born in 1945, but I suspect that potatoes have a lot to do with it.

Picking them and other produce on the farm that my Mum was working on while in the land army probably was no doubt a key factor. It was a subject about which I asked but once.

I didn't bother again!

But German is an interesting language that most British people find easy to learn to speak badly.

Mark Twain, one of my “fave” authors, wrote about German in his book “A tramp abroad” an appreciation (?) of the German language that can be found at http://www.gutenberg.org/files/119/119-h/119-h.htm appendix d.

Re: Germans!

Hi "E", my son studied German at university and has lived in Germany for about 30 years. He is a partner in a language school organising English lessons for German businessmen. We often holiday in Germany but I only speak a VERY limited amount of their language.

Re: Germans!

We had a choice at school, either French or German. The deciding factor for me was the length of the words, and French won hands down.....

Re: Germans!

I have Family out in the Hebridean Islands and one of them has a Wee Lass. They decided that she would learn to speak The Gaelic and her Mum speaks nothing but that to her. Her Dad speaks nothing but English to her and now she Chats away in both Languages no bother....she's only 3 Years.

Re: Germans!

My sons second wife was half German, but just before the war started they were building a new Power Station in Trafford Park and we were asked to have three Germans billeted on us they stayed till they were called back to germany as the war was breaking out, my Grannie soon picked up quite a bit of the language.