Re: [Fsfe-uk] Munich, swpat and Linux - possible in UK

[Chris Croughton]

On Thu, Aug 12, 2004 at 05:01:06PM +0100, MJ Ray wrote:

> On 2004-08-12 16:52:40 +0100 Ralph Janke <address@hidden> 
> wrote:
> 
> >It's not the wrong word order. A different word order in German 
> >actually 
> >changes the meaning slightly ;-)
> 
> Now you see, I was only ever told "Time Manner Place" over and over 
> and over again. Doing otherwise attracted red ink. I only studied 
> German academically for four years and haven't done much grammar 
> since, but you would think they'd de-emphasise the "wrong" if it's not 
> and explain.

I suspect that it's one of those things that there's a 'correct' way and
then there's the way it's actually used, and textbooks in UK schools are
likely to be quite a lot out of date.  For instance, everything I read
before going to live over there emphasised that 'sie' is the correct way
to address everyone except family (and then mostly younger family) or
very close friends, but I got told off for using 'sie' at work because
they were all young people (well, the oldest were in their 30s) and that
agegroup now regard all cow-orkers as 'friends' ('dusen').

(I remember there were some things in Maths that we were taught but told
"You can't use this in the exam, because it isn't in the examiners'
textbooks yet!")

> And people wonder why Brits aren't very good at languages! Is the 
> state education system mangling them? ;-)

It's mangled everything else <g>...

Chris C