Kapital 1 "How German is American?"

How German is American
How German is American is an informative piece written by the Max Kade Institute. The purpose of the piece is to tell about the many things German culture has influenced throughout the developmental years of the United States. It also explains the German-American Identity, along with showing the way it slowly became an "American identity." The immigration of Germans to American brought countless people during its peak between 1840 and 1914. Many settled in the eastern part of the country, but some ventured west, even reaching California. There were a number of reasons Germans came to the U.S. but the main reason was acquiring financial security.

To gain this security German immigrants began to develop German communities. These were not necessarily huge communities, but they would have local organizations. A main part of the German community was religion. There was no set religion that all Germans followed, but it was a part of many German's live. I found it interesting that there were even church services completely taught in German. There are even some religion, such as Lutheran, that still acknowledge their German roots to this day.

Another interesting note is how education was predominantly in German in some areas. A book called Das A.B.C. in Bildern was published in 1905 by McLoughlin Bros., Inc., New York. The number of children learning in German must have been significant if there were books being published in German, even in America. German concepts were also put into practice in the school systems. There is even an entire year named in German, Kindergarten!

Kindergarten, along with numerous other words, have been submerged into the English language and are now adapted as their own. Sauerkraut, waltz, pretzel, doppelganger, and coffee klatch are just a few examples. Word suffixes and prefixes have also been adapted from german such as "-fest", "-miester" and "über." This mixing of languages even developed its own name, "Denglisch."

There are many other things this article addresses, and so many more things adapted from German culture. I was very surprised by all of the things that have been shaped from German culture, and especially shocked that the German language was so influential in creating the American English language. This article was very informative of how German-Americans grew and made American their home throughout the years.

Brennpunkt Kultur
Seite 11 - I found it interesting that there are terms used regionally such as Grüß Gott in northern Germany, and Grüezi! in Zürich. I was trying to think of similar practices in America, yet most terms are used throughout the entire country. I also found the practice of saying Mahlzeit! interesting, because many people in the U.S. do not say "Have a nice meal!" very often.

Seite 16 - The practice of greeting others seems quite similar in Germany and America. There are different times to use different titles, such as Herr, Frau, or Professor. I found it interesting that calling an older woman Fräulein is considered negative or rude, mainly because at times when an older woman is called Miss in American they take it as a compliment.

Seite 32 - The fact that German is spoken in 24% of the European Union shows how influential this language is. I am also surprised to learn that it is spoken in outside countries as well, or is a common second language. The statistic of German being the third or fourth most widely spoken language other than English proves that this is a good language to know. These statistics make me feel even better about my decision to study German!