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 *something* to the origin of the word, I'm forced to consider it unsubstantiated none-the-less. That doesn't mean I don't like it. In fact, I love it. 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. -Rob On Wed, Jun 30, 2010 at 4:20 PM, Chuck Cole <cncole at earthlink.net> wrote: > 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. > > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Archives/Language/2006_December_11 > > > 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. > > Sorry, but yours is the specious and undocumented bullshit. > > Chuck > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: tclug-list-bounces at mn-linux.org > > [mailto:tclug-list-bounces at mn-linux.org]On Behalf Of Munir Nassar > > Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 9:44 AM > > To: TCLUG Mailing List > > Subject: Re: [tclug-list] What distros do you no longer use? > > > > > > On Tue, Jun 29, 2010 at 18:39, Chuck Cole <cncole at earthlink.net> wrote: > > > Language perspective, not argument: The old German WWI word > > for a military > > > tank was "schutzengrabenabwehrvernichtungskraftfahrwagen". That was a > > > Guiness record for word length. Is there any wonder why it wasn't long > > > before people more often used "tank". Even Germans often used a > shorter > > > term "panzerauto" by WWII. I'm among those that prefer the shorter > term > > > Linux and find GNU adequately embedded, as are Torvald, open source > > > operating system, etc. > > > > I call bullshit, i am not a linguist, but i speak german. Contrary to > > popular belief stringing together any number of words does not work, > > they have to make sense. "Schutzen Graben" is a defensive ditch, > > "Abwehr" is counter fire or defence, "vernichtung" is destruction, > > "kraft" is power, usually a prefix to a machine. ("LKW", or "Last > > Kraft Wagen" is heavy load power automobile or what we would call a > > truck, tractor trailer) "fahr" is drive, and "wagen" is wagon/car. As > > you can see stringing these words together is rather nonsensical, at > > best i can translate it to mean: the destruction of the defence(noun) > > in the defensive ditch with a drivable powered wagon.The german > > wikipedia article calls the first german tank: "schweren Kampfwagen" > > or Heavy Combat Wagon. > > > > as for the 2nd word, the pre-WW2 german word for tank was "Schwerer > > Schlepper", which means Heavy Tractor. the reason being is that > > Germany was forbidden from building any sort of offensive military > > equipment and the soldiers and everybody who knew about these > > "tractors" was most likely sure to be told to keep their mouths shut > > to keep the secret in(not that it really was a secret). in any case > > the official name for tank in German before and during WW2 was "Panzer > > Kampf Wagen", Armoured Combat Wagon, and would most likely be > > shortened to Panzer or PanzerWagen or referred to by their military > > designation (Panzer III, Tiger I, Panther). PanzerAuto would refer > > more to an armoured car. > > > > _______________________________________________ > > TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota > > tclug-list at mn-linux.org > > http://mailman.mn-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list > > > > > _______________________________________________ > TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota > tclug-list at mn-linux.org > http://mailman.mn-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://mailman.mn-linux.org/pipermail/tclug-list/attachments/20100630/b6e095cb/attachment.htm